Decline of Cambodia’s native bees spells trouble for country’s farming future

As natural pollinators, Cambodia’s native honey bees are key to the survival of the country’s forests and farms. But these species are at a conservation crossroads, warns a recent study that foreshadows the risks of leaving growing threats unaddressed.

Based on field research across Cambodia, as well as dozens of interviews with honey hunters, farmers and beekeepers, Eric Guerin, lead author of the study, told Mongabay he has no doubt native bee populations are declining.

Thankfully, he said, species are not yet at risk of extinction.

“If we continue in the same way, we may lose local populations of our native species. Though there is still time to change that. The bees are still here and the population could for sure recover,” said Guerin, a bee conservation and sustainable beekeeping specialist. “But that depends on us.”

An Asian giant honeybee (Apis dorsata) worker bee, one of four native honey bee species in Cambodia, where global threats like climate change are compounded by local factors like the consumption of bee brood. Image courtesy of Eric Guerin.

While a nationwide bee population survey hasn’t been conducted in Cambodia, the study underlines how the kingdom’s four native honey bee species are increasingly at risk. Threats like climate change, insecticides and parasites that are decimating bee populations globally are compounded locally by habitat loss, agricultural intensification, unsustainable wild honey gathering, and the consumption of bee brood (eggs, larvae and pupae), a protein-rich delicacy in high demand in Cambodia.

As most of the world’s honey bees are native to Asia, experts say Southeast Asia can play an outsized role as a stronghold for dwindling species.

“Southeast Asia is the cradle of honeybee diversity,” Natapot Warrit, an assistant biology professor at Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University, who wasn’t involved in the study, told Mongabay in an email. “We need to step up in terms of protecting this important natural resource and harvesting them in a sustainable manner.”

A nest of black dwarf honeybees (Apis andreniformis), one of Cambodia’s four native bee species. Image by Chhouk Chheang.

Taking bees for granted

Cambodia is home to four native honey bee species: Asian giant (Apis dorsata), eastern (Apis cerana), red dwarf (Apis florea) and black dwarf honey bee (Apis andreniformis).

And as in many other countries in the region, it also hosts western honey bees (Apis mellifera) that were introduced to bolster Cambodia’s beekeeping industry.

Bees are present in all 25 of Cambodia’s provinces, where the study found they play a “vital role in pollinating the country’s forests and crops, thereby supporting biodiversity and agricultural productivity.”

While natural wind and manual hand pollination is common in Southeast Asia, there are clear advantages to animal pollinators, like bees, which can lead to better crop yields and consistency, said Natapot, who specializes in bee behavior and pollinator biodiversity.

“Most people take for granted that their food, plants and trees can be sustained on their own,” he said. “But if local extinction of bees happens in any given area, we are expected to see repercussions in terms of changing the local landscape and that will certainly affect everything else around us.”

The edge of a farm contrasts with the remnants of forest in Cambodia. Habitat loss due to agricultural intensification is a major threat to Cambodia’s bees. Image by Anton L. Delgado.

Despite the importance of native bees in pollinating both forests and crops, Guerin said there’s a woeful lack of understanding across Cambodia about the socioeconomic and environmental services provided by bees, which the study describes as the “backbone of Cambodia’s rural economy.”

“My first hope is that people, from government policymakers to farmers, will understand how important bees are, specifically for a country like Cambodia that relies so much on agriculture,” said Guerin, who has worked with bees in the country for more than 10 years. “Once this value is understood, we can start working on policies and start exploring alternatives that could safeguard species.”

Sam Nissay, from a UNESCO program that supports sustainable beekeeping and native bee conservation in Cambodia, told Mongabay in an email that “This issue is crucial not only for countries that prioritize agriculture but also for others, as bees play a vital role in maintaining the balance of ecosystems.”

“If we lose, or suffer any decline of native bees in Cambodia, it will very likely impact agriculture yields,” Guerin said, adding this would be devastating to small-scale subsistence farmers and the Cambodian economy as a whole.

Agricultural intensification can often lead to the loss of wild bee habitat, which creates a vicious cycle in Cambodia, since the decline of bee populations will in turn affect pollination and farm yields.

“Cambodia needs its agriculture, its small-scale farms, and its commercial crops for exportation,” Guerin said. “But we need to explore alternatives that will continue this agriculture while preserving the pollinators.”

Sustainable honey collection from a Asian giant honeybee (Apis dorsata) nest in Stung Treng Province. Image courtesy of Eric Guerin.

Sustainable beekeeping is one of those emerging alternatives, though experts say its full potential has yet to be tapped in Cambodia.

According to Moel Sameth, head of the agriculture and apiculture program at the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, said that with “the right support, training, and resources, beekeeping can be a powerful tool for both livelihood improvement and forest conservation.”

Bees have the potential to act as a flagship species that both boost rural economies and safeguards local ecosystems, but only if managed correctly, Moel said.

“Beekeeping in Cambodia can serve as a vital livelihood by providing income, supporting agriculture, promoting environmental sustainability, and contributing to biodiversity conservation,” he told Mongabay in an email. “It offers a way to balance economic development with the protection of natural resources, which is particularly important in a developing country like Cambodia.”