Is there a need for conservation of honeybees in Africa?

Est-il nécessaire de prendre des mesures de conservation des abeilles en Afrique ?

Vincent Dietemann , Christian Walter Werner Pirk , Robin Crewe

Honeybees are native to Africa and Europe but have been spread worldwide as the basis for an apicultural industry. To date, large and diverse wild populations only remain in Africa. On this continent the beekeeping industry is relatively undeveloped and relies on trapping swarms from wild populations to constitute the managed stocks. Bee breeding is seldom practiced. The situation is therefore different from that of Europe or North America where wild or feral honeybees have almost disappeared and this distinction is important when assessing the conservation status of African honeybees. While African honeybees appear to be more resistant to major diseases, the history of honeybee populations worldwide suggests that their conservation is a necessity. After analyzing the threats to which honeybees are exposed in Africa, we argue that preventive conservation measures are required to maintain the present favorable situation and avoid the declines in populations experienced elsewhere.

Mots clés: conservation; honeybee; Apis; Africa; diseases; beekeeping<br>---<br>Apis; protection; Afrique; maladie; parasite; apiculture

Domaines: Zoologie des invertébrés; Biodiversité; Ecologie, Environnement; Science des productions animales

Vincent Dietemann, Christian Walter Werner Pirk, Robin Crewe. Is there a need for conservation of honeybees in Africa?. Apidologie, 2009, 40 (3), ⟨10.1051/apido/2009013⟩. ⟨hal-00892036⟩