The Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department warned the beekeepers of the deformed wing virus (DWV) induced by extreme temperature, causing twist­ed, shrunken and crumpled wings.

DWV threatens the European hon­eybee population and lowers mite fertil­ity owing to the heat stress during the May-July period. It can trigger the loss of nurse bees as well.

The department notified the bee­keepers of managing pests and diseases and beekeeping practices to protect the honeybee from DWV.

Beehives must be located in shady places. Beekeeping practices include managing parasites and pests, providing adequate access to water and good venti­lation, and the need to balance honeybee and bee larvae better. Furthermore, feed­ing sugar water with a sprinkle of salt to honey bees is required. The department also encouraged starting a business with new beehives. The beekeepers must inform the nearest office of the town­ship apiculture development division and Myanmar Apiculture Association of any detected bee disease.

Myanmar exports honey to China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Thailand, the US and Singapore. Myanmar shipped over 2,200 tonnes of honey to foreign trade partners in the 2023-2024 financial year (April-March).

Myanmar’s beekeeping business­es are mostly found in Sagaing Region, Mandalay Region, Magway Region and Shan State. Myanmar produces sesame honey, jujube honey, niger honey, sun­flower honey, lychee honey and flower honey. Myanmar’s honey production is estimated at over 4,000 metric tonnes annually. Sixty per cent went to foreign markets, while the remaining was desig­nated for domestic consumption.

Honey is utilized as a traditional medicine in the country. There are some state-owned beekeeping stations with 6,200 beehives in 31 townships and over 950 private beekeeping businesses oper­ating with nearly 200,000 beehives.

Moreover, two million acres of crops yearly contribute to bee pollination every year. Beekeeping businesses near the crop fields contribute to the successful yield of the crop as well as quality bee production. — NN/EM