CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BEEKEEPING AND HONEY PRODUCTION DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC – A SHORT REVIEW

Honey bees in beekeeping are commonly involved in honey production and as planned pollinators worldwide. However, at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic, the hardworking little creatures suffered many difficulties. The entire supply chain was blocked. Consequently, the challenges directly affected honey and crop production worldwide. The pandemic issues like travel restrictions and limited access to apiaries had a detrimental influence on beekeepers' activity. Earlier sales decline during the crisis had an economic impact, with some beneficial impacts, like a rise in demand for health-related goods. However, the challenges come with opportunities, which lead to a pointy surge in demand for honey which paved the way for many women entrepreneurs as beekeepers to meet the local demands, which helps the rural economy to be sustained. Another intriguing benefit is that a drastic drop in pollution helped bees get back to their normal routine, which led to a drastic increase in honey production during the pandemic as opposed to what they experienced in normal times. This article briefly outlines such challenges faced by the beekeepers and the honey producers and also focuses on the new opportunities that rendered many values to the producers during the pandemic © Penerbit UMT

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CONSUMERS' INTENTION TO PURCHASE BEEKEEPING PRODUCTS DURING COVID-19 1 2

Bu araştırmanın amacı, pandemi sürecinde tüketicilerin kişilik özellikleri ile propolis başta olmak üzere arıcılık ürünlerini satın alma niyetleri arasındaki ilişkiyi, tüketicilerin propolis ve diǧer arı ürünlerinin ambalajlanması konusundaki farkındalıklarını, kullanımlarını ve beklentilerini, sertifikalar, fiyatlar, promosyonlar, satış kanalları ve propolis içerikli yeni ürünlere yönelik tutumlarını deǧerlendirmektir. Bu çalışmanın amacına paralel olarak, 350 tüketiciden kolayda örnekleme yöntemiyle elde edilen veriler Frekans, baǧımsız - "t testi" -, Anova ve Korelasyon analizi ile incelenmiştir. Araştırmamız sonucunda tüketiciler bu ürünü en çok kış aylarında kullanmakta, satın alma kararını fiyat ve kaliteyi karşılaştırarak vermekte olup, cam ambalaj, yeni ürünler, ödüller, sertifikalar konusunda yüksek beklentilere sahiptir. Yeniliklere açık olan tüketicilerin propolis satın alma niyeti daha olumludur.Alternate :The purpose of this research is to evaluate the relationship between consumers' personality traits and their intention to purchase beekeeping products, especially propolis, during the pandemic, consumers' awareness, use and expectations about the packaging of propolis and other bee products, certificates, prices, promotions, sales channels and attitudes towards new products containing propolis. In parallel with the purpose of this study, the data obtained from 350 consumers by convenience sampling method were analyzed by Frequency, independent - "t test" -, Anova and Correlation analysis. As a result of our research, consumers use this product most in winter, make the purchase decision by comparing price and quality, have high expectations for glass packaging, new products, awards, certificates. Consumers who are open to innovations have a more positive propolis purchase intention.

Does sending honey bee, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae), colonies to lowbush blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium (Ericaceae), for pollination increase Nosema spp. (Nosematidae) spore loads?

In the Canadian Maritimes, many beekeepers rent honey bee, Apis mellifera Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Apidae), hives to growers of lowbush blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium (Ericaceae), for pollination services. Anecdotally, hives have less vigour following pollination, potentially due to higher Nosema spp. (Nosematidae) spore loads, the microsporidian causing nosemosis. We undertook a study to determine whether sending honey bee hives to lowbush blueberry fields for pollination (blueberry hives) results in higher Nosema spp. spore loads relative to hives remaining in apiaries (home hives). Nosema spp. spore loads were quantified using light microscopy. Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae were differentiated using polymerase chain reaction and sequencing. Nosema spp. spore loads were greatest in April and May and declined to low levels from June to September. Ninety-eight per cent of Nosema detections were positive for N. ceranae. In April, blueberry hives had a lower spore load than home hives did;however, in June, spore loads were significantly higher in blueberry hives. No other differences in Nosema spp. spore loads were observed between hive types. We conclude that Nosema ceranae is the dominant Nosema species in the Canadian Maritimes and that using hives for lowbush blueberry pollination does not appear to influence long-term Nosema spp. spore loads.

Can beekeeping improve mental wellbeing during times of crisis?

This paper examined how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected those interested in honey bees and the outdoors. It was investigated whether being outdoors and/or beekeeping has been a benefit to mental health using personal stories, examples from research, beekeeping groups, communities and the health service. The increase in online beekeeping teaching resources has helped bring knowledge about bees to perhaps a wider audience than previously, but training to become a beekeeper does need a certain hands-on element with beehives in an apiary setting. This is not just in order to gain confidence in handling bees, but also to learn from other beekeepers, and to bond in a social context. Although it is clear from the personal contributions to this article that beekeeping has helped immensely during the time of the COVID-19 crisis, more scientific research is needed to quantify the actual wellbeing effects. However, watching bees feeding on the flowers in gardens and parks is without doubt a pleasurable activity, and can be done by everyone.

Social networks and the actors of the honey production chain: case study with producers from Para state, Brazil

The Internet and social networks are considered as important sources of information for rural producers, regarding property management and agricultural activities. The objective of this work was to understand the influence of social networks on actors of the honey production chain, in Para state, regarding the changes of the production practices and the effect of the coronavirus pandemics on this process. This is an explanatory case study with qualitative approach carried out through semistructured interviews with beekeepers/ honey producers, and apicultural technicians, in Para state. The indication of WhatsApp as the most relevant social network for the beekeeping activity in this Brazilian state- for information exchange, remote technical assistance, broadcasting, and adoption of new technologies of production and marketing -, as well as the expansion of this relevance during the coronavirus pandemics, are the main contributions of this research that also can help to a more efficient planning of communication strategies for the technology transfer and innovation processes in the rural environment.

Sweet success in farm tourism and beekeeping

It is reported that agritourism and beekeeping have weathered the COVID-19 pandemic in the Pacific region to emerge as key strengths of the second phase of the Pacific Agribusiness Research in Development Initiative (PARDI 2). This ACIAR-supported project is mentoring and training farmers, and building capacity for farmer organisations, to develop agribusinesses in the Pacific region. Development of business skills in agritourism and beekeeping is supporting farm business sustainability and profitability. Connecting new and expanding businesses to mentors and advisers is also building knowledge and facilitating industry development.

Pandemic-induced shocks and shifts in forest-based livelihood strategies: learning from COVID-19 in the Bia West District of Ghana

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped societies and will continue to do so. Despite its salience, micro-scale evidence on how this pandemic reshapes the livelihood strategies of forest communities in sub-Saharan Africa are lacking. To bridge this lacuna, this paper analyses the dynamics around forest-based livelihood strategies in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Bia West District of Ghana. Key informant interviews (n = 8) and a survey of forest-dependent households (n = 100) were conducted to generate relevant data. The study identified fuelwood harvesting, medicinal plants extraction, fruit-gathering and beekeeping as the four livelihood activities that were predominantly practised in the study communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis established an increase in the number of households that diversified into fuelwood harvesting. Regarding medicinal plants collection as a livelihood strategy, less than 10% of households either diversified or intensified this practice with similar charges recorded in fruit-gathering and beekeeping. The logistic regression disclosed gender, household size, education and income, as the socioeconomic variables that significantly predict livelihood diversification and intensification during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the financial, social and physical asset base of households significantly shaped livelihood diversification. Diversification into fuelwood collection, medicinal plants extraction and beekeeping were the strategies that showed a significant positive correlation with the well-being outcomes of forest-based households. While this paper provides fresh evidence to inform the vulnerability dimension of the sustainable livelihoods framework, it further calls for policy interventions to build pandemic-resilient livelihood strategies around forest communities.

Beekeeping activities and consumption of beekeeping products by beekeepers under the pandemic conditions

The study was carried out in 2021 to examine infection rates with the new coronavirus (COVID-19), consumption of beekeeping products and beekeeping activities for the beekeepers who are directly exposed to bee venom or the ones who consume different beekeeping products during the pandemic period. At the same time, the rates of beekeepers affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection were also determined. Approximately 90% of the beekeepers (n = 147) who participated in the survey reported that they were not affected by SARS-CoV-2. Those not infected with COVID-19 (n = 134) had been beekeepers for an average of 17.85 years and they went to their apiary once a week (79.1%). They did not apply any treatment against bee stings (80.6%). Their personal honey consumption per month was between 750-1000 g (41.8%) and they consumed the most pollen among other beekeeping products (58.2%). The number of beekeepers who were not infected with COVID-19 was 21 (15.7%) although they contacted family members infected. There were no statistical differences in terms of AB0-blood types between the beekeepers who were infected with SARS-CoV-2, those who were not infected despite close contact the infected family members, and those who were not infected (P >0.05). Approximately 76% of the beekeepers (n = 147) who participated in the survey and 53% of the beekeepers (n = 13) infected with the SARS-CoV-2 stated that their beekeeping activities were not affected by the pandemic. During the pandemic, the products most demanded by consumers from these beekeepers were honey, pollen and propolis, respectively. This study revealed that the beekeeping activities and the consumption habits of beekeeping products by the beekeepers during the pandemic were not affected. © 2022 Polskie Towarzystwo Nauk Weterynaryjnych. All rights reserved.

5th Congress of beekeeping and bee products with international participation, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, November 2020

These proceedings contain a number of papers discussing current topics, from hives and beekeeping conditions, through the latest knowledge on good practice in pest control in agriculture through the quality of honey, its presence on the world market and control of counterfeiting to the health effects of honey and other bee products. Topics on COVID-19 are included from the aspect of the impact on beekeeping and the potential application of bee products in relieving the symptoms of the disease.

COVID-19 pandemic: impacts on bees, beekeeping, and potential role of bee products as antiviral agents and immune enhancers.

COVID-19 pandemic has passed to the front all the contradictions of the beekeeping sector: the valuable role of bee products as immune enhancers and antiviral agents and the impact that unsustainability of human activities has on bees' health and survival. The COVID-19 emergency led several countries to adopt severe restriction measures to contrast the infection. The lowering of industrial and commercial activities, transports, and the general lockdown had immediate consequences on the air quality, significantly improving environmental conditions. This had a positive impact on honeybees' life's quality. On the other hand, the bee and beehive transportation limitations threaten to hit food production by affecting the pollinator service, and this is particularly true in large, food-exporting countries like the USA and China where due to the few numbers of local bees, beekeepers import them by other countries and convey by truck hives for thousands of kilometers to pollinate crops. Furthermore, honeybee products, focusing on their natural pharmacological properties, can play an essential role as a potential natural contrast to the virus by enhancing the immunity defenses of both humans and animals, and their demand by consumers is expected to increase. Several researchers in the last months focused their attention on bee products to evaluate their effect in the cure of COVID-19 patients to ameliorate the symptoms or to contrast the coronavirus directly. This review reports these preliminary results.

Barriers faced by the agri- entrepreneurs of Kottayam district during COVID-19 pandemic

The aim of the study conducted during the year 2020 was to identify the barriers faced by the agri-entrepreneurs of Kottayam district in the state of Kerala during the COVID-19 pandemic. Agrientrepreneurs who were running enterprises in various agri-allied sectors such as value addition, fisheries, animal husbandry, and other enterprises such as mushroom, floriculture, and apiculture in the district were selected as sample. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to determine the significance and impact of barriers on entrepreneurial activity. The results revealed a reversal of barriers normally faced by the entrepreneur. Barriers that were psychological in nature like gender role conflict and uncertainty had come to the fore replacing more enterprise-related like labour, finance and raw materials and social barriers like family and background.

Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadian Beekeeping: Survey Results and a Profitability Analysis.

To gauge the impact of COVID-19 on the Canadian beekeeping sector, we conducted a survey of over 200 beekeepers in the fall of 2020. Our survey results show Canadian beekeepers faced two major challenges: 1) disrupted importation of honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) (queen and bulk bees) that maintain populations; and 2) disrupted arrival of temporary foreign workers (TFWs). Disruptions in the arrival of bees and labor resulted in fewer colonies and less colony management, culminating in higher costs and lower productivity. Using the survey data, we develop a profitability analysis to estimate the impact of these disruptions on colony profit. Our results suggest that a disruption in either foreign worker or bee arrival allows beekeepers to compensate and while colony profits are lower, they remain positive. When both honey bee and foreign workers arrivals are disrupted for a beekeeper, even when the beekeeper experiences less significant colony health and cost impacts, a colony with a single pollination contract is no longer profitable, and a colony with two pollination contracts has significantly reduced profitability. As COVID-19 disruptions from 2020 and into 2021 become more significant to long-term colony health and more costly to a beekeeping operation, economic losses could threaten the industry's viability as well as the sustainability of pollination-dependent crop sectors across the country. The economic and agricultural impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic have exposed a vulnerability within Canada's beekeeping industry stemming from its dependency on imported labor and bees. Travel disruptions and border closures pose an ongoing threat to Canadian agriculture and apiculture in 2021 and highlight the need for Canada's beekeeping industry to strengthen domestic supply chains to minimize future risks.