Author Topic: Harnessing Honey Bee Biodiversity in the Fight against Honey Fraud  (Read 2036 times)

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Offline MalteseHoneyBee

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Harnessing Honey Bee Biodiversity in the Fight against Honey Fraud

At the European level, the principle of honey authenticity, based not only on local flora but also on endemic honey bee ecotypes, should be given serious consideration. This approach offers a dual safeguard in promoting sustainable honey production amidst globalisation, climate change, and other challenges: it ensures authenticity, quality, and increased valorisation by protecting against honey fraud; while also conserving the increasingly threatened biodiversity of honey bee ecotypes.

Full Article >>> https://nahlamaltija.org/2024/07/28/harnessing-honey-bee-biodiversity-in-the-fight-against-honey-fraud/

Offline efmesch

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Re: Harnessing Honey Bee Biodiversity in the Fight against Honey Fraud
« Reply #1 on: August 20, 2024, 03:30:53 pm »
Is the Varroa mite present in Malta?  If the answer to that question is "Yes",
how well does the Maltese bee manage in the battle to compete with it?

Offline MalteseHoneyBee

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Re: Harnessing Honey Bee Biodiversity in the Fight against Honey Fraud
« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2024, 03:48:59 am »
Is the Varroa mite present in Malta?  If the answer to that question is "Yes",
how well does the Maltese bee manage in the battle to compete with it?

you have the answer in this scientific paper which was published last year https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13592-023-01008-w

Offline iddee

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Re: Harnessing Honey Bee Biodiversity in the Fight against Honey Fraud
« Reply #3 on: August 23, 2024, 04:38:40 am »
Beekeeping in earthenware jars all but ceased in the 1990s, when the varroa mite decimated two-thirds of the local bee colonies.

https://www.guidememalta.com/en/sweet-as-honey-the-story-of-malta-s-liquid-gold
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
― Shel Silverstein
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Offline MalteseHoneyBee

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Re: Harnessing Honey Bee Biodiversity in the Fight against Honey Fraud
« Reply #4 on: August 23, 2024, 03:14:16 pm »
Beekeeping in earthenware jars all but ceased in the 1990s, when the varroa mite decimated two-thirds of the local bee colonies.

https://www.guidememalta.com/en/sweet-as-honey-the-story-of-malta-s-liquid-gold

That happened when the Varroa mite was accidentally introduced in the '90s. Of course, Varroa is not native here, so a lot of bees died. However, those that survived, now 30 years later, have developed a pretty good resistance, as mentioned in the paper above. That's why it's important to stop contaminating the local gene pool, as they will naturally start to adapt. Not to mention that imports themselves can bring new diseases and pests.

Offline MalteseHoneyBee

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Re: Harnessing Honey Bee Biodiversity in the Fight against Honey Fraud
« Reply #5 on: August 24, 2024, 04:20:11 am »

Offline iddee

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Re: Harnessing Honey Bee Biodiversity in the Fight against Honey Fraud
« Reply #6 on: August 24, 2024, 05:20:22 am »
I agree. Open borders and import of different maladies cause a lot of the world's problems.
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
― Shel Silverstein
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Offline MalteseHoneyBee

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Re: Harnessing Honey Bee Biodiversity in the Fight against Honey Fraud
« Reply #7 on: August 24, 2024, 11:11:46 am »
I agree. Open borders and import of different maladies cause a lot of the world's problems.


Offline efmesch

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Re: Harnessing Honey Bee Biodiversity in the Fight against Honey Fraud
« Reply #8 on: August 25, 2024, 01:13:55 pm »
Like it or not, "open borders" are beyond our control.  No matter how hard we try, with the world's population  travelling as much as it does, inumerable species of hitch hikers keep showing up where they don't belong and create havoc with local species that can't beat the competition.
In the long run, nature will meet its own balance.  Books have been written about how invasice species upset local balances of nature and took several years to reach new levels of "stability", sometimes to our (subjective) advantages and sometime to our disadvantage. 
We think that by spraying toxic poisins  we'll be able to control everything but sooner or later we miss somethjing and things get out of control.  The best solution is using nature itself to set its new balance, but that takes time and research to find the species whose presence can set things in order.  No simple task.  With global warming  another factor in the picture the situation becomes even more complex.
Maltra has good intentions, but I fear that the locals there have an almost impossible task ahead of them.
I wish them well.

Offline iddee

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Re: Harnessing Honey Bee Biodiversity in the Fight against Honey Fraud
« Reply #9 on: August 26, 2024, 05:51:42 am »
I agree with all that you said, but it is like crime. It is going to happen, but we need to try and keep it down to a minimum, and correct it when we can. Without putting up a fight, it will get out of hand quickly.

PS. Good to see you posting.
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
― Shel Silverstein

Offline MalteseHoneyBee

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Re: Harnessing Honey Bee Biodiversity in the Fight against Honey Fraud
« Reply #10 on: August 26, 2024, 02:21:26 pm »

Offline MalteseHoneyBee

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Re: Harnessing Honey Bee Biodiversity in the Fight against Honey Fraud
« Reply #11 on: September 13, 2024, 03:33:40 pm »
In recent years, the alarming rise in honey fraud has posed a significant threat to both the sustainability of beekeepers who rely on it for their livelihood, and the health of consumers. For beekeeping to be truly sustainable, we must urgently put an end to honey fraud. Additionally, it is vital to support apiculture and agriculture by purchasing and consuming local honey products, which studies have consistently shown to be the best for our health.
https://maltesehoneybee.org/2024/09/09/call-for-support-from-the-european-beekeeping-association-in-the-fight-against-honey-fraud