How will Japan protect the dramatic decline of honey bees?

Honey bees play an essential role in the world’s food supply. The United Nations Environment Programme states that “bees pollinate 70% of the 100 crop species that account for 90% of the world’s food,” and the economic impact of pollination is estimated to be US$577 billion per year worldwide.

In recent years, however, numerous cases of mass disappearance of honey bees have been reported around the world. If left unchecked, this could affect crop quality and yields, eventually causing a serious food crisis.

For this reason, honey bee protection activities and research are being conducted actively in many parts of the world. But in Japan, activities to protect bees are not widespread.

We interviewed Shohei Kanari, a Japanese honey bee breeder and educator in Ooamishirasato City, Chiba Prefecture, about the current situation of the rapid decline in the number of honey bees and efforts in Japan.

Causes of the rapid decline in the number of honey bees in Japan

Forests, which provide a favorable natural environment for honey bees, are currently in decline due to a lack of nectar sources, the cutting of thickets to make room for solar panels, and the impact of fallen trees caused by wind and flood damage.

In addition, neonicotinoid pesticides and herbicides used in rice cultivation also have an impact. Three neonicotinoid pesticides, which are believed to disrupt the nervous system of honey bees and prevent them from returning to the hive, were banned entirely in the EU in 2018. France banned all of them in the same year. Japan, on the other hand, has lagged in this regulation.

Varroa mite disease and Acarapis woodi disease in captivity are also major problems. In particular, the Japanese honey bee, a native species, has not been able to successfully eliminate the Acarapis woodi, causing significant damage.

Activities to increase the number of honey bees in Japan

In 2018, Kanari opened a basic beekeeping course, teaching a wide range of topics from honey bee ecology, honey standards and medicinal properties to beekeeping guidance. About 300 people have taken the course so far. Although few people have actually captured and kept honey bees yet, reports of successful beekeeping are steadily increasing.

However, while the current method of keeping bees is easy for people to do so, its structure makes the bees use unnecessary energy. The burden of cleaning the hive is particularly high in its current form, especially the energy loss used to nip hive debris and dead fellow bees and carry them out of the hive. In nature, on the other hand, this is less likely to occur. For example, when nesting under eaves, nest debris falls to the ground and is not handled by the bees.

In addition to the activities of individual beekeepers and researchers, it is also important for the national and prefectural governments to develop projects to restore natural forests suitable for bee habitats. For example, abandoned farmlands and vacant houses are increasing every year in Japan, and it is possible to increase the number of nectar plants by making effective use of such areas. Nara Prefecture is working with “the Bee Forest Club,” a non-profit organization, as a prefectural project to create a forest environment where honey bees can live.

Recognizing the importance of bees is the first step

Kanari believes that the lack of awareness of the important role that honey bees play in human life is why activities to protect honey bees are not progressing in Japan. The lack of activities to protect honey bees in Japan means that the protection of the native Japanese honey bee is a more serious issue than that of the Western honey bee, which is being studied worldwide.

Now is the time to expand conservation activities through close cooperation among different stakeholders, including government officials, researchers, organizations, and individuals.