[Why&Next] Honeybees Disappeared... So Why Did Honey Production Increase?

"The core issue of the honeybee problem is not 'a shortage of honeybees' but rather 'an increase in honeybee mortality.' It is true that there is significant public concern about the large-scale disappearance and death of honeybees, but the actual absolute number of honeybees is not considered insufficient. The recent increase in honey production can also be explained in this context."

Unexpected words came through the receiver. Dr. Na Seong-jun, a researcher at the National Institute of Forest Science's Nectar Resource Research Team, ultimately said there is some misunderstanding about the 'honeybee disappearance incident.' He pointed out, "The fundamental problem is not that the absolute number of domestic honeybees has decreased, but that the resources (nectar sources?the origins from which bees collect honey) that could allow them to thrive have been depleted."

Statistics provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Korea Forest Service, and National Institute of Forest Science

The honeybee disappearance incident suddenly emerged in 2022. According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on the 4th, between September and November 2022, 400,000 to 500,000 bee colonies (봉군, a group of honeybees living together as one entity) were damaged domestically. As a result, the number of bee colonies was 2.47 million as of December 2022, an 8.2% decrease from 2.69 million colonies in the same month the previous year.

Colony losses continued this year as well. The Korea Beekeeping Association announced that in a survey conducted from January 1 to March 13 targeting about 5,500 farms, the number of colonies decreased from approximately 650,000 before winter to about 310,000 after winter. Each colony consists of roughly 15,000 to 20,000 bees living together.

Some have expressed extreme concerns such as "If honeybees go extinct, humanity will also go extinct." These worries stem from the fact that honeybees are representative pollinators.

However, honey production has recently increased. According to annual honey production per colony compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the figures fluctuated as follows: 17.7 kg in 2017, 4.3 kg in 2018, 43.8 kg in 2019, 9.0 kg in 2020, 11.5 kg in 2021, 32.1 kg in 2022, and 26.8 kg in 2023. Honey production in 2022, when the honeybee disappearance incident was highlighted, actually increased nearly threefold compared to the previous year, and production the following year was more than twice that of 2021.

According to the Korea Forest Service and the National Institute of Forest Science, the number of domestic bee colonies increased from 530,000 in the 1990s to 1.08 million in the 2000s, and 1.7 million in the 2010s. It recorded approximately 1.53 million colonies in 2011, 2.39 million in 2017, and about 2.54 million last year. Although there were temporary fluctuations, the long-term trend shows continuous growth. The number of beekeeping households also increased from 19,987 in 2011 to 24,629 in 2017, and 26,427 last year.

Multiple officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the National Institute of Forest Science stated, "Considering the current absolute number of honeybees, the situation is not one of shortage; rather, there has been an oversupply (increase in beekeeping households and colonies)." They also emphasized, "Honeybees are subjects that can be raised under human control, so if there is a shortage, there is room to increase their numbers."

Experts are paying more attention not to the absolute number of honeybees or extreme concerns about their extinction, but to the increase in disappearance and mortality. Representative causes of honeybee disappearance and death include climate change, pesticide issues, and lack of nectar resources.

Recently, the Korea Forest Service announced plans to create nectar forests annually equivalent to 13 times the area of Yeouido to address the shortage of nectar resources. The Forest Service plans to establish nectar forests covering 150 hectares annually on national forests and 3,600 hectares (20% of annual afforestation area) on public and private forests. Local governments and private companies nationwide are also contributing to expanding nectar forests.

Dr. Na said, "Expanding nectar forests is a basic requirement to maintain honeybee populations," and diagnosed, "It is important to secure a 'healthy diet for honeybees' that is not concentrated in specific regions or tree species."

A honeybee is collecting nectar from a Mugunghwa flower blooming near Yeouido Hangang Citizen's Park in Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

For example, the black locust tree (Acacia) has been used as a primary diet (nectar forest) for honeybees. However, due to climate change, the flowering period gap between southern and northern regions shortened from 30 days in 2007 to 16 days in 2017, intensifying competition for food among honeybees. Moreover, the distribution area of black locust trees decreased by about 89% between the 1980s and 2010s, making honey collection activities difficult. This is why expanding nectar forests has become important.

Dr. Na emphasized, "The nectar forests to be established in the future should focus on helping honeybees continuously forage (collect nectar) throughout the seasons," adding, "It is important to diversify tree species so that honeybees that have survived winter can continue foraging from March to October, and to select tree species with excellent honey production per unit area when creating nectar forests."

Meanwhile, the National Institute of Forest Science has identified the following tree species as excellent for nectar forest creation: Tilia (linden), Hovenia dulcis (oriental raisin tree), Ligustrum (privet), Ilex (holly), Ilex crenata (Japanese holly), Viburnum (arrowwood), and Ailanthus (tree of heaven). The honey production per hectare of these species is evaluated at over 90 kg, more than twice that of black locust trees (38 kg). Based on a standard honey glass jar of 2.4 kg commonly distributed, the potential honey production per hectare is 16 jars for black locust and 37 or more jars for the excellent species.