Managed honeybee colony losses of the Eastern honeybee (Apis cerana) in China (2011–2014)

Abstract

Colony losses of managed honeybees have raised a major concern, and surveys of colony losses were conducted around the globe to understand the apicultural situation. Up to now, most studies have focused on the mortality of the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera); however, little is known about the mortality of its eastern counterpart—the Eastern honeybee (Apis cerana). Here, we report the survey results of A. cerana colony losses in three consecutive years (2011–2012, 2012–2013, and 2013–2014) in China. Colony losses were low overall (12.8%, 95% CI 11.9–13.7%) but varied among years, provinces, and types of apiaries. We used generalized linear mixed effects models to estimate the effects of possible risk factors and found that queen problems (queenless or drone-laying queens) were associated with colony losses. Further analyses showed that differences in mortality among different types of apiaries may be contributable to the differences in queen problems. This is the first survey of colony losses of A. cerana.