Zooming in on Argentina

Size

2,766,889 km²

Population

31,497,000

Geography

There are four main geographical areas: the Andes, the North and Mesopotamia; the Pampas and Patagonia. The climate and geography show great variation from subtropical in the North to the sub-Antarctic cold of the Patagonian Sea. Mount Aconcagua at almost 7000m is the highest mountain of South America.

Main crops

Argentina is one of the world’s major exporters of wheat. Maize, oilseeds, sorghum, soya beans and sugar are also grown on large scale.

Honeybees

Honeybees are not native to South America. Apis mellifera honeybees from Europe were introduced first (Apis mellifera mellifera and Apis mellifera ligustica) and subsequently Africanized honeybees arrived in 1965. In southern parts of Argentina bees remain predominantly European.

Beekeeping

All beekeeping is with movable-frame hives: it is against the law to use hives without movable-frames.

Legislation

Beekeepers in Argentina are required to register their apiaries, to report particularly defensive colonies, and to practise certain forms of honeybee disease control.

Number of honeybee colonies

1,400,000

Melliferous vegetation

Argentina is one of the world’s largest exporters of sunflower oil, and as honeybees are needed to pollinate this crop, sunflower is an important honey source: over 30,000 colonies are employed in sunflower pollination Eucalyptus, clover and lucerne are also major honey sources, as is the thistle-like plant Cynara cardunculus.

Honey production

39,000 tonnes in 1990

Honey export

About 35,000 tonnes of honey per year: making Argentina the third greatest honey exporting country.

Honeybee diseases and parasites

Acarapis woodi, American Foulbrood Chalkbrood, European Foulbrood, Nosema apis, Varroa jacobsoni (identified in 1976). Mallophora ruficaunda has been identified as a serious predator in the province of Buenos Airesedator in the province of Buenos Aires.

Beekeeping Associations

Sociedad Argentina de Apicultores, Buenos Aires.

Asociacion Cooperadora de la Cabana Apiario El Salado, Buenos Aires

Asociacién Veinticinquena de Apicultores Cooperatira Ltda, Buenos Aire

Training

The Ministry of Agriculture organises beekeeping training courses, as do the Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero, and Instituto Privado de Tecnologia Ensenanza Apicola (IPTEA).

Research

Centro do Investigaciones Apicolas, Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero.

Support for projects

IDB funding has supported the establishment of honey processing plant in Cérdoba Province; IFS has supported research on varroa in the Pampas region.

Equipment manufacturer

El Panal, Humahuaca, Buenos Aires

Terza Hnos, Buenos Aires

Journals

Avances en Apicultura published by Macaya SA (7013), Estacion de la Cara, Cte Espora 1294, 7000 Tandil.

Ciencia y Abejas. published by Asociaci6n Cooperadora de la Cabana Apiario El Salado, CC No 7, 7223 General Belgrano, TE 0241-24037, Buenos Aires.

Gaceta de AVDA published by Asociacion Veinticinquena de Apicultores Cooperatira Ltda, 25 de Mayo, Buenos Aires.

Gaceta del Colmenar published by Sociedad Argentina de Apicultores, Rivadavia, 717-piso 8, 1392, Buenos Aires.

Mensajero Apicola, published by Terza Huos, Casilla 1377, Correo Central, 1000 Buenos Aires.