Zooming in on South Korea

Name

Republic of Korea (South)

Area

99,299 km²

Population

43,663,405

Location

South-east Asia

Location

South-east Asia Honeybees Apis cerana are the native hive bees and have been cultured in Korea since BC 31. Apis mellifera, the western hive bee, was introduced by German priest in 1916. After the introduction of Apis mellifera they increased until they outnumbered the native hive bee, vis cerana. During the 1980s however, the ratio evened out (see Fig 2*).

South Korea currently imports annually about 37,000 packages of bees from Australia and New Zealand. Honeybee colonies are increasingly used for pollination in glass houses and orchards. They are also destroyed by environmental pollutants: insecticide spray and polluted water.

Melliferous vegetation

252 species of honey plants have been identified.

Honey production

Total annual production: 10,000 tonnes Most (80%) is black locust Robinia pseudacacia honey. Honey flow: 5 May 5 June. The beekeepers move into the mountains during the second two weeks.

Beekeeping

There are 300 beekeepers on Cheju Island. Cheju Island is famous for oilseed rape honey .Tchegul, but actually the amount of oilseed rape planted is declining so most of the honey sold is delicious mixed flower honey Chaphuagul. Tangerine honey Milgamgul is equally delicious. All of South Korea’s tangerines are grown on the south side of Cheju Island. Pollination of tangerines by bees is very important. There is also chestnut Castanea pubinervis honey. The smell is unpleasant and would not be marketable in other countries, but in Korea Dong wi po gam, a famous medical book, says this chestnut honey is good for digestion. In the rice fields of Cholla, honey from milk vetch Astragalus sinicus is harvested. The centre of beekeeping on the Korean Peninsula is Taegu City.

Honey marketing

Honey is considered to be health food rather than an everyday food to eat like jam. Honey is well marketed in ‘Harubang’ honey pots shaped to look like the stone grandfathers who guard the entrances to villages.

Royal jelly

Total annual harvest: 26 tonnes

Pollen

Total annual harvest: 159 tonnes

Honeybee diseases, pests and predators

The predatory mite Tropilaelaps clareae has been introduced from China, and Melittiphis alvearius from New Zealand with imported package bees. American foulbrood, chalk brood, European foulbrood, nosema, sacbrood, Varroa jacobsoni and Varroa underwoodi are also present

Beekeeping Association

The Korean Beekeeping Association has over 4000 members and employs staff of 17.

Korean Beekeeping Association, Seoul

AAA Chapter

Institute of Korea Beekeeping Science, College of Agriculture and Life Science, Seoul National University

Korean Beekeeping Association, Chonglo-Ku, Seoul

Korean Beekeeping Association, Sambo, Cheju

Research

Institute of Korea Beekeeping Science, College of Agriculture, Seoul National University

Department of Agricultural Biology, Chung-Nam National University, Taejon

Journals

The Korean Beekeeping Association publishes monthly newsletter.

* Please see the original journal article to see Figure 1. Changes in numbers beekeepers and honeybee colonies since 1954 and Figure 2. The changing numbers oriental Apis cerana colonies and western Apis mellifera colonies 1992

We are grateful to Dr Young-Duck Chang and Mr John Hamilton for their help in producing this article.