ZOOM IN ON THE
HILIPPINES
by Cleo Cervancia, University of the Philippines,
Los Bafios, Philippines
ThePhilippines archipelago stretches 1,880 km North to South. There are about 7,150 islands and rocks to the Philippines, with a combined land area of 301,000 km’ spread over the 2.2 million km? of belonging water within the exclusive economic zone.The long coastline is approximately 32,400 km. Three seas surround the Philippines: the China Sea on the West and North, the Pacific Ocean on the East, and the Celebes Sea and the coastal waters of Borneo to the South. The Philippines has a humid equatorial climate with high temperatures and heavy rainfall. Human Population
w.mate
The bee mite Varroa jacobsoni remains a threat to beekeeping with
75 million.
Apis mellifera. \ndustrialisation further reduces forage for the bees.
Tropical with a single rainy season between May
and November.
Main agriculture coconuts,
maize and rice.
Bees
There are three indigenous species of honeybees: Apis cerana, Apis dorsata and Apis andreniformis. The introduced European Apis mellifera is used extensively in commercial beekeeping. There are about 3,000 colonies of Apis cerana and 5,000 colonies of
Apis mellifera. Other bee genera are Borbus sp, Trigona sp,
and Xylocopa sp.
Bee Products Honey
Beekeeping Association a
national beekeeping network Beenet Philippines Foundation Inc was established in 1995 with the aim of co-ordinating national efforts, activities and programmes to protect, improve, strengthen and develop the bee industry.
Today there are about 200 members all over the Philippines. The network holds annual conferences with presentations of bee
research, exhibits of bee products, and technofora. Members discuss current issues and draft strategies for further development of the bee industry. There are ten co-operatives concerned with bee product marketing.
is a popular product. The average production and Apis mellifera are 2.5 kg and 25 kg cerana Apis of honey is US$6 per kg. respectively. The price
Bee Research The
Other bee products are pollen (US$20 per kg), royal jelly, propolis, beeswax and candles. Cosmetic products including soap, honey facial mask and lip balm are also prepared.
1997-1999. A breakthrough has come in the establishment of the taxonomic status of Apis cerana through the morphometric
per colony of
len and nectar SOUFCES The
major pollen and nectar sources are
Acacia sp, Ageratum conzoides, Alternanthera tenella, Amaranthusviridis sp, Callistemon citrinus, Centella asiatica, Citrus sp, Cocos nucifera,
research thrust is on the genetic diversity of Philippines honeybee species, bee botany and pollination biology. A total of 22 research projects were completed in universities from
mtDNA studies (Tilde et a/, 1999; Delarua et a/, 1999; Villafuerte, 1999). At least four distinct populations of Apis cerana have been identified. There are: the Palawan Group, the Luzon Highland, the Luzon Lowland, and the Luzon + Visayas Cluster.
Mimosa pudica, Moraceae, Muntingia calabura, Pithecellobium dulce, Psidium guajava, Pterocarpus indicus, Rosaceae, Tridax procumbens,
The University of the Philippines at Los Bafios, St Louis University, Benguet State University, and Mariano Marcos State University regularly offer training courses on beekeeping. A Beekeeping Diploma Course is also offered by Mariano Marcos State
Urticaceae and Zea mays.
University.
Coffea sp, Diplocycios sp, Erythrina sp, Euphorbiaceae, other Graminae species, Leucaena feucocephala, Merremia sp, Mimosa invisia,
Problems encountered The
occurrence of El Nifio and La Nina
adversely affected the vegetation. Consequently there was also a decline in the bee populations and produce.
Extension Programmes
Government institutions, for example the Department of Science and Technology, and the Department of Agriculture, give support to beekeeping research and extension. Figure 1 Apis cerana apiary Figure 2 Training course at the University of the Philippines
Photographs
Cleo Cervancia
References Delarua,P; Tilde,A C; Simon,U; Moritz,R F (1999) Mitochondrial DNA analysis of Apis cerana in the Philippines. Heredity (in press).
Tilde,A C; Fuchs,S; Koeniger,N; Cervancia,C R (1999) Morphometric diversity of Apis cerana F within The Philippines. Apidelogie (in press).
Dr Cervancia is Vice-President of the Asian Apicultural Association - read more on page nine.
Villafuerte,L S (1999) Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphism in the Asian honeybee (Apis cerana F) in the Philippines. MSc thesis, University of the Philippines at Los Bafios,
Beekeeping & Development 57
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