By Eleanor Gee

Fourteen people completed a bee-keeping course over two sessions at the end of last year, under a project aimed at addressing the declining number of bees in Tonga, which are vital to food security.

Bees are losing their habitats and one bee-keeper thinks that the original little Tongan bees may be already extinct, replaced by cross-breeds and others.

The course was organized by Ohai, a non-governmental organization in collaboration with Tonga Skills, with support from the New Zealand High Commission and Volunteer Service Abroad.

Training was provided by Lopeti Cocker, who has been bee-keeping in Tonga for 32 years, and David Cramp, an expert bee-keeper from New Zealand via Zoom. David was in Tonga last year but was evacuated with other volunteers due to CoViD-19.

Ohai project manager (and bee-keeper), Debra Allan, said the whole idea of the bee-keeping project is to increase bee numbers, build food resilience, and a new form of economic empowerment.   

She said local business owners, farmers, and others including four women, took part in the course.

"All walked away with bee-keeping suits. Ohai agreed to bring in bee-hives for them for the cost price. Most students have ordered one or two hives to start bee-keeping. Some of them just want to do it for plantation, some of them want to do it for making honey, others want to do it to use in products. ... And we will continue to help them," she said.

There are now 14 beehives established in different locations.

Ohai [2] is offering annual beehive sponsorships to support the beehive community.

Bees are vital

Bees are known as champion pollinators and can increase yields up to 80%, according to bee-keeping experts.

Lopeti, who is from Vaini, told Matangi Tonga that without bees in agriculture, it is very unsafe for people.

“We are running out of them. They are very vital to our plantations and food security. All of our fruits, maybe up to 80% of our fruits are due to the work of bees. The rest of the 20% of the fruit we are having is from other insects plus the wind, carrying the pollen from one flower to another flower.”

He said part of the reason for the decline in numbers is that people have cleared too much land in the rural areas.

“They are looking for somewhere to stay. They are losing their natural habitat.”

Lopeti said he has not seen any of the original Tongan bees, which are smaller and darker in colour. 

"There's a chance they may be extinct."

Most of the bees now appear to be cross bred between the original Tongan bees and imported bees. Honey bees were imported in 1968 for the purpose of honey production, he said.

People who have bees found nesting inside the walls of homes can have them removed to another location by emailing ohaitonga [at] gmail [dot] com with a photo if possible and a contact number.