Project aims to support and protect honeybees

The state’s most ardent supporters of the honeybee are calling on Hawaii residents to do more to support the ecologically important pollinators.

“We really heavily rely upon the honeybee to provide pollination of different crops, such as your lychee, your longan, to your pumpkins and squashes that you see on farms and you see in the markets,” University of Hawaii Honeybee Project research technician Scott Nikaido said in a news release.

The Honeybee Project, part of UH’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, works to maintain and improve the state of the Hawaiian honeybee through research, pest-management strategies and the development of pollinator-friendly farms.

Aiding in the effort to promote honeybee health is the Bee Hui, a collective of trained volunteers who assist with community outreach and education.

The state’s bee farms boast the highest honey yield in the country, totaling more than 100 pounds per colony per year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Honeybee Project has been working with local beekeepers and farms to spread information about the disease-carrying varroa mite, which arrived in the islands in 2007 and poses a threat to local honeybee populations.

Nikaido said residents can help promote honeybee health by planting more backyard crops, avoiding pesticides if possible, and buying local honey.