Imsil-gun Conducts 'Honeybee Pest and Disease Control Technology' Training for Beekeepers

Published 14 Dec.2022 11:10(KST)

[Imsil=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Nosik] On the 14th, Jeonbuk Imsil-gun announced that on the 12th, it conducted a ‘Bee Pest and Disease Control Technology Training’ at the county office’s farmer education center for 40 beekeepers to prevent wintering damage to honeybees.

Related organizations and experts commonly agree that the possibility of honeybee damage this winter is high.

Last winter in Imsil, more than half of the 128 registered farms in the region suffered damage, with approximately 5,400 colonies lost due to wintering honeybee deaths, causing significant difficulties for beekeepers in managing their operations.

The cause of wintering honeybee deaths is reported to be a complex interaction of pests (honeybee mites), hornets, and abnormal winter weather conditions.

In particular, resistance has developed due to repeated use of the same active ingredient (flumethrin) in mite control agents over several years. Currently, resistant mites are spreading, causing significant damage. To prevent this, training on pest and disease control (mites) management techniques during wintering is necessary.

This training covers winter honeybee colony management methods, virus and honeybee mite pest and disease control technologies, selection of control agents, and safe usage management methods.

The county expects that this will help improve the proficiency of beekeepers in pest and disease control techniques and aid in preventing wintering damage through proper winter colony management.

Kim Ssang-su, director of the Agricultural Technology Center, said, “We expect this training to help with stable honeybee management and pest and disease damage prevention,” adding, “Active control and reporting to local governments when damage occurs are important to prevent and contain winter honeybee damage.”