Where is your favourite honey from? Soon, you can get some of the best honey from the Capital, as the Abu Dhabi food authority has successfully bred new generations of high-quality Emirati bees.
Marking World Bee Day on Wednesday, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (Adafsa) announced that they now have several generations of prime queen bees and their teams have also stabilised the bees’ genetic traits. Since 2015, Adafsa has ramped up efforts to develop Emirati bee species.
The development comes amid the rising popularity of produce and products that are proudly grown and made in the UAE.
Over the past years, Adafsa has been raising queen bees during two seasons every year. The first season begins in mid-February to mid-April, while the second one continues from mid-September to the end of November. This helps maintain the young queen bees’ fertility and enhance their activity in laying eggs.
It has succeeded in developing the fifth generation of the Emirati queen bees, raising several queens to be distributed to beekeepers in the Abu Dhabi.
“This comes in line with our efforts to produce high-quality honey, ensure the sustainability of production, and reduce hives import,” said Adafsa officials.
On World Bee Day, the authority officially adopted a development project for the Capital’s beekeeping industry. More studies and research shall be conducted to test and enhance beekeeping practices.
“In addition to the environmental benefit of bees in terms of plant pollination, honey production is one side of the sustainable agricultural development and food security system, as honey is of the products being consumed daily, owing to its nutritional benefits,” said Adafsa.
To quickly diagnose honey bee diseases and drive away pests, the authority has established a state-of-the-art laboratory at its research station in Al Kuwaitat in Al Ain.
Besides helping beekeepers detect diseases, the lab has succeeded in proving that Emirati bees could survive throughout the year and even in the summer weather.
