Nanjiang Jinfo Mountain Chinese Honeybee

Nanjiang Jinfo Mountain Chinese Honeybee

Nanjiang Jinfo Mountain Chinese Honeybee is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　The Nanjiang Jinfo Mountain Chinese honeybee is the nominate subspecies of the Eastern honeybee (Apis cerana cerana). It features strong adaptability, swift flight, keen olfaction, and the ability to efficiently utilize scattered nectar and pollen sources. Additionally, it exhibits excellent traits and productive performance such as robust colony strength and high honey yield. The colony size can be maintained year-round at 8–10 full frames of bees, with some large horizontal hives reaching up to 16 frames. The queen bee has strong egg-laying capacity, producing neat and uniform brood combs, and the bees demonstrate strong and orderly wax-building abilities. For Chinese honeybees kept in movable-frame hives, the average annual honey yield per colony can reach 30–35 kg, with a maximum of up to 75 kg. It is an outstanding local variety among China’s indigenous honeybee resources, holding significant value for conservation and development. At the inaugural “Jinfo Mountain Chinese Honeybee Culture Forum” in Chongqing, Luo Yuexiong, Vice President of the China Beekeeping Association and a member of the Bee Specialist Committee under the National Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources Commission, shared his insights on this matter:

　　 The Jinfo Mountain Chinese honeybee is a native bee species in China, highly adaptable to the country’s natural conditions. It can be managed through both migratory and stationary beekeeping, making it an excellent farming project for rural mountain households to leverage local resources for poverty alleviation and prosperity. In particular, Chinese honeybees have resistance to bee diseases such as varroa mites, resulting in fewer illnesses and reduced or even unnecessary use of medications, thereby ensuring higher safety for the honey products and better alignment with international demands for residue-free bee products. In recent years, with the introduction of Western honeybees, the survival of Chinese honeybees has been increasingly challenged. Human replacement and interspecies competition have led to a gradual decline in the population of Chinese honeybees in some provinces, with some areas having them only in remote mountainous regions. This trend has expanded nationwide, causing many experts to worry about the living environment of Chinese honeybees. As a result, Chinese honeybees have been included in the National Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources Conservation List. Without approval from the national authorities, their export is prohibited. Meanwhile, conservation farms, protected areas, and germplasm resource banks will be established where conditions permit.

　　 Currently, Nanjiang raises 52,000 colonies of Chinese honeybees, an increase of 20,000 colonies—or 62.5%—from the 32,000 colonies in early 2008. Not only is the population large, but it is also well-preserved. Through persistent efforts, the Nanjiang District Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau of Chongqing successfully applied for and established a municipal-level “Chinese Honeybee Conservation Area” in Nanjiang District in 2006. In 2007, it was designated as the “Hometown of Chinese Honeybees” by the China Beekeeping Association. Therefore, strengthening the protection of Jinfo Mountain Chinese honeybees will further benefit the security of the national Chinese honeybee genetic resources, preserve biodiversity, help establish local brands in conservation areas, boost regional economies, and assist mountain farmers in leveraging local resources for poverty alleviation and prosperity—efforts that are now urgent. To this end, he recommended that our district promptly apply for the establishment of a national-level Chinese Honeybee Conservation Area in accordance with the relevant requirements of the Ministry of Agriculture’s “Administrative Measures for the Conservation of Genetic Resource Farms, Protected Areas, and Gene Banks.” Within the established conservation area, the following measures should be implemented: (1) Clear conservation targets: Primarily focus on protecting resources from the place of origin; (2) Defined regional scope: A buffer zone should exist around the central distribution area, with good isolation barriers; (3) Well-established institutions with clear functions: Strong leadership, complete organizational structures, and clearly assigned management responsibilities; (4) Effective measures: Ensure the safety and undisturbed state of the protected targets, particularly by preventing the entry of foreign bees, which is extremely important. On the basis of establishing a national-level Chinese Honeybee Conservation Area, effective development and utilization should be carried out to promote the development of the Nanjiang Chinese honeybee industry.