Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) pests of honey bee colonies in Cameroon

Abstract

Global reports of ant-honey bee interactions show that the former threatens the latter’s existence and the sustainability of the beekeeping sector. However, little is known about existing ant species and their impact on managed honey bees, especially in Africa. This research identifies ant species and their interactions with managed honey bee colonies in Cameroon.

Keywords:

• Interspecific interactions
• damage pattern
• Apis mellifera
• Africa
• Agroecological zones

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the two anonymous reviewers for their comments and feedback. The authors acknowledge the beekeepers that provided their apiaries for this study and the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries (MINEPIA) Cameroon for providing the baseline information on the beekeeping sector. We are thankful to Dr. David Makori for assistance with the map.

Additional information

Funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support for this research by the following organizations and agencies: the European Union (EU) under grant number EU/ICIPE 2013/313-659; the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida); the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR); the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad); German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for a Postgraduate Scholarship to DTC; the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; and the Government of the Republic of Kenya. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the donors.