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PESHAWAR, Jul 12 (APP):As monsoon clouds hover over the River Kabul, 28-year-old beekeeper Malyar Khan scrambles to evacuate his bee colonies in Mohib Banda village, Nowshera.
With floodwaters already encroaching on his farmland, Malyar and his brothers, Hussain and Kamal, race against time to load 500 bee boxes onto pickups, desperate to save their livelihoods from being washed away.
“When I woke up, I saw over half of our bee colonies submerged in floodwater,” Malyar recalled, his voice weary from a sleepless night. “We had no choice but to shift everything. The 2022 floods destroyed our 300 boxes. We couldn’t afford another loss.”
Kamal, the youngest of the brothers, had painstakingly restored the colonies by taking loans after their previous losses. But like hundreds of beekeepers across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), his efforts remain under constant threat—this time not just from floods, but from the growing wrath of climate change.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with its lush flora and favorable conditions, is traditionally a hub of Pakistan’s beekeeping industry. But increasing climate volatility.ranging from erratic rainfall, floods, and droughts to extended dry seasons and scorching temperatures has made honey production unpredictable and riskier than ever.
“Bees are incredibly sensitive to environmental and climate changes,” said Iftikhar Khalil, former Director of Apiculture at the Forest Development Department.
“Excessive rainfall or hailstorms destroy flowers. If flowers don’t bloom, bees can’t collect nectar, and honey production drops sharply.”
He added that the disappearance of plants like ber (jujube) and palosa—key sources of nectar for honeybees—due to deforestation and land-use changes, has further endangered bee populations, particularly wild bees like Apis dorsata.
He said Pakistan is home to four major bee specie such as apis cerana (small native bee), apis dorsata (wild bee), apis florea (little bee) and apis mellifera (an imported species introduced in 1977).
Among them, Apis mellifera dominates commercial honey production due to its high yield by producing 20–25 kg of honey per box twice a year, compared to just 6–8 kg from native species.
However, it is more vulnerable to bacterial diseases like the American and European foulbrood, which thrive in humid and warm conditions worsened by climate change.
“About five to ten kilograms of honey can be lost from every 1,000 kg batch if preventive measures aren’t taken against climate change,” warned Iftikhar, emphasizing the need for modern apiculture techniques and disaster preparedness among local beekeepers.
Despite the challenges, beekeeping remains a beacon of hope in Pakistan’s rural economy. Experts estimate that if the country achieves its full potential of 70,000 metric tons of honey annually, it could generate revenues of Rs 43 billion and create over 100,000 new jobs.
“Our honey, especially ber and phulai varieties, is in high demand in Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA, China, and even countries like Azerbaijan and Malaysia,” said Sher Zaman, General Secretary of the All Pakistan Beekeepers Association. “It’s rich in taste and medicinal value, but we need better marketing and government support.”
Zaman urged the KP government to issue identification cards to beekeepers for easier migration during seasonal movements and avoid losses during inspections at check-posts.
He also called for an immediate ban on deforestation, especially of nectar-producing trees like berry and palosa, which are lifelines for honeybees.
Musawar Khan, Advisor to the Chief Minister on Forests, acknowledged the growing climate challenges and highlighted Govt policies for promotion of beekeeping.
“We are prioritizing bee-friendly species in monsoon and spring plantations while thousands of bee boxes have already been distributed to flood-affected farmers, and we are expanding training programs for beekeepers through the ASPIRE project.”
The National Apiculture Up-scaling Program for Income and Rural Employment (ASPIRE) aims to train 15,000 beekeepers through NAVTTC, enhancing capacity and certification to promote commercial beekeeping as a viable, climate-resilient livelihood.
Beyond honey, bees are indispensable to food security. Globally, one-third of all food production depends on pollination by bees and other insects. Without them, crops such as apples, almonds, and cucumbers could fail to thrive.
“Bees are not just about honey—they’re guardians of our ecosystem,” Iftikhar Khalil reminded. “Losing them would not just end an industry but threaten our food supply and biodiversity.”
As climate change tightens its grip on the region, the survival of Pakistan’s bees and the livelihoods of thousands who depend on them now hinges on swift, coordinated action.
This includes climate smart policies, interest-free loans, plantation of bee flora, disease management, and most importantly, awareness among the beekeepers themselves.
For Malyar Khan and many like him in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, every hive is a symbol of resilience—a small but potent hope in the fight against a global food challenges.