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Beekeeping in Korea: Past, Present, and Future Challenges

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Asian Beekeeping in the 21st Century

Abstract

The history of beekeeping in Korea dates back 2000 years to the earlier kingdom of Gogurye. In the present day, the native honeybee Apis cerana Fabr. is mostly kept in log hives in the deep mountains, whereas the introduced A. mellifera L. occupies habitats at the interface of mountains and open land. The beekeeping industry has drastically increased to two million hives in the early 2000s, and honey production is now 30,000 tons per year. Even with diverse floral composition, honey production relies highly on the black locust Robinia pseudoacacia. The mites Varroa (Korean haplotype) and Tropilaelaps provide challenges in mite pest management for Apis mellifera. A recent outbreak of Sacbrood Virus has threatened A. cerana beekeeping. Challenges for the beekeeping industry in Korea include invasion of new pests, such as the yellow legged hornet (Vespa velutina) and small hive beetle (Aethina tumida), and degradation of black locust viability.

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Acknowledgements

Authors express gratitude to the Journal of Apiculture for the permission to use published information.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sericulture and Apiculture, National Institute of Agricultural Science, RDA, Wanju, JB, Korea

    Chuleui Jung & Myeong-lyeol Lee

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  1. Chuleui Jung
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  2. Myeong-lyeol Lee
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Correspondence to Chuleui Jung .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University , Chiang Mai, Thailand

    Panuwan Chantawannakul

  2. Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA

    Geoffrey Williams

  3. Institute of Bee Health, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Peter Neumann

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Jung, C., Lee, Ml. (2018). Beekeeping in Korea: Past, Present, and Future Challenges. In: Chantawannakul, P., Williams, G., Neumann, P. (eds) Asian Beekeeping in the 21st Century. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8222-1_8

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