review · Tropical Conservation Science
Insect pollinators face growing threats globally from diseases, climate change, and shifts in farming and land use, despite bees pollinating dozens of leading food commodities. In African savanna ecosystems, research synthesising literature from 1970 to 2021 profiles the distribution, habitats, and habitat selection factors of stingless bees and honeybees. Africa hosts nineteen stingless bee species alongside thirteen subspecies of Apis mellifera. Among these honeybees, Apis mellifera scutellata and Apis mellifera adansonii are widely distributed across the savanna landscape. Migration and swarming behaviours serve as major drivers influencing how both stingless bees and honeybees distribute across these environments. Ensuring the long-term persistence of these crucial pollinators requires implementing targeted conservation policies that explicitly reflect the ecological and economic contributions provided by savanna bee populations.
Bees are vital pollinating agents for roughly fifty-two of the world's top one hundred and fifteen food commodities. Understanding which bee species inhabit African savannas, alongside the factors governing their movement and survival, is essential for developing evidence-based conservation frameworks. Safeguarding these pollinators protects both natural ecosystems and agricultural yields reliant on pollination across the continent.
The abstract does not indicate a direct commercial application pathway. It provides early-stage baseline biodiversity and distribution data, which could inform policymakers, conservation planners, and agricultural extension programmes designing bee preservation strategies, rather than yielding immediate commercial products or near-market technologies.
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Background and Research Aims Globally, concerns over a decline in insect pollinator abundance have been raised. Although bees were noted to be key pollinating agents for approximately 52 of the leading 115 global food commodities, they are currently exposed to risks ranging from a variety of diseases and environmental threats emanating from changes in land use, farming practices and climate change. The study reviewed the habitat and distribution of common stingless bees and honeybees species in African savanna ecosystems. The review focused mainly on (i) profiling stingless bee and honeybee species, habitat and distribution within African savanna ecosystems and (ii) assessing factors affecting stingless bees and honeybees in habitat selection within the savanna ecosystem. Methods A meta-synthesis of existing literature with a qualitative orientation was used for the review process and 90 published documents were consulted between 1970 and 2021. Results The review findings indicated that there are 19 stingless bee species and 13 subspecies of Apis mellifera found in Africa. The A. mellifera scutellata and A. mellifera adansonii were reported to be widely distributed across the African savanna ecosystem. Conclusion The migration and swarming of bees play a pivotal role in the general stingless bees and honey bees distribution within the savanna ecosystem. Implications for Conservation The persistence of stingless bees and honeybees within savanna ecosystems depends on the adoption of the best conservation policies derived from economic and ecological services associated with bee conservation.
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DOI: 10.1177/19400829221099623
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