ADAFSA Reaffirms Commitment To Advancing The Emirati Honeybee Breed For Sustainable Beekeeping

The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) is committed to supporting Emirati beekeepers, especially on World Bee Day, celebrated every 20th May. This support includes providing high-quality queen bees from the Emirati honeybee breed to ensure the sustainability of beekeeping and enhance local honey production, including varieties like Samar, Sidr, Ghaf, Mangrove, and wildflower.

Between March and April 2025, ADAFSA successfully bred 2,100 tenth-generation queen bees of the Emirati honeybee breed. This initiative aims to develop a resilient local bee strain, reducing dependence on imported colonies and ensuring sustainable beekeeping in the UAE. From 2016 to 2024, ADAFSA produced nine generations of Emirati queen bees, totalling 18,692 queens.

ADAFSA is working to elevate local honey to international markets. From 31st January to 9th February 2025, they organised the Al Wathba Honey Festival alongside the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award at the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi. The festival featured participation from 50 beekeepers and honey companies.

This year alone, ADAFSA distributed 1,350 tenth-generation queens to 39 beekeepers. The breeding programme aims for a total of 5,300 queens by the end of 2025—2,300 during spring (March–May) and another 3,000 in autumn (October–November).

ADAFSA has conducted workshops and seminars on beekeeping and honey production. Topics include preparing honey samples for competitions and evaluation mechanisms in contests. Interactive sessions with beekeepers address challenges in the sector and strategies for overcoming them.

An educational video was produced by ADAFSA highlighting diverse honey varieties from different UAE landscapes. It underscores the role of beekeepers and queen bees in producing valuable nectar while emphasising ADAFSA's efforts in developing the Emirati honeybee breed.

Training Courses for Beekeepers

ADAFSA has implemented training courses on beekeeping fundamentals for beginners and another course on breeding queen bees. These courses are scheduled again for October 2025. Additionally, a course on controlling honeybee pests is planned for June 2025 to maintain healthy colonies capable of thriving in UAE conditions.

The video also highlights that protecting bees is essential for biodiversity and food security. It showcases Samar, Sidr, Ghaf, Mangrove, and wildflower honeys as natural sources rich in antioxidants with numerous health benefits.

International Engagements

In collaboration with the Beekeepers Association, ADAFSA played an active role in organising the International Meeting of Young Beekeepers (IMYB) held in Dubai from 18th to 22nd December 2024. This marked its first hosting outside Europe with over 100 young participants aged 12 to 18 from more than 40 countries.

The event included practical competitions alongside educational workshops designed to facilitate knowledge exchange about bees' importance in food security and environmental sustainability.

Scientific Publications

As part of its educational initiatives, ADAFSA published "Bees and Beekeeping in the United Arab Emirates," a comprehensive guide highlighting bee species diversity and sustainable hive management practices. An accompanying children's booklet educates young readers about bees' significance engagingly.

A national project was launched by ADAFSA recently aimed at monitoring diseases affecting honeybee colonies within UAE borders while establishing an accurate database regarding health challenges threatening Emirati breeds according to global best practices standards; findings will be announced early next year (2026).

With inputs from WAM