Queen bee of Manuka in the spotlight on world bee day

Bushfires followed by a global pandemic have continued to ravage the global bee colony, with dire effect on our pollinator crops which affect 35% of global agricultural land, say Aussie bee researchers. But for one honey, from the nectar of Mānuka tree (Leptospermum), the news is sweet and healthy this World Bee Day (May 20, 2021).

According to the Global Mānuka Honey Market Report2 (April 2021), Mānuka Honey sales are slated to increase from $961 million per annum in 2019 to $1,557 billion in 2028, as 100 per cent natural plant-based functional foods, land firmly on the wellbeing agenda, post-pandemic.

This deep, rich golden honey, measured with a scale labelled UMF™ (Unique Mānuka Factor) based on its potency, continues to support benefits for wellbeing and wound healing, just as it has for over 100 years.

Marking World Bee Day, Comvita Head Beekeeper, Carlos Zevallos, says that the opening of Comvita’s Queen Bee breeding unit in 2020, focuses on producing a strain of queens with both varroa resistance and hybrid vigour.

With hive success often attributed to queen strength, the selection of these traits during the rearing process remains crucial. This step forward marks a huge step in advancing the goal to ensure the sustainable long-term health of bee populations.

Beekeeper and resident Bee Educator at Comvita – the global leader in UMF™ Mānuka Honey research and production – Noelani Waters shares that ignoring the collapse of the bee colony is tantamount to inviting poverty into each of our homes, as 874 food varieties are dependent on bees for pollination.

Without these foods, we lose our essential nutrients such as avocadoes, almonds, tomatoes and coffee amongst others with that comes degradation of our farmlands, our jobs and our communities. The devastating cycle is endless,” said Waters.

The rich compounds found in Mānuka Honey have provided nourishment for generations of families and relief for thousands who have suffered burns. This natural golden wonder provides a proof point for why we need to sit up and take notice of the dire state of bee populations, brought on by urbanisation, fires, pesticides, pests and climate change.

The company has also announced a raft of activities to support the preservation of bees including sponsorships of a hand-selected network of local beekeepers and rescuers in the US where fires and the pandemic have wreaked havoc on colonies; the launch of a limited-edition Special Reserve UMF™ 25+ (MGO 1200+) to support its founding principles and ongoing commitment to Kaitiakitanga – the Maori term for guardianship and protection of our natural environment.

According to Waters, who is passionate about working to save bee colonies, only 30 per cent of world beekeepers are women. “I love working with such incredible and critically important creatures as honeybees. They provide endless fascination and opportunities for learning no matter how many years you practice beekeeping. My work in the field of Mānuka Honey, nature’s golden well of wellness, perfectly combines the art of farming and applied science,” she concluded.

About Comvita Mānuka Honey UMFTM

In New Zealand, for honey to be legally labelled as ‘Mānuka honey’, it must be predominantly collected from the nectar of Mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium) flowers. Mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium) honey contains unique and beneficial compounds, laboratory testing for these compounds is used to determine the purity and potency of Mānuka honey.

The scale for rating the potency of Mānuka honey in New Zealand is called UMFTM, which stands for Unique Mānuka Factor. The UMFTM rating reflects the concentration of three signature compounds found in genuine New Zealand-sourced Mānuka honey, MGO, DHA and Leptosperin.

About the Collapse of the Bee Colony

About one in every three mouthfuls of food we eat is pollinated by bees. Pollinator dependent crops affect 35% of global agricultural land and support the production of 87 of the world’s leading food crops. Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is characterized by the mass disappearance of worker honey bees from the hive. Only the queen, a few nurse bees and immature bees remain. Because there are insufficient workers present to maintain the hive it soon dies out. CCD is multi-causal: disease challenges, habitat destruction, pesticides and climate change are all stressing bee colonies, and new solutions to manage bees to withstand these stresses are urgently needed.