Bees In Bahrain: An Unexpected Visitor?

Beekeeping has become a popular hobby in Bahrain, with the island teeming with amateur apiarists. The Middle Eastern country is home to a few notable beekeepers, including Juma Maki Juma Hamada, Nabil Alkawry, and Juma Hamada, who runs Hamada Bee in Barbar. These individuals are passionate about saving the honeybee from extinction and producing organic honey, with some even offering bee sting therapy for various ailments.

Beekeeping as a popular hobby in Bahrain

Beekeeping has become a popular hobby in Bahrain, with the island teeming with amateur apiarists. One such Bahraini apiarist is Juma Maki Juma Hamada, who runs Hamada Bee in Barbar. Juma Hamada is one of the few beekeepers in Bahrain, with farms in Budaiya and Hamad Town. He sees beekeeping as more than just a job; it's a calling, especially as honey bees are slowly becoming extinct.

Hamada Bee honey is made entirely locally, mostly at Juma's Budaiya bee farm, which currently has almost 400 hives. Each hive can produce as much as two kilograms of honey, and Juma estimates his annual output to be at least 100 kilograms. His honey can be found every week at the Hoorat A’Ali Farmer’s Market.

Bahrain's hot summers can be torturous for bees, which slow down significantly in activity at temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius and start to die once it reaches 45 degrees Celsius. To combat this, Juma has set up all the hives in a shaded spot and, especially in summer, replenishes each hive with water and syrup so the bees don't feel compelled to travel as far.

Juma rehabilitates and raises whatever bees show up on his radar. He also relocates bee hives from people's homes or gardens, saving as many bees as possible, especially the queen. Moving and rehabilitating bee hives is no easy feat, as each hive can occupy 20,000 to 60,000 bees.

Bees are crucial for pollinating flowers and crops. Juma's bees, for example, depend on the balsam flower in spring, the al Kinar fruit in summer, and the palm tree in winter, and in turn, help pollinate these plants. Each harvest, after a “growing” season of six weeks, produces a different kind of honey. As a result, Juma usually has at least two different kinds of honey on hand.

Bees have been farmed since the dawn of human civilization, but their existence has been threatened in the last decade due to colony collapse disorder. This occurs when the majority of worker bees in a colony fly off, leaving the queen bee, food, and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees. Bees are critical pollinators, pollinating 70 out of around 100 crop species that feed 90% of the world.

Another Bahraini beekeeper is Nabil Alkawry, a 34-year-old employee of the security forces who nurtures his hives in a friend's farmhouse in Tubli. Nabil is one of the few people in the Kingdom to run an apiary and the only man who can comfortably cover himself with honeybees. He produces over 15 litres of pure, raw, and natural local honey a year. Nabil has been farming bees for more than 10 years and intends to expand his operation if he receives the right support.

Beekeeping in Bahrain seems to be a growing hobby, with amateur apiarists like Juma and Nabil leading the way.

Juma Hamada, the Bahraini apiarist

Juma Maki Juma Hamada, the Bahraini apiarist, runs Hamada Bee in Barbar, Bahrain, and has been keeping bees for over a decade. He is one of Bahrain's few lone rangers, raising and rehabilitating bees at his farms in Budaiya and Hamad Town. He sees his work as a calling, especially as honey bees are slowly becoming extinct.

Hamada Bee honey is made 100% locally, mostly at Juma's Budaiya bee farm, which has almost 400 hives. Juma describes the bees as doing "all the hard work", flying up to three kilometres from the hive to collect nectar, despite the heat. Bahrain's summers can be torturous for the bees, which slow down significantly at temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius and start to die once the temperature hits 45 degrees. To mitigate this, Juma has set up all the hives in a shaded spot and replenishes each hive with water and syrup during the summer so the bees don't have to travel as far.

Juma rehabilitates and raises various species of bees, including Africanised, Italian and European bees. He is also called upon to remove bee hives from people's gardens or homes, always trying to save as many bees as possible, especially the queen. Moving and rehabilitating bee hives is challenging, as each hive can occupy 20,000 to 60,000 bees, each of which has spent its life learning and remembering foraging routes and distances.

Juma's bees depend on different flowers and fruits throughout the year, such as the balsam flower in spring, the al Kinar fruit in summer, and the palm tree in winter. Each harvest produces a different kind of honey, and Juma usually has at least two varieties on hand. His honey is sold at the Hoorat A’Ali Farmer’s Market and has been described as having a range of tastes, from sweet and flowery to richer and fruitier.

Juma estimates his annual honey output to be at least 100 kilograms, depending on the health of the hives and climate conditions. In addition to selling honey, he also raises and sells bees to others interested in learning about beekeeping and benefiting from honey production. Juma hopes to encourage a passion for beekeeping in both children and other farmers in Bahrain.

Colony collapse disorder and its impact on bees

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is an abnormal phenomenon where the majority of worker bees in a honey bee colony disappear, leaving behind the queen bee, food, and a few nurse bees to care for immature bees. CCD was renamed from other terms such as "disappearing disease" in 2007, following a drastic rise in reports of disappearing western honey bee colonies in North America. While CCD was previously thought to be a seasonal issue, it was recognised that it is not restricted to a particular time of year.

CCD has been observed in Europe since 1998, especially in Southern and Western Europe, and in some Asian and African countries. The phenomenon became more global when it spread to some Asian and African countries. From 1990 to 2021, the number of honeybee colonies worldwide increased by 47% to 102 million.

There is no single scientific cause of CCD, but it is likely that a combination of factors is responsible. Suggested causes include pesticides, infections with various pathogens, malnutrition, genetic factors, immunodeficiencies, loss of habitat, and changing beekeeping practices. CCD could cause significant economic losses because many agricultural crops worldwide depend on pollination by western honey bees. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the total value of global crops pollinated by honey bees was estimated at nearly US$200 billion in 2005.

CCD is characterised by a specific set of symptoms, including the presence of capped brood in abandoned colonies, food stores that other bees do not rob immediately, and the presence of the queen bee. There may be no dead bee bodies present, as if the hive had been abandoned.

CCD has far-reaching implications for the environment and human societies. Honeybees are critical pollinators, responsible for pollinating approximately one-third of all plant species directly used for human food worldwide. They are also vital to sustaining natural habitats and human food resources in regions where they are indigenous, such as Europe. The loss of honeybees could lead to a significant decline in plant populations and impact the commercial viability of certain crops.

Nabil Alkawry, the bee whisperer

In the Kingdom of Bahrain, 34-year-old Nabil Alkawry is a dedicated bee whisperer and one of the few people in the country to run an apiary. By day, Nabil is an employee of the security forces, but in the early evenings, he tends to his hives in a friend's farmhouse in Tubli. He is the only man in Bahrain who can comfortably cover himself with bees.

Nabil's interest in beekeeping began when he and his brother decided they loved honey. They spent countless hours learning the secrets of bee farming, and after his brother passed away, Nabil continued to look after the bees in his memory. He now has several beehives in Tubli and is on call for the community for emergency beehive removals. If he is successful in removing the bees, he brings them back to his friend's farm to settle before moving them to the apiary where they produce honey.

Nabil produces over 15 litres of pure, raw, and natural local honey a year. He is also proficient in providing "apitherapy" or "bee sting therapy", which is meant to create a healing response through the pituitary and adrenal glands by spurring the development of endorphins – the body's natural painkiller. Nabil says:

> "Many people are scared of being stung by bees but some come here just to get stung so they can cure themselves. Bee venom has healing properties and benefits patients with arthritis, eczema, tendinitis and many more physical ailments."

Nabil has been farming bees for more than 10 years and is a father of three. He intends to expand his apiary if he receives the right support:

> "Little bees have a great hand in food reaching our tables. It is important that we make an effort to expand such ventures as these tiny workers of nature are on the verge of becoming extinct. I am trying to do my best but I often struggle with funds."

Beekeeping has become a popular hobby in Bahrain, with the island teeming with amateur apiarists. Juma Maki Juma Hamada, who runs Hamada Bee in Barbar, is another of Bahrain's few beekeepers. He rehabilitates bees at his farms in Budaiya and Hamad Town, with almost 400 hives between them. He sells his honey at the Hoorat A’Ali Farmer’s Market and also educates children about bees, hosting field trips and classes for nearby schools.

The medicinal properties of bee venom

Beekeeping has become a popular hobby in Bahrain, with the island teeming with amateur apiarists. One of them is Juma Maki Juma Hamada, who runs Hamada Bee in Barbar and has almost 400 hives. Another is Nabil Alkawry, a producer of over 15 litres of pure, raw and natural local honey a year. Nabil is also proficient in providing "apitherapy" or "bee sting therapy", which is meant to create a healing response by spurring the development of endorphins, the body's natural painkiller.

Bee venom has been used in both human and animal medicine for thousands of years. It is a colourless, acidic liquid that bees excrete through their stingers when they feel threatened. It contains several active molecules such as peptides and enzymes that have been shown to have advantageous potential in treating inflammation and central nervous system diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Bee venom has anti-inflammatory properties that may benefit skin health, improve immunity, and relieve arthritis symptoms. It has been shown to have beneficial effects on immune cells that mediate allergic and inflammatory responses. A 2015 study found that bee venom therapy suppresses inflammatory responses in mice with chemically-induced asthma.

Bee venom also has antibacterial effects. A 2016 study showed that bee venom and its two major components, melittin and phospholipase A2, present antimicrobial activities and can be used as complementary anti-bacterial agents.

In addition, bee venom has antiviral properties. A recent study showed that bee venom and melittin have significant antiviral effects against several viruses, including the challenging human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

However, it is important to note that bee venom therapy can cause serious side effects or even death in people allergic to bee stings. It should only be administered by a qualified medical professional.

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