Tropical Landscape Composition Differentially Shapes Colony Performance of Asian Honey Bee and Stingless Bee in Indonesia

Abstract

ABSTRACT The characteristics of tropical landscapes play a critical role in shaping the ecological dynamics of pollinators, which are important for both natural ecosystems and agriculture. This study investigates how landscape composition affects colony performance in Apis cerana (Asian honey bee) and Tetragonula laeviceps (stingless bee) across Indonesia. To assess colony performance, interviews were conducted with 59 beekeepers of A. cerana and 82 beekeepers of T. laeviceps from islands across Indonesia; from these, we inferred presence‐absence data characterising colony growth, honey production, and bee mortality. Compositions of the landscapes surrounding hives were assessed at different spatial scales using land cover maps derived from the Copernicus satellite dataset and classified using a deep learning algorithm. A binomial generalised linear model (GLM) approach was used to determine the relationship between landscape composition and colony performance. Results showed that environmental factors, especially the numbers of patches and class areas of trees and crops, had different effects on colony growth, honey production, and mortality in A. cerana and T. laeviceps . Colony growth, honey production, and mortality rates of A. cerana were related to the numbers of tree patches and class areas of crops, while T. laeviceps was only affected by the numbers of tree patches for its mortality. This highlights the importance of landscape heterogeneity in promoting bee colony health and productivity in tropical regions, providing valuable insights to inform beekeeping practices and landscape management strategies.

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