KRILF Scientists Conducted Beekeeping Expedition in Southern Kazakhstan

From August 31 to September 11, 2025, scientists from the Beekeeping Department of the Kazakh Research Institute of Livestock and Foraging (KRILF) conducted a scientific expedition across the Almaty and Turkistan regions. The main objective of the expedition was to monitor the health and condition of bee colonies, with a focus on the spread of acariosis and viral diseases among different bee breeds.

During field inspections, researchers carried out experiments to determine the resistance of the Varroa destructor mite to amitraz and studied the hygienic behavior of honey bees belonging to the breeds Apis mellifera carpatica, A. m. carnica, and A. m. pamonella. In total, five apiaries located in various regions of southern Kazakhstan were examined. The collected data will contribute to refining the epidemiological map of bee diseases and developing recommendations for improving colony resistance and health management.

The expedition was conducted in collaboration with A.Z. Brandorf, Head of the Beekeeping Laboratory of the Federal Agrarian Research Center for the North-East (Russia), and Professor Victoria Soroker from the Volcani Center (Israel), emphasizing the international scope of the research and the exchange of scientific expertise.

In addition, meetings were held with representatives of the People’s Republic of China at the International Center for Border Cooperation “Khorgos,” where prospects for scientific collaboration in apiculture, exchange of analytical methods, and the use of digital monitoring technologies were discussed.

On September 10, 2025, the expedition participants visited Tashkent State Agrarian University (Uzbekistan), where they discussed signing a joint memorandum of cooperation between institutions, implementing an international beekeeping project, student exchange programs, and both short- and long-term internships.

This expedition marked an important step in expanding KRILF’s international partnerships and strengthening Kazakhstan’s position in global honeybee health research and sustainable apiculture development.