Environmental implications for the production of honey from mesquite (Prosopis laevigata) in semi-arid ecosystems

Abstract

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are pollinators whose honey production has an important relationship with environmental change. Our aim was to quantify the effects of labor invested per beehive (J), rainfall (P), minimum temperature (T), and land use [forestry zones (F), scrub areas (S), induced grasslands (G), and agricultural areas (A)] with honey production with mesquite (Prosopis laevigata) as the primarily nectar source, from January to June using a Cobb‒Douglas production function with two-stage least squares. Data from 1998 to 2012 were collected from meteorological stations and their surrounding areas. From 1998 to 2012, the average honey production was 17.08 ± 6.86 kg/beehive. The elasticity coefficients (βi’s) of Cobb‒Douglas function showed positive effects of an increase in the S and F areas, and J (p < 0.0001), but negative effects of an increase of the areas A and G on honey production (p < 0.008). The reduction in rainfall (0–15%) and primarily the increment of 0.6–2.5 °C in temperature projected for 2020 and 2050 would be important climatic changes that could negatively affect honey production (p < 0.01) and represent important economic losses. Our study shows that honey production could be a bioeconomic indicator useful not only to relate the services provided by honey bees with environmental changes, but also to convert some aspects of climate, land use and density of vegetal biomass changes into financial terms.