Interspecific competition between ants and African honeybees (Apis mellifera scutellata) may undermine the effectiveness of elephant beehive–deterrents in Africa

Thornley, Reece, Cook, Robin, Spencer, Matthew, Parr, Catherine L ORCID: 0000-0003-1627-763X and Henley, Michelle (2024) Interspecific competition between ants and African honeybees (Apis mellifera scutellata) may undermine the effectiveness of elephant beehive–deterrents in Africa Conservation Science and Practice, 6 (1). ISSN 2578-4854, 2578-4854

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Abstract

AbstractBeehive deterrents are commonly used to mitigate human–elephant conflict and protect woody vegetation. To ensure hive activity, reduce abscondment risks, and maintain deterrent effectiveness, resident bee colonies require supplementary feeding during periods of low resource availability. However, our study found that ants frequently consume the supplementary feed in open feeders intended for bees. Anoplolepis custodiens was the most numerically dominant species that excluded bees from the feeders, followed by Camponotus and Crematogaster spp. With higher ant abundance, the predicted probability of zero bees being present at feeders increased up to 82%. This competition may undermine the efficacy of beehive deterrents as a conflict mitigation tool. We developed a simple and effective ant exclusion method that raised the overall predicted probability of bees' presence at supplementary feeding stations from 32% to 68%. Our findings suggest that innovative solutions to exclude ants from supplementary feed may improve the implementation and success of this conflict mitigation method across Africa.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Apidae, beehive deterrents, conflict mitigation, elephants management, Formicidae, human-wildlife conflict, insect ecology, Loxodonta africana
Divisions:	Faculty of Science & Engineering > School of Environmental Sciences
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	08 Dec 2023 08:39
Last Modified:	23 May 2026 08:14
DOI:	10.1111/csp2.13041
Related Websites:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3177208
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