Abstract:
This review aims to share the history of Malaysian beekeeping, in order to
guide current developments in beekeeping. It is also intended to sustain and promote
the local beekeeping industry. Beekeeping in Malaysia has been practised and frst
found documented since the Sultanate of Malacca. Today, both traditional and modern
approaches to beekeeping are used locally. Beekeeping is crucial to the conservation
and sustainability of the ecosystem. It offers natural pollination, future food security,
high income generation, medicinal products, and research opportunities. However, bee
domestication, problems with queen rearing, low honey production, inconsistency in
quality and the high price of honey, dumping of adulterated honey on the local market,
the lack of a Malaysian honey standard, and no existing body or centre to monitor
beekeeping development have become a major challenge. The issues could address, with
the establishment of a Majlis Lebah Negara and a one-stop centre, to guide, monitor and
develop Malaysian beekeeping to an exceptional level, for the beneft of all.
