The four honeybee species native to Cambodia—Apis dorsata, Apis cerana, Apis florea, and Apis andreniformis—play a vital role in ecosystem health and agricultural productivity through their pollination activities. Beekeeping in Cambodia has primarily developed around the introduced species Apis mellifera. However, it remains underdeveloped compared to neighboring countries, with wild honey collection continuing to play a significant role. Although native bees are not at immediate risk of extinction, their crucial ecological and socio-economic roles, coupled with the threats to their populations, necessitate the urgent implementation of conservation policies. The beekeeping sector in Cambodia faces numerous challenges that hinder its development. These include a lack of documentation and official data, limited access to productive apiaries, inappropriate pesticide practices, insufficient knowledge about bee health, diseases, and parasites, inadequate organization and representation of beekeepers, the high cost of Cambodian honey, and a lack of consumer awareness and trust in local bee products. This paper provides an overview of the status and distribution of honeybee species, along with the production, value chain, and trade of bee products in Cambodia. It examines the challenges of conserving native honeybees and developing the beekeeping sector while proposing strategies to strengthen bee conservation and support the growth of beekeeping in the country. Key recommendations focus on integrating bee conservation strategies with broader conservation goals, such as reducing deforestation, promoting sustainable agriculture, and regulating the consumption of wild bee brood. Key strategies for the development of beekeeping are documenting and conserving bee floral resources and habitats, reducing the use of bee-toxic pesticides, developing research and training capacities in beekeeping, regulating bee imports, and enhancing quality and authenticity testing facilities. Additionally, building capacity among honey value chain stakeholders in areas such as quality control, authenticity, processing, packaging, and marketing is essential.

Honey bees provide essential pollination services in natural and agricultural ecosystems, yet little is known about honey bee-associated pathogens in Cambodia and Laos. Here, we screened 53 colonies from 10 sites, including Apis cerana (n = 28), A. mellifera (n = 18), A. dorsata (n = 4), and A. florea (n = 3), for common honey bee viruses and the microsporidian Nosema ceranae using PCR and RT-PCR assays. Six viruses—acute bee paralysis virus, black queen cell virus, deformed wing virus type A, Israeli acute paralysis virus, Kashmir bee virus, and Lake Sinai virus—and N. ceranae were detected in A. cerana and A. mellifera, with overall low detection frequencies across sites. No targets were detected in A. dorsata or A. florea; however, the limited sample sizes for these species restrict interpretation of absence. Partial gene fragment sequences showed similarity to previously reported Asian isolates, indicating consistency with known regional viral diversity. These findings provide baseline detection data for honey bee-associated pathogens in Cambodia and Laos and support the need for expanded sampling across host species and seasons to better characterize pathogen occurrence in the region.

Rice leaf folders are the major insect pests of rice crops. Insecticides are used by farmers to reduce the yield loss caused by rice leaf folders, but there are hundreds of insecticides available on the Cambodian market, which makes choosing the right insecticide difficult. This experiment was conducted (1) to determine the variation of a population of rice leaf folders in six treatments: control and using insecticide treatments, and (2) to determine the type of insecticide that is effective. The treatments were tested on field plots (5m x 4m). There are six treatments, and each treatment was replicated three times in a Randomized Complete Block Design. The treatments were T₀ = Control, T₁ = Emamictin-benzoate 50WDG, T₂ = Cypermethrin 10EC, T₃= Thiacloprid + Isoprocarb 450WP, T₄ = Diazinon 50EC, and T₅ = Thiamethoxam 350SC. The data was collected by counting the number of rice folder larval populations from 100 hills of rice which is equal to one square meter before and after applying the insecticides. The rice yield per square meter in each plot was also collected. The results showed that the rice leaf folder had severe damage in the tillering stage (about 14 days after transplanting). The most effective insecticide in killing rice leaf folders was Emamictin-benzoate 50WDG (T₁) at 87.68%, followed by Diazinon 50EC (T₄) at 83.04% and Cypermethrin 10EC (T₂) at 81.51%. There was a significant difference if compared with Thiamethoxam 350SC (T₅) and Thiacloprid + Isoprocarb 450WP (T₃) at 80.95% ( p <0.05). As a result, we can conclude that Emamictin-benzoate 50WDG is highly effective and yields the highest yield when used to control rice leaf folders.