Determination of Some Heavy Metals and Elements in Honeybee and Honey Samples from Saudi Arabia

Honeybees and honey have become important tools for ecotoxicity because of their extraordinary ability to bioaccumulate of mineral element and toxic metals from the environment. The present study aimed to evaluate and detect the mineral element and pollution levels of honeybees and their product, honey, by heavy metals. These minerals include heavy metals; cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, lead, zinc) and elements (calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium). The levels of heavy metal pollution are collected from different regions in Saudi Arabia using foraging bees of Apis mellifera jemenatica. For this purpose, bee and honey samples were collected directly from different geographic regions in Saudi Arabia. The results of this study showed that the highest contamination level among the heavy metals in question was the iron (Fe). In the honey bee samples, the highest Fe concentrations were in Makkah region (8.794) Asir (6.222) Jazan (6.205)Al-Baha(2.088). In the honey samples, the highest Fe concentrations were found in Asir (1.904) Jazan (1.843)Al-Baha(1.340) and Makkah (0.907). In addition, we found that the most concentrated mineral element is potassium (K) in all four agricultural areas from which the samples were collected in this study. The results showed that metal levels are within the limits of international standards  in bee and honey in Saudi Arabia. 

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