Honey Bees rearing

Different Species of Honey Bees

Apis dorsata, the Giant honey bee

Nest are mainly built in exposed places far off the ground, on tree limbs and        under cliff overhangs, and sometimes on buildings.

Aggressive bee and has never been domesticated as it does not     use enclosed cavities for nesting .

Each colony consists of a single vertical comb (sometimes approaching a  square meter)

Strong defense mechanisms

Average honey production is 38 kg per colony

 Apis florea, Small honey bee 

Is the smallest honey bee.

The exposed single combs are built on branches of shrubs and small tree

Small colony size and simple net construction

 Annual average honey production is `1 kg per colony

Honey medicinal value

Apis cerana, or the Asiatic honey bee 

•         In the wild, they prefer to nest in small spaces, such as hollowed  out tree trunks. Boxes and inside wall

•         Their size is similar or somewhat smaller than Apis         mellifera, and  they also have  a more  prominent abdominal stripes.

•         Average production of honey is from 4-40 kg per colony

Apis mellifera ( European honey bee or western honey bee)

It is domestic honey bees and like darkness 

 it make many combs and can be kept in the box

 Chances of swarm is less

It has resistance against diseases and pests.

Its average honey production is more than 40 kg per colony.    

 Social behaviour, Caste System and Functions

Social Organization

The honey bee is a social insect that can survive only as a member of a community, or colony. Different castes of a bee colony include

Queen:

Queen:

Young queen within 1st week (Nuptial flight).

One queen (normally)

Can produce 1,500 eggs per day at the time of brood season

 Controls the hive through pheromones

Duties in Colony:

Queen:   - Sting use in the battle.

               - One queen in a colony.

               - Larger than worker bee with a longer abdomen.

Does not have pollen basket Lay eggs up to 2000/day.

Fed by the workers - never leaves the hive except to mate.

New queen emerges from queen cell, detected by current queen and kills her. Old or weak slows production, replacement of queen by new. Swarming.

Attraction of drones:  Queen mating with a many as 20 of them.

Drones wait to mate.

Post mating of queen:  Start to lay eggs in bees box chambers.

Maintaining of sperm – lifetime in a special pouch.

Drones without mating in the hive :  Ejected from the nest by the workers.

Workers

Female

 Usually do not reproduce

 Responsible for most of the work

 Colony will have

20,000 - 70,000+

Drones

Males

 Mate with female virgin queens while in flight

 Upon mating they die

The durations of the different stages in life cycle of a honey bee of different castes are as follows:

Caste	Eggs stage	Larval stage	Pupal stage	Complete cycle
Worker	3 days	6 days	12 days	21 days
Drone	3 days	6½ days	14½ days	24 days
Queen	3 days	5½ days	7½ days	16 days

SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

House keepers (1-2 days) Resting, brood warm, eating, pollen  & honey, cleaning empty cells for eggs, pollen, honey

House bees (3-5 days) Feeding older larvae & drones, fanning+gen. maintenance)

Nurse bees (6-10) (Feeding young larvae & queen bee with royal jelly)

Builder bees (11-18) Rip. nectar, producing wax to build comb, sealing brood, ripe honey with wax caps & packing pollen in cells

Soldier bees (19-21) Guarding entrance, waste products from colony

Scout bees ( 22 onwards) Outside information transmitting through dance, collection of nectar, water & propolis)

A strong bee colony must have the following individuals:

(i) Queen = 1 (ii) Drones = 200-300 (iii) Old Workers = 25000 (iv) Young bees = 25000 (v) Bees population=60000

Larvae - 9000 Brood                      Eggs –    9000                                 Pupae -  2000

Requirements for bees:

What bees need to live =

Flowers supply

Nectar

Pollen

Water

What is nectar  =  Liquid sugar solution

                             that flower produces

                             mostly water, bees

                             evaporate it to make

                             honey – 18% water.

Flavour & colour of honey =             

Depends on types of flowers, bees collected from. Honey is stored in bees wax cell.

Beekeeping

Stationery Beekeeping

Migratory Beekeeping

Pollen collection : Comes from male part of  the flower. Powdery dust – rubbed by bees fertiliz female part of the flower produce fruit, seed or vegetable, bees collect by means of special hairs on body and return to the hive

Water:  Important to bees.

In hot dry weather, the interior of the hive – overheated. If this occurred, the brood could cook and the wax begin to melt. Bees collect water and place it then fan it with their wings to evaporate. This air-conditioning cools the hive temperature.

All these equipment's can be made locally.

Beekeeping supplies: The 1st and foremost supply of bee

Source of bees  : Varies according to region. Local bees can be procured

Basis for successful beekeeping

1) Dearth Management.

2) Winter Management.

3) Comb Management.

4) Queen Management.

5) Honey flow Management.

6) Pest and Predator Management.

7) Management for Absconding.

8) Swarming Management.asis for successful beekeeping