Consolidated by. NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM 2 Cordillera Studies Center University of the Philippines College Baguio

Transcription

1 Consolidated by NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM 2 Cordillera Studies Center University of the Philippines College Baguio February 2001

2 First Printing February 2001 Cordillera Studies Center, 2001 This reference kit may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, as long as the Natural Resource Management Program (NRMP2) of the Cordillera Studies Center, University of the Philippines College Baguio is acknowledged. Book Design & Layout: Alicia G. Follosco Typeface: Albertus Extra Bold, Arial, Arial Narrow and Lucida Console Typeset: Microsoft Word 2000

3 PREFACE The Ancestral Domain and Natural Resource Management in Sagada, Mountain Province, Northern Philippines is an action research program of the Cordillera Studies Center, University of the Philippines College Baguio. It uses the community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) approach to study the state of biodiversity, resource utilization practices in varied property regimes and ecosystems, and government and non-government initiatives along similar objectives within the locality. With funding support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Ottawa, Canada, this program, also referred to as Natural Resource Management Program (NRMP 2), run from March 1997 to February A year s extension was granted in order to accomplish the tasks necessary towards the drafting of management plans for three ancestral domain management units: the ili of Fidelisan, Central Sagada and Ankileng. In line with the Program s objective to test sustainable and equitable communitybased natural resource management systems, beekeeping was introduced to the community. Today, there is a cooperative of beekeepers in Sagada that seeks to encourage individuals to take up beekeeping. The NRMP2 is pleased to present this Reference Kit on Beekeeping that beginners in beekeeping can refer to. It is a compilation of NRMP2 documentation reports of the training activities of beekeeping cooperators from February to December 1998 and from other reference materials on beekeeping. This Kit covers the following aspects of beekeeping, including discussions particular to Cordillera conditions, in four sections, as follows: Section 1: An Introduction to Beekeeping Section 2: The Bee Farm Section 3: Operation and Maintenance of the Bee Farm Section 4: Pests and Diseases of Honeybees We hope this Kit will be truly useful, and thus serve its purpose of introducing beekeeping as an activity that is both economically and ecologically viable. Apart from the NRMP2 project staff, some of the beekeepers in Sagada provided valuable assistance by commenting on drafts of the kit. Ramon G. Bag-eo Arlene S. Cid Marion Loida S. Difuntorum Alicia G. Follosco Lorelei C. Mendoza Angeli C. Picazo i

4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface Glossary of Terms Section1: An Introduction to Beekeeping Benefits of Beekeeping Overview of Beekeeping practices in the Cordillera Today The Castes of Bees in a Colony Section 2: The Bee Farm Beekeeping Paraphernalia Section 3: Operation and Maintenance of the Bee Farm Obtaining Initial Bee Stock Inspecting the Colony Seasonal Growth of Bee Population Increasing Colonies Resource Needs of the Colony Swarming Robbing Supersedure Re-queening and Selection a Queen Preparations Before the Rainy Season Activities During the Rainy Season Before and During the Honey Flow Period Harvesting of Honey Section 4: Pests and Diseases of Honey Bees Mites Wax Moth Birds Wasps, Dragonflies and Other Insects American Foulbrood European Foulbrood Nosema Disease Sacbrood Photo Sources References List of Project Personnel Beekeeper s Logbook i iii ii

5 GLOSSARY OF TERMS APIARY OR BEEFARM BEE BEEKEEPING OR APICULTURE BEE SMOKER BEE VEIL BEE SPACE BEESWAX BROOD BROODBOX/CHAMBER BROOD FRAMES CASTES CELL COLONY COMB COMB FOUNDATION DRONE The location of a number of bee colonies. Any insect belonging to the family Apodea. There are over 2,000 species of bees. One important bee characteristic is the ability to collect pollen. It is the art of caring and culturing honeybees so that they can produce honey above their needs. A hollow can used to build smoke to calm the bees. A material to cover the face during hive inspection as protection from possible bee sting. The space where honeybees walk and work, i.e. the space between two combs or between a comb and the wall of a hive. Wax produced by honeybees and used to build comb. Refers to the eggs, larvae and pupae. This is the box where the queen and young bees stay. Refer to the wax comb where the eggs, larvae and pupae are found. The brood frames are located at the center of the colony. The three types of bees workers, drones and a queen that make up the adult population of a honeybee colony. An individual compartment of a honeycomb. Refers to a group of honeybees consisting of one queen, a few drones and thousands of workers. A frame built up with wax with the egg cell cubicles evenly formed for the queen to lay eggs. Thin sheets of beeswax embossed or stamped with the base of a normal worker cell on which the bees will construct a complete comb. Refers to the male honeybee. Its body is shorter than the queen s but is thicker with a rounded abdominal end and with longer wings that cover its entire body. Drones do not posses a stinger. iii

6 EXTRACTOR FRAME FIELD BEES FOOD FRAME FOUL BROOD FUMIGATION HIVE HIVE BOX HONEY HONEYHUNTING LARVA MITES NECTAR NUCLEUS A centrifugal machine in which honey is spun out of cells within combs. A wooden rectangular frame that provides a strong support for wax foundation. A number of frames hang parallel to one another inside the frame hive. Worker bees that are usually more than 21 days old. As the term implies, they work in the field by collecting food for the colony. Refers to the comb/frame where the honey and pollen are stored. It is usually located at the outermost portion of the colony. A bacterial disease of the larva of bees. Diseased larvae emit foul odor. Treatment with fumes of a toxic chemical to disinfect or destroy mites, moths and other pests. Refers to the house of the honeybees. Refers to the box where honeybees live. Nectar or plant sap collected by bees, concentrated by them and stored in combs. The collection of honey from bees nesting in the wild. The second stage in the development of an insect, like the honeybee, having complete metamorphosis or four stages egg, larva, pupa and adult. These are organisms with four pairs of legs, a pair of chelicerae and two body regions. The Varroa mites that have dark brown and hard body are parasitic to honeybees. They feed on the larvae and pupae of honeybees, killing and deforming them. A sweet exudation secreted by glands in different parts of plants, chiefly in the flowers; collected and used by bees for rearing their young. It provides the protein part of the honeybee s diet. A small hive of bees, usually covering from two to five frames of comb. Nucs, as they are sometimes called, are used primarily for rearing or storing queens or for transporting a young colony. iv

7 QUEEN PROPOLIS POLLEN PHEROMONES POLLINATION POLLINATION AGENT ROYAL JELLY SELF-POLLINATION SUPER/HONEY SUPER SUPERSEDURE SWARM SWARMING Refers to the fertile female of the honeybees. The queen is the largest in the colony. The queen, who is the most important member of the colony, usually stays at the center of the colony. These are brownish or blackish waxy substances collected from certain trees that are used to cement or cover openings in the hive. These are fine granular or powdery substances produced by discharge from the outer part of the male flower to fertilize ovules of female flowers. A substance secreted by insects which, when sensed or ingested by other individuals of the same species, causes them to respond by a definite behavior or developmental process. The transfer of pollen from the anther of a flower to the stigma of that or another flower. Bees act as pollination agents when they transfer pollen from one flower to another. In some cases, pollinating agents include nectar-seeking birds and bats. A highly nutritious mixture secreted by the maxillary glands in young honeybee workers. These are fed to all larvae during their first few days and throughout the life stage of larvae that are chosen to be queens. The transfer of pollen between flowers of the same plant, or within one flower. Self-pollination is only effective in self-fertile plants. A hive box that is put on top of brood boxes where honey is stored. This refers to the natural replacement of a queen by the worker bees when the existing queen starts to diminish in her egg-laying activity. A colony of bees that builds their hive outside of the hive box. Refers to a colony of bees moving away from the hive box. Swarming may be caused by over crowding, starvation and old queen. v

8 WORKER BEES Refers to the infertile female honeybees. They are the smallest in the colony but they do all the work such as cleaning, food gathering, guarding the colony and tending the queen and young bees. They possess pollen baskets to gather pollen grains, honey sac to temporarily store collected nectar from the field and a stinger to use against their enemies. vi

9 SECTION 1 AN INTRODUCTION TO BEEKEEPING Beekeeping or apiculture is the practice of raising bees for honey production. It is the art and science of caring and culturing honeybees so that they can produce honey above their needs. Beekeeping is an activity that can benefit our economic, ecological and social needs. Before beekeeping was introduced, honey hunting from wild bee colonies in the forests was practiced. As early as 7000 BC, the first known evidence that early man collected honey from beehives was found in a cave in Eastern Spain. The giant wild honeybee, apis dorsata (the pukyutan) was mostly robbed for honey and wax. A beekeeper from Fidelisan, Sagada inspects his beehives. Traditional Practices In Honey Hunting: a. These are very destructive to the bees environment because the bee colonies are burned and destroyed. When the bees are killed, 75% of the pollination of forest vegetation is affected. b. Destruction of forest vegetation cover has contributed to the destruction of wild colonies. Starvation can cause the death of colonies. The lack of stored food and the imbalance of vegetation will not allow bees to survive. c. No real practices of raising feral colonies in the Cordillera have been sustained. d. The process of harvesting and storing is unsanitary. e. Information on the benefits of honey products to human health is limited. The dark European honeybee, Apis mellifera was the first bee raised by man. It was used in the Middle East and in Europe, while the Apis cerana indica was more popular in Asia. Colonies of bees were kept in bark cylinders, straw and earthenware hives where honey present was taken whenever desired. This practice of collecting honey from beehives continued for thousands of years until modern scientific methods led to the culture of honeybees. An Introduction to Beekeeping 1

10 What are the Benefits of Beekeeping? 1. Beekeeping is a viable income source. Bee products, namely honey, pollen, bee wax and royal jelly are in high demand, both locally and in the world market. 2. Honey has curative properties. It has been used as an ingredient for home remedies to treat a wide variety of ailments, such as arthritis, asthma, high blood pressure, cough, toothache and high blood pressure. 3. Beekeeping aids pollination, particularly towards the regeneration of plants and floral diversity. As bees visit one flower after another, they aid in the cross pollination of fruits and vegetables, resulting in greater agricultural productivity. Honeybees are the only pollinators that can be multiplied easily and moved to different places where they are needed. Overview of Beekeeping Practices in the Cordillera Today Beekeeping is one of the livelihood activities not yet fully tapped and explored in the Philippines, despite the fact that our country is a suitable place for it. In the Cordillera region alone, the ideal altitude and natural vegetation make beekeeping viable. The Cordillera features a diversity of flora as pollen and nectar sources. The Cordillera has an altitude ranging from 1,000 to 1,700 meters above sea level. The diversity of traditional farm crops, forest plants and vegetation that produce a wide variety of nectar and pollen makes it ideal for honeybee production. The sunflower, which is native in the Cordillera and which blooms from October to December, especially gives Cordillera-produced honey a distinct quality. While honey hunting is a practice in the region, raising bees or conserving them has not been systematically pursued. In the 1970s, beekeeping was introduced to individuals in the Cordillera. Raising colonies, however, was initially unsuccessful due to mites, preying birds, limited know-how about beekeeping, and limited support from both the government and the non-government sectors. In the 1990s, the government, through the Department of Agriculture (DA), and the nongovernment organizations, notably the Plan International, supported beekeeping livelihood projects in various areas of the Cordillera. The sustained assistance and improved technology transfer efforts proved successful, such that more families eventually got involved. Later, the Saint Louis University Extension Institute for Small-Scale Industries Foundation Incorporated (SLU-EISSIFI) also initiated a similar project with farmers in Benguet. It soon set up the Beekeeping Center in Baguio City to support training, networking and marketing requirements of the growing number of beekeepers supported by the institution. In 1998, the Natural Resource Management Program (NRMP 2) of the Cordillera Studies Center, University of the Philippines College Baguio (CSC-UPCB) introduced beekeeping in Sagada. To date, there are 20 beekeepers in the community, managing close to 75 colonies. An Introduction to Beekeeping 2

11 Species of Honey Bees that Thrive in the Cordillera Kinds of Honey Bees Characteristics 1. Apis cerana (Aleg) Wild, has multiple combs, small-sized, and produce little honey 2. Apis dorsata (Pukyutan) Also known as the rock bee or giant honeybee Maintains a single comb, suspended from rocks or branches of tall trees and produces more honey than apis cerana 3. Apis m. mellifera Also known as the European Honeybee. (cultured bees) Considered as the best honey producer today Maintains a prolific queen; has multiple combs; medium-sized bees are gentler than the other species; produces lots of honey and does not swarm as often as do the other species. THE CASTES OF BEES IN A COLONY * A bee colony is composed of the queen, the drones and the workers. The queen and the workers are females, while the drones are males. THE QUEEN. The queen is considered the most important caste in the colony. She is the only fertile female and the only fully developed female in the colony. She is responsible solely for the procreation of bees. She lays eggs for multiplication and perpetuation of the succeeding bee generations. The queen is larger than the worker bee and longer than the drone. Its wings are proportionately shorter, its sting is curved and its abdomen tapers to a point. The bee in the middle is the queen. A queen develops in days from the laying of a fertilized egg in a queen cell. Number of days Stage/Task First 3 days Egg Next 5 days Larvae Next 7 to 8 days Pupa 16 th or 17 th day Emergence. She eats a little honey, then sets out to establish her authority in the colony * This section is mostly from Module 1: Beekeeping, An Introduction, of the Technology Resource Center Foundation, Inc., An Introduction to Beekeeping 3

12 The Queen is produced in a colony under only three conditions: 1. Queenlessness (a queen is killed or removed from the colony); 2. A failing queen (inability to produce the required number of eggs); and 3. The swarm impulse (when a queen and some of the workers move to a new location. When a new queen takes over the hive, half the hive will swarm about the old queen to start a new colony). The Life of a Queen During the early days of the virgin queen s life, she leaves the hive on orientation flights, limiting herself within the immediate vicinity of the hive. During the second week, her flights will be for mating purposes, and mating usually occurs when the air is warm (around midday or early afternoon), and when the drones are out. Around 10 to 20 drones mate with the queen who is able to store sufficient male semen (spermatozoa) in her spermatheca for a lifetime egg-laying activity of three to four years. The queen mates only once in her lifetime. Right after mating, each drone dies and the queen frees herself and takes with her the drone s genitals. The reason behind this is the need for the queen to obtain enough spermatozoa for her laying years, and it takes about seven hours for all the spermatozoa to penetrate into the queen s spermatheca. After about three days, the queen starts laying eggs of about 3,000 to 3,500 (at the most) a day) a day. The eggs are regularly deposited in the cells within the brood chamber of the hive. Every normal queen produces both unfertilized and fertilized eggs. The unfertilized eggs develop into males or drones while the fertilized eggs develop into females. Females develop either as a worker or a queen, depending on the type or quantity of food given to them. At first, all larvae receive mass feedings of royal jelly, a special food secreted by a pair of modified salivary glands of the worker. If the larva is destined to be a queen, it is fed with royal jelly throughout the larvae stage and is reared in a specially constructed cell. This cell is longer than the worker cell and is vertical instead of horizontal because the space between the combs is not enough for her length. When the worker and drone larvae are already three days old, the nurse bees change the feeding method by giving the food directly to the larvae at intervals, resulting in the reduction of the amount supplied. The food is also mixed with honey and pollen, gradually increasing the proportion until these make up the entire food supply. The growth of the colony depends on the laying capacity of the queen. If the queen is unable to produce enough fertilized eggs for whatever reason, it is time to change her. At once, the worker bees will produce a new queen to be their new mother. As there should only be one queen in a colony, the new queen will either kill the old queen or she may die of old age. Under normal conditions, a queen may live from two to three years. An Introduction to Beekeeping 4

13 THE WORKER BEES. The workers are all females and are produced from fertilized eggs. These are the working caste in the hive. They clean the colony; produce the wax combs, royal jelly, honey and almost all the products and benefits that we get from honeybees. The worker bees are the only ones with pollen baskets, a collection of tiny curved hairs on their hind legs to hold and transport pollen from source to hive. They also have short barked stings, located at the tip of the abdomen, used to attack enemies and intruders. The first few days of a worker bee s life are spent indoors. larva. Worker bees are the smallest among the three members of the colony. They are considered underdeveloped females because they lack the reproductive organs found in the queen. Worker bees develop from 21 to 22 days. They live for about 4 6 weeks during the active foraging season. However, they live longer during lean periods when nectar flow ends and brood rearing is reduced. Number of days First 3 days Egg Next 4 to 5 days Larvae Next 9 to 20 days Pupa 21 st day Emergence Stage/Task The worker bees continuously feed all the larvae with royal jelly for three days. They then feed with pollen and honey beginning the fourth day. The Life of a Worker Bee The first three weeks of the worker bee s life is spent indoors. During the first three days after emergence, a worker bee grooms himself, loiters on the combs of brood and receives food from other bees. From the 3 rd to 6 th day, its main responsibility is to take care of the older brood. From the 6 th to 13 th day, it takes its turn caring for the larvae, which are not more than 3 days old. From the 13 th to 15 th day, it eats more honey to produce wax and to build combs. Its wax glands are producing at their maximum capacity at this time, so that the bee can provide the wax requirements of the colony. It also serves as cook, helping to reduce the moisture content of the honey. The last 2 or 3 days of the period of indoor activities are spent as a guard at the entrance of the hive. Also, during the 2 nd and 3 rd weeks of its adult life, the worker bee cleans and polishes the cells; removes debris and other foreign matter from the hive; ventilates the hive; receives pollen from other bees; manipulates and deposits nectar and packs pollen into the cells. It is also during the second week that the worker bee begins its orientation flight to study its home and nearby surroundings. An Introduction to Beekeeping 5

14 From the 21 st day, the worker bee begins its outside duties, such as gathering nectar pollen and water for the colony. The tasks of the field bees are divided according to the needs of the colony and particular assignments continue as long as the bees live and conditions remain unchanged. THE DRONES. Drones belong to the male caste of the colony. They are produced from unfertilized eggs of the queen, and their developmental period takes about 24 days: 3 days as an egg; 7 days as larvae; and 13 to 14 days as pupa. The drone is broader, thicker and shorter than the queen. It is also much larger than the workers. Its wings cover the entire length of its back and bloated abdomen. Its eyes, which are close to each other, are larger than those of the queen s and the workers. It has no sting to protect itself and has no means to gather honey, secrete wax or perform any work to help him or the colony. Though the bees are known to be always busy, the drone is lazy and is an idle member of the colony. It does not clean the cells and is incapable of guarding the colony or gathering honey. It is even dependent on the worker bees for its food. The drone s one and only function in life is to mate the queen. However, not all drones can perform this task. Since a queen mates only once in her lifetime, it is presumed that only the fittest and strongest among the drones can mate her. At the point of contact, the drone dies instantly and leaves its genitals and a part of its abdomen with the queen. The other drones that fail to mate with the queen are dependent on the workers for their sustenance. When the honey flow stops or when food is scarce, they are not allowed by the workers to eat. When they become weak, they are carried out by the workers away from the hive and are left to die. An Introduction to Beekeeping 6

15 SECTION 2 THE BEE FARM Any sheltered place where a colony of bees builds its nest is called a hive. The colony is composed of multiple hexagonal cells constructed back to back or in duplex form. This group of cells forms together a sheath of waxy structures called comb. The bees form the comb as receptacle for the eggs and to store the honey. Bee hives may be kept almost anywhere: at the back of the house, on rooftops, in open spaces, in the forest and even in the center of large cities so long as certain requirements are met. Different apiaries in the Cordillera. An ideal bee farm considers four critical requirements, given the needs of bees for bee wax, nectar, water and other sources of pollen: 1. The bee farm should be located in an area with abundant nectar and pollen plants. Nectar is the sugary substance produced by flowers. It is the main material from which honey is produced. Bees need flowers for pollen, and tree and flower buds are their sources to make propolis, the substance they use in sealing cracks in the hive or for repairing combs. It is, therefore, important for a beekeeper to have some basic knowledge about honey flora. This will help him evaluate the honey potential of an area and assess an appropriate calendar for colony management. The Bee Farm 7

16 Some Host Plants of Honeybees in the Cordillera Ampalaya Avocado Baguio beans (Butelas) Banana Batao Bottle brush Citrus trees Coffee Eucalyptus Grasses and wild bush Guava Ipil-ipil Itab Kakawati Kalunay Kardis Kotakot Mahogany Mango Pears Pechay Pepper Persimmon Pinit Sayote Squash Sunflower Tabtabako Tomato 2. The bee farm should be near a source of clean, fresh water. Water is needed by the bees to dilute the concentrated honey as food and to cool the hive during the hot summer days. If natural springs are not available, arrange for a dipping faucet on a clean board, or fix a watering place where fresh water will be provided. 3. The bee farm must be protected from strong rain, wind and direct sunlight especially the afternoon sun. It is also advisable to surround the apiary with a fence or a row of trees or bushes with a height of 2 to 3 meters. This will force the bees to fly up to the air and minimize accidental contact with people. The Bee Farm 8

17 4. The bee farm must be set up away from agricultural farms that are treated with organic fertilizers. Pesticides easily poison bees. BEEKEEPING PARAPHERNALIA A standard beehive is a box type, movable comb hive made of wood. A sketch of a box, with the suggested measurements, is shown below: Top cover Inner cover 50.8 cm cm. Brood chamber 1.91 cm. Bottom board 55.8 cm Parts of A Standard Beehive The Bee Farm 9

18 The frames are also made of wood, each containing a comb and separated from other frames at a distance of 3/8 to ½ inch. They must be accurately built and positioned in the hive so that the correct bee space is observed. The frames hang by an extension of the top bar at both ends of the hive, ensuring bee space on all sides. The gap between frames should be just wide enough to allow room for fingers to grasp and lift the frames. The frames closest to the wall of the hive will be such that the bees will not be able to build comb attachments. When bee population increases in a small colony, a standard hive is needed to allow the addition of more frames for honey storage and brood rearing. A strong colony should have at least 6 to 8 frames with bees when food resources are limited, but may easily expand to 10 frames and above when there is abundant supply of nectar and pollen. These features of the standard beehive allow the beekeeper to examine and remove the combs without causing damage to the colony. The beekeeper can also easily observe whether the colony is under stress or whether disease or pests attack it. He will also be able to efficiently find out whether or not the queen is laying eggs adequately. A beekeeper will also know the needs of the colony, such as additional combs, boxes or supers for egg-laying or honey-storing. The Bee Space is the crawl space needed by a bee to pass easily between two structures/surfaces. If the space between any two surfaces is too small for bees to pass, they will seal it with propolis; but if the bee space is larger than what is needed, the bees will construct combs in that available space. A 35-mm distance from one midsection to another of each comb allows for an easy passage of the bees on the comb s surfaces. The Bee Farm 10

19 Wax Foundation is a sheet of beeswax, embedded in a frame on which the bees build their combs. Bees normally do not like old combs for brood rearing so the combs should be routinely substituted in a way that no frames would stay in the colony for more than 3 to 4 years. Basic Gear Certain basic protective gear and tools are required in beekeeping. These should be acquired as soon as a bee farm is started. The first and most important rule when it comes to wearing protective gear is: Wear what makes you comfortable. Bee suit: This is worn while handling the bees, and the most ideal is a one-piece white overalls. However, any light-colored, long-sleeved shirt and long pants may be worn. The basic intent is to avoid being stung while handling the colonies. Overalls or pants must be tied at the ankles but should allow maximum freedom of movement. Bee veil and hat: These are worn as protection for the neck and face from stings during inspection of the colonies. Gloves: These will protect the hands and arms from stings. Seasoned beekeepers prefer not to wear gloves because they feel they lose that delicate touch. Beginners, however, should start with them. The Bee Farm 11

20 Smoker: This is a metal can with a blower (made of sturdy cloth or leather material). It is used to produce smoke purposely around the colonies to calm the bees and to drive them away temporarily from the hive so that inspection or harvest can be done unhampered. Smoker fuels can be wood shavings, grass, pine straw, cloth rags, or rotted wood. Essentially, anything that can produce cool, white billowing smoke and has not been treated with pesticides can be used. Hive tool. This is an all-purpose tool used for pulling nails, taking off covers, separating the different stories of the hive or for prying the frames apart since these are always, more or less, glued together by propolis. The sharp edge is used for scraping the wax and propolis from inside the hive. Tender-bristled brush. This is used to remove bees clinging on honeycombs prior to uncapping and honey extraction. Harvesting honey requires the use of an uncapping tool and an extractor. An uncapping tool, such as a clean fork or a sharp knife, should also be available. While uncapping, the tool should be kept warm by dipping it in hot water from time to time. Uncapping with a fork Uncapping with a knife The Bee Farm 12

21 The extractor is used to separate honey from the wax combs. Extraction can either be through manual squeezing or pressing, or by a dripping technique. Aluminum extractors can be purchased. However, one can improvise with the use of a large water container and wood for the extracting mechanism. Aluminum extractor Extractor improvised by J. Bangsoy, Sagada. The Bee Farm 13

22 SECTION 3 OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE BEE FARM Keeping honeybees is a very challenging but rewarding activity. The beekeeper should always be on the lookout for changes in bee behavior and responsive to seasonal changes. He should be familiar with the various aspects of apiary management, from obtaining his first colony to post-harvest management. Obtaining Initial Bee Stock In starting a bee farm, it is recommended that the beekeeper purchase a nucleus (or starter) colony. The nucleus is a small colony of bees contained in a box with three to five frames. The colony is composed of a laying queen, several adult workers, and a worker brood in all stages of development. Starter colonies can be purchased from established bee farms in the area. The buyer should make sure that these colonies are not disease-infested and have been fumigated against brood mites. Nucleus colony Transferring Bees to the Standard Bee Hive Before the nucleus colony arrives, prepare an empty standard beehive where the new colony will be transferred. Position the hive in an area away from garbage and from access by animals and children. Make sure that the entrance faces the morning sun. When the nucleus colony is delivered, put it near the standard hive, and then remove the entrance cover. This will allow the worker bees to go out of the nucleus colony and familiarize themselves with their new home and surroundings. The next day, take each frame from the nucleus box (or nuc box) containing the brood and bees. Put the frames in the standard hive according to their original arrangement in the nuc box. Place additional frames with wax foundation until the hive is fully occupied. Operation and Maintenance of the Bee Farm 14

23 Supplemental Feeding To help the colony start its new life, it is important to give them supplementary food. Sugar syrup, made of an equal mixture of sugar and water, is the most commonly prepared supplement. Pour syrup in a feeder box, which is either positioned against the wall of the hive (see picture below) or as a last frame in a hive that is not filled with frames. Put a piece of wood or any material that will float in the syrup so that the bees can stand on it as they feed. Feeder box. Inspecting the Colony It is recommended that colonies be inspected once a week or three times every two weeks. The best time to inspect is during a sunny day, between 9:00 in the morning and 2:00 in the afternoon. This is the time when most of the bees are away foraging. It is not recommended to inspect during cold, rainy or windy days and at night. Inspection will reveal if there are pests and diseases disturbing the colony and if the queen is well. Worker bees entering the hive with pollen will indicate that the queen is well. On the other hand, a very noisy hive indicates that the queen may be dead. Some steps to follow when inspecting the colony: 1. Light the smoker and approach the hive from the side to avoid blocking the entrance. 2. Direct a few puffs at the entrance. 3. Remove the outer cover of the box and then lift the inner cover gently to expose the hive. Blow more smoke inside and then replace the inner lid. 4. After a few minutes, remove the inner cover and let in lean beside the hive. 5. Lift the frames gently, starting with the one closest to you. After inspecting each frame, put it back gently, always trying not to crush the bees. Inspection should be done quickly but efficiently. Extended inspection can agitate the bees and may cause them to sting. As soon as inspection is started, be on the lookout for the queen. Once located and checked, the frame on which she is found should be returned immediately inside the hive. Operation and Maintenance of the Bee Farm 15

24 Seasonal Growth of Bee Population When there are sufficient pollen and nectar resources, the colony is stimulated to raise more broods, so that the colony population increases. On the other hand, when these resources are low, brood rearing decreases and the colony population naturally declines. Both pollen and nectar are necessary to stimulate the colony build-up. If only one is available, the colony reduces the brood-rearing activity of bees and instead stores the incoming resource. Stored food is used to maintain the colony, but not to stimulate/increase brood-rearing activity. Depending on incoming resources, the workers vary the amount of food they feed to the queen. This, in turn, determines her egg-laying rate. Worker bees may also eat the eggs or young larvae to control the amount of reared brood in times of reduced resources. Brood-rearing is emphasized over honey storing in small colonies because such colonies tend to use most of their incoming resource to produce bees and build combs. They have a high brood-to-adult ratio; many adult bees are needed in the hive to care for the brood and maintain the brood nest temperature. As colony population grows, the ratio of brood to adult decreases. After a certain point of population growth, the rate of egg-laying by the queen also decreases. More bees are then freed from their duties in the hive to become foragers. The colony, at this point, shifts its emphasis to honey storage. The table below shows how a colony builds up its population. The best time to start a colony is March or April. Given good weather, the population will double within three months, but will likely drop during the height of the rainy season, from July to September. As weather improves and forage becomes available, population growth will also improve, building up to the honey flow starting in late October. Honey season is December to February. Operation and Maintenance of the Bee Farm 16

25 Chart 1: Bee Population Cycle 31 40T 50T ,000 30, ,000 12, ,000 7, , Mo. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Increasing Colonies The number of bee colonies can be increased after the honey flow, specifically when all the honey has been extracted. The process of increasing the number of colonies can also be done earlier, about three months after the onset of the honey flow. A strong colony that has ten frames with comb brood can be divided into two or more nucleus colonies. To split the colony, this procedure may be followed: 1. Position an empty hive with a small entrance next to a strong 10-framer colony. Remove its outer and inner covers. 2. Open the hive with the colony. Locate the queen, making sure that the frame that contains her is not moved. Select frames with a capped brood, a comb with eggs and larvae with stored honey and pollen, together with the bees in the frames. 3. Lift and transfer each in the empty hive. Transfer more bees to the new hive from the other frames by shaking to ensure that there will be enough workers. 4. Put a ripe queen cell into the hive. Operation and Maintenance of the Bee Farm 17

26 A young queen has to be accepted by the workers. Once she is accepted and she starts laying eggs, work on strengthening the colony. Strengthening a nucleus (or baby ) colony A nucleus colony made two to three months before the honey flow will build up well at the onset of honey flow. The process of strengthening a new nucleus colony created by splitting is very similar to strengthening a nucleus colony that has just been moved to a standard hive (refer to first two topics in this section). TIPS in managing a baby colony Supply the colony with honey stores. Prevent the foraging bees from flying back to the mother colony, by keeping the nucleus closed for the first two to three days. Place it in a shaded area: small colonies cannot regulate temperature efficiently. Position nucleuses at least 100 meters away from any other stronger colony that can easily rob them. Avoid feeding sugar syrup until the new queen is mated and has laid one comb of eggs; virgin or queen less nucleuses do not consume sugar. Prepare nucleuses during the build-up period. Resource Needs of the Colony: Foraging workers fly up to three (3) kilometers from the colony to collect the resources needed by the colony. Of course, it is always better if there are abundant resources closer to the colony. This is why some beekeepers move their colonies closer to where bee food source is abundant. Four (4) substances collected by foraging bees: 1. Nectar 2. Pollen 3. Propolis 4. Water Feeding the Bees Honey bees feed mainly on honey and pollen. Honey that comes from nectar of flowers provides the needed carbohydrates and water for the maintenance of strong and healthy adults and larvae. Pollen supplies the protein needed by the bees to feed their young or brood. It is therefore beneficial for the colony to have surplus honey and pollen at all times. Operation and Maintenance of the Bee Farm 18

27 The identification of honey flora is an integral part of a beekeeper s knowledge, which he will acquire through experience and continuous observation. However, a basic knowledge on available nectar and pollen sources in the area is helpful in evaluating the honey potential of an area and in assessing an appropriate calendar for colony management. The table below shows some of the main forage in the Cordillera uplands. Table 1: Some Sources of Nectar and Pollen Found in the Cordillera Month Forage/Plant Source Nectar Pollen January Coffee Avocado Mango Y N Y Y Y Y February Coffee Y Y Mango Y N March Coffee Y Y Bottle brush Y Y April Coffee Y Y May Coffee Y Y Sayote Y Y Eucalyptus Y Y June Sayote Y Y July Weeds, Agricultural crops N Y August Weeds, Agricultural crops N Y September Weeds, Agricultural crops N Y October Weeds, Agricultural crops N Y November Sunflower Y Y December Sunflower Y Y During the rainy season, bees will likely have very limited sources of nectar. In their life cycle, this is the period before the honey flow. To ensure that the colony remains strong, colony behavior should be monitored. The following are some signs that indicate food scarcity in the colony: there is little honey in the comb there is no pollen and sealed honey larvae and pupae are being carried out of the hive drones are not given food and are being driven out of the hive When any of the above signs is present, the beekeeper has to feed the bees. Below are recipes for sugar syrup and pollen substitute. Operation and Maintenance of the Bee Farm 19

28 Sugar syrup Ingredients: 1 part sugar 1 part water Procedure: Mix both ingredients thoroughly. Feeding procedure: Pour mixture in feeder box. Pollen substitute/ supplement Ingredients: 1 kg. pollen 3 kg. soy flour 1 kg. brewer s yeast sugar syrup Procedure: Mix all ingredients thoroughly until a bread-like dough is formed. Feeding procedure: Place the dough on wax paper and leave on the top bar of the frames. Feeding should continue until natural nectar and pollen become available. The bees will no longer eat the supplement once they can find food for themselves. Handling the bees Improper and extended handling of the colonies can agitate the bees. Once disturbed, bees will sting for protection. Proper handling can protect the beekeeper from bee stings. Other tips in handling bees are listed in the box: 1. Work on the colonies when the weather is sunny. Only the housekeeping bees will be around as most of them will be out foraging for nectar or pollen. 2. Wear protective gear. 3. Rapid, jerky movements alarm bees. Move slowly and gently. 4. Be confident and calm to avoid clumsiness. Swarming A swarm is a group of worker bees, drones and a queen that leaves the mother colony to establish a new one. Contrary to common notion, swarming is not always bad. It is actually a natural method of colony production for as long as the swarm is collected immediately. However, swarming can result to reduced honey production, especially since a swarm leaves at the beginning of the honey flow. As such, swarming is prevented rather than encouraged. Operation and Maintenance of the Bee Farm 20

29 Swarming also indicates a problem in a populous hive, which the beekeeper may have failed to detect. The most common reasons for bees to leave the hive are over-population and improper ventilation. Other reasons include the presence of diseases, pests and offensive odors. Hiving the swarm A swarm usually clusters on the branch of a tree or bush or any place generally shaded from the sun. It is important for the beekeeper to collect the bees as soon as possible. Sometimes, collecting them is easy. Sometimes, it is quite impossible, depending on where they have clustered and how long they have been exposed. When the swarm is left exposed for several days, the bees can become hungry and will become much more defensive. A carton box, bag or any container can be used for catching or collecting the bees, as long as they are transferred to a permanent housing immediately. If the swarm is found on a branch, gently cut the branch and move the bees to a hive. Be sure to wear a veil and have a lit smoker on hand. There are two ways of transferring the swarm into the hive: 1. When collected in a box or a bag, shake the swarm in front of the hive. The bees will voluntarily enter because they like dark places. If the queen is found, carefully direct her toward the hive. The other bees are willing to stay if they find her inside. 2. If the swarm is on a cut branch, put the branch with the swarm inside a hive with one brood comb and two to four frames with wax foundation. As a precautionary measure, all swarms should be assumed infested with both tracheal and Varroa mites and treated accordingly. Also, to ensure the future of the new colony, requeening should be considered since the queen s heritage is essentially unknown. Robbing Bees rob from other hives when the following are experienced: 1. Their colony is running out of food; 2. Bee forage is becoming scarce and no supplementary feeding is provided; and 3. The bees are not getting enough nectar for food especially after the honey flow period. Also, bees from a strong colony can rob stored honey from a weaker colony. A robber bee is always hairless and has a glossy black color. It hovers around its target hive, on the lookout for an entrance. Bees observed flying around the entrance, but being prevented from entering by the guards of the colony should be considered robbers. Operation and Maintenance of the Bee Farm 21

30 To protect weak colonies from being robbed, observe the following measures: 1. Do not leave the hives open for a long time. 2. Prevent the scent of food meant for one apiary from spreading to other apiaries. Cover feed trays with wet cloth when bringing these to the apiary. 3. Do not spill or leave syrup or other food around the apiary. 4. Keep the hive entrance as small as possible without causing inconvenience to the bees. Supersedure Supersedure is the replacement of an old queen by worker bees. Replacement happens when the egg-laying activity of an old queen starts to diminish and she stops secreting pheromones, which is associated to her. To replace an old queen, worker bees construct three to four queen cells. The larva in these cells is a potential queen. The first to mature and emerge quickly eliminates the others by destroying their cells. She then becomes the new queen. Supersedure could occur at the height of prosperity of the colony before the honey flow. Natural supersedure should be avoided for the following reasons: The successful emergence of a new queen is not guaranteed. It can decrease the population of the colony since the old queen will fail to lay the desired number of good eggs. Predators may eat the new queen during nuptial flight. It is then recommended that the beekeeper introduce a new queen to a colony that has an unproductive and weak queen. A weak queen can be detected through her egg-laying activities. She scatters eggs all over the comb because she does not systematically lay them. Also, a large number of the laid eggs are left unfertilized and later develop into drones. As soon as these signs are seen, the beekeeper should replace the old queen. The most practical way of re-queening is by purchasing a young, newly-mated queen. Re-Queening and Selection of a Queen Selection of a new queen It is important to select high-producing and healthy queens since the life of every colony centers on her. The queen should exhibit good egg-laying capabilities, especially during times when workers are needed. A fertile queen produces workers with specific good qualities. A colony that does not show these qualities should signal the replacement of the queen. Operation and Maintenance of the Bee Farm 22

31 Qualities of a Worker Bee: Industrious and productive Disease and pest resistant Lower swarming instinct Gentle and good-tempered Long foraging range Good growth of brood Clean and efficient comb builders Rearing Queens Queen rearing is a highly specialized field in beekeeping. It requires a great deal of research and practice before it is perfected. Beginners are advised to try queen rearing after they have had sufficient practice on the more basic aspects of beekeeping. Queen rearing techniques are intended to accelerate or increase the results (in quantity) of a natural process. Bees are stimulated, but not forced, to rear queens. Bee colonies usually rear new queens during the swarming period when the following natural conditions are met: a. The abundance of pollen. Pollen stimulates royal jelly producing glands in young workers, and drone brood rearing, as well. b. A colony that is overcrowded with young nurse bees, which can produce royal jelly. c. Decreased influence of a queen s substance, due to overcrowding and/or that the queen is old. Queen rearing is based on creating or maintaining the following conditions in selected colonies for queen cells production. a. Combs with pollen stores may be supplied to cell raising colonies; on-going pollen foraging is better. b. Feeding colonies with 1 2 months in advance of scheduled period will stimulate the queen to increase egg laying; supplying combs of emerging brood will also overcrowd the hive with young bees. c. The influence of the queen is simply eliminated by taking her away or by restricting her by using a queen excluder to create a queenless part in a queen-right colony. Selection of best producing colonies is the first basic step in queen rearing. It is useless to facilitate the reproduction of low-quality colonies. A selection program cannot be implemented by an individual beekeeper. Records should be kept on many factors during several beekeeping seasons. However, the beekeeper can do a lot to improve the quality of the queens in his apiary. Keeping records of the colonies performance during the whole season is the basis for a selection program. Performances of the colonies in the same apiary are compared and then the best ones are selected. Operation and Maintenance of the Bee Farm 23

32 When colonies are inspected, the following traits are monitored and recorded: a. Number of combs covered by the bees (at different seasonal periods) b. Appearance of brood (scattered empty cells are not to be seen in brood patches) c. Number of brood combs d. Honey production (count combs or weigh honey) Methods of queen production are the Doolittle method, used commercially since it produces a greater number of queen bees, and the simpler Miller method, suited to small-scale beekeeping ventures. Steps for both methods are described in the Beekeeping Guide for the Philippines, produced by the Don Mariano Marcos State University and reproduced here: Miller Method 1. Prepare a frame without a wire. Attach four pieces of wax foundation about two inches wide at the top and tapering to a point about two inches at the bottom bar. 2. Choose the hive that has five to eight frames and a queen of superior quality. 3. Select two sealed brood frames and remove the other frames (shake the bees before removing the frames). Leave only these two brood frames and the queen. Put the frame with the foundation between these two frames in what would be the center of the brood nest. Then add two frames filled with honey and pollen at the two opposite sides of the brood frames. In order to include the queen to lay eggs on the Miller frame, make sure that there is no other empty comb where the queen can lay eggs (the bottom portion of the comb is cut exposing eggs about to hatch; two out of three eggs are destroyed so there will be space between the queen cells. The ripe cells will be carefully cut from the comb and placed in mating nucs). 4. After a week, check if the Miller frame has young larvae which are less than a day old. If there are larvae, remove the other new combs, retaining only the comb with the young larvae, the potential queens. 5. Choose a colony that has sufficient nurse bees where the Miller frame can be placed to allow the larvae to develop. Remove the queen a day before putting the Miller frame. 6. The next day, remove all the open brood frames, but retain the worker bees. Put the Miller frame and frames of older larvae near it. Put some frames with honey and pollen. The young larvae will receive plenty of royal jelly from the nurse bees. 7. After 10 days, the queen cells in the Miller frame will reach their full development. With extreme care, cut off each of these queen cells and put each in a queenless colony or in a newly-constructed nuc box. 8. From these nuc and new colonies, the new queen will emerge from their cells. They will soon mate and start to lay eggs later. Doolittle Method A strong colony is needed for the queen-rearing colony. Ideally, a strong colony can adequately care for 45 newly-grafted cells per day. This colony is called a cell builder and is housed in a two-storey enclosure. In this colony, the queen is confined in the chamber below a queen excluder. The upper chamber is supplied with sufficient amount of combs of pollen and honey. Operation and Maintenance of the Bee Farm 24

33 To attract young nurse bees from the lower chamber, the middle and the upper chambers are placed with frames of unsealed brood. Young worker larvae are about 8-24 days old. These are transferred (or grafted) to artificial queen cell cups (either plastic or bees wax) that have been primed with a drop of royal jelly. These are placed on wooden bars and are fitted into a special wooden frame adjacent to combs of unsealed brood. This colony is constantly fed with sugar syrup and pollen substitute or supplement. Prior to transferring the young larvae to the queen cell cup, the rearing colony is divested of its queen. Queen cell cups are stuck on a wooden bar connected to a vacant wooden frame. Two pieces of 1½ inch -wide foundation are attached on top and in the middle of the vacant frame. On the 3 rd day, the wooden frame is to be placed on the queen-rearing colony. The bees are shaken off the brood frame. The queen cell is removed, together with the larvae, before scooping out the royal jelly which is placed in a small bottle. This is used to prime the queen cell cup. It is important to put sealed brood in the lower chamber. The frames on which queen cell cups are to be placed are to be arranged in this order: 1. A frame of honey 2. A frame of older larvae 3. A frame of pollen 4. A frame of queen cell cups 5. A frame of young larvae 6. Two frames of older larvae 7. Two frames of honey. Remember to add syrup The queen cell builder colony should be very productive and gentle. A frame of young larvae, 24 hours old or younger, will be needed. The larvae are placed in queen cell cups primed with royal jelly by using a grafting tool. They should float over the royal jelly. When enough larvae has been placed, put the bar on which the cell cups are attached to the vacant frame and put the queen-rearing colony. Continue adding syrup. On the tenth day, from the time of grafting, the cells are ripe and ready for transfer. Carefully pick them up one by one and put them inside the queen protector. Put the queen protector in the mating boxes. Protect the queen cell cups from direct sunrays of the sun (or sunshine) and from jarring. In this method, the cell builders are arranged in three rows. Each colony in row is provided with three spaces to insert the cell bars. The colonies used as cell builders are two-storey colonies with a queen excluder between the hive bodies. On the first day, a cell bar is inserted on the first space of the first row. The next day, the cell bar is inserted on the first space of the second row, and on the third day, the first space of the third row. On the fourth day, the cell bar is inserted on the second space of the first row. The same pattern is followed until the 9 th day when the cell bar is on the third space of the third row. In the morning of the tenth day, all spaces will have already been filled. It is then necessary to remove the ten-day-old cells from the first position of the first row. Bring these to the nuclei for hatching. New one-day-old cells from the starters will replace these. Operation and Maintenance of the Bee Farm 25

34 The system has its advantages. It keeps a number of cells given to any builder at a minimum so that they can be sufficiently fed. In addition, it provides for further lessening of strain on the colonies being fed (at the end of the season where nectar flow is less). Preparations Before the Rainy Season Colony Inspection: 1. Outside inspection - check the entrance if the bees are bringing in pollen. The presence of bees carrying pollen indicates that the colony is alive. - check for dead bees at the entrance (identify the cause of death) - open the hive to check. 2. Inside inspection - locate the queen - check the brood, observe laying patterns (should be on a concentric pattern) - check the food (stored pollen and nectar). The queen will lay more eggs if there is abundant food or will limit her laying if there is limited food. - check for pest and diseases. Activities During the Rainy Season The months of May and June are considered the start of the early rainy season, and also the pollen season or the brood-rearing season. During this time, 1. the colony will increase in population; 2. wide brood patterns can be noticed; 3. sufficient space for increase in population should be provided; and 4. the bees should be fed, if necessary. The height of the monsoon season is during the months of July to September. During this time, the bee population is maintained. The field bees have less work, so they have a longer life span. The queen will limit her laying, thus feeding is necessary to stimulate her egg laying task. Operation and Maintenance of the Bee Farm 26

35 Strengthening of Bee Colony 1. Check bee colony regularly. 2. Feed the colony during the rainy or off-season. 3. Treat colonies against diseases. 4. Replace old queens. 5. Attend training and meetings. Bee hive site selection 1. Pollen and nectar availability 2. Water availability 3. With wind breaks 4. Exposure to sun 5. No threat to pesticide poisoning 6. Free from predators (swift bird, wasp & ants) Brood Problems and Possible Solutions Problem Explanation and possible solution 1. Disease Stagnant water and dirty surroundings may a. Mites cause the presence of mites and bacteria. Treat b. Bacteria colonies before and after the harvest season. 2. Slow Growth a. Failing queen Replace old queens b. Food shortage Feed colonies 3. Bad weather (e.g., rainy) Feed colonies Before and During the Honey Flow Period Honey production is the result of appropriate colony growth that is dependent on: a. the queen s capacity to lay eggs; b. the workers ability to control temperature in the colony and to feed the brood; c. the availability of nectar (honey stored during the dearth period) and pollen; and d. available room in the hive for expansion of brood nest and storage of honey Colony management schemes for honey production have the objective of improving the above-mentioned factors. Before the honey flow period 1. Examine each beehive and clean the inside free of pests and dirt. 2. Prevent swarming. 3. If some of the colonies are weak, give them supplementary food and pollen supplement. Do not spill food around the apiary to keep away robbers. 4. Unite weak colonies. Operation and Maintenance of the Bee Farm 27

36 Procedure in uniting two colonies: Assess the queens of both colonies; get rid of the weaker one. Remove the outer and the inner covers of the colony with the queen (Box 1). Remove the bottom board of the queenless colony (Box 2). Put one sheet of newspaper on top of Box 1, and then put Box 2 on top of the newspaper. Your colonies will then look like a double box. The honeybees are expected to slowly tear away the newspaper and as the bees interact, they will get to know each other until a strong colony is established. The arrangement of frames of the brood chamber should not be disturbed, but poor, irregular combs should be removed and placed in the honey super outside the brood frames. This will allow the queen to move among the frames. The frames should also be evenly arranged and spaced. During the honey flow 1. As more honey is stored in the beehive, the beekeeper should keep up by providing more frames and supers ahead of time. The second super should be added between the first super and the brood chamber, and not directly above the first super. Additional supers may be added in the same way, just above the brood chamber and below the other supers. 2. Examine colonies once a week or every 10 days and remove supers filled with honey. When selecting frames of honey, do not take the combs that are not yet sealed with wax. Unsealed combs contain honey that have not fully ripened and thus, contain too much water. 3. When harvesting the crop, take out a frame of sealed honeycomb and hold it near the entrance of the hive then shake or brush off the bees. Put these frames inside an empty super for extracting. When honey flow is over, unnecessary supers should be removed. The bees are then left with a good store of honey to last until the next honey flow begins. Operation and Maintenance of the Bee Farm 28

37 Harvesting of Honey Removing honey from the colony It is important to remove honey from the colony immediately after the honey flow period. This is done to retain the good flavor, aroma and color of the honey. The most common method used is brushing and smoking. Other methods use repellents. The brushing and smoking method is easy to follow. Capped combs of honey are removed from the super by brushing off the bees with a bee brush, and then placing the combs in an empty super. The super may be covered with a piece of cloth to prevent other bees from robbing the honey. Harvesting in Fidelisan, December 1998 Smoking the bees will temporarily drive the bees away and these will allow the harvest of honey. Heavy smoking should be avoided since smoke can easily permeate the wax combs. At best, smoke-smelling honey is produced. At its worst, the honey can get contaminated. Removing honey from the comb Before extractors came into common use, comb honey was the commercial form of honey. Today, the extraction of honey and bottling has become the norm. It is known, however, that there are consumers who prefer the comb honey. Crushing the comb and using a honey extractor are the two methods of removing honey from the comb. Crushing the comb is used when only a small amount of honey is to be harvested. It is also the method used when honey is taken from the nest of the native bees. Honeycomb ready for extraction. Operation and Maintenance of the Bee Farm 29

38 Procedure: The comb is thoroughly crushed. The crushed comb is then placed in a piece of cheesecloth or bag to drain away the honey. Tip: Let the cheesecloth or bag containing crushed honeycomb hang overnight so that most of the honey will drain from the comb. Procedures in using the extractor Procedures: 1. With the use of an uncapping knife or fork, remove the wax capping on the cells and expose the honey. Tip: To hasten uncapping, (1) keep uncapping tool warm by dipping it in warm water once in a while and (2) use two uncapping tools (warm them alternately). 2. Put the combs in a honey extractor and rotate the mechanism. As the extractor is rotated, honey falls out of the comb and drips to the bottom of the machine. 3. Drain the honey and store in containers. Operation and Maintenance of the Bee Farm 30

39 SECTION 4 PESTS AND DISEASES OF HONEY BEES Like other animals, honey bees are susceptible to infection by a variety of organisms. Some organisms affect the adult bee, while others affect the brood, or immature stages. (The beekeeper) will find that the diseases infecting the brood pose the greatest challenge to beekeeping 1 Broadly speaking, honeybees are affected by parasitic mites, bacterial diseases, fungal diseases, viruses, protozoa, and a host of predators such as wax moths and birds. Other than possibly requeening, you can discard from the list viruses and fungal diseases as problems with which the beekeeper can do little to assist. There are simply no adequate controls for these maladies within beekeeping at this time. That leaves bacteria, protozoa, mites, and other pests as areas appropriate for beekeeper assistance. Treating bee colonies for various pathogenic problems can be, at once, both helpful and potentially hurtful to the hive population or possibly to the future honey crop. There are many variables that must be considered when developing broad scientific recommendations for disease and pest control and those considerations must be reviewed over a period of years and under different environmental conditions. It s not a quick procedure. In most cases, for statistical analysis to be relevant, untreated hives must actually be allowed to die, if necessary, to conclusively show that a treatment is effective within the treated population. Beekeepers have been warned time and again that looking for serendipitous treatments that are poorly researched is a risky procedure for the beekeeper, the bees, and the honey crop. Even if recommended and approved treatments seem to be increasingly ineffective, a beekeeper would be wise to stick with tested and documented control procedures. 2 In Sagada, the beekeepers deal with bee parasites, such as mites; and predators, such as swifts. Other places in the world report dealing with various forms of foulbrood. This section presents some information on symptoms, prevention and treatment of some of the more common bee pests and diseases. 1 Nicholas Calderone, Disease Management, Bee Culture 129, January (Archived article in 2 James E. Tew, Treating Hives, Bee Culture, March (Archived article in Pests and Diseases 31

40 Mites New beekeepers must confront one overriding reality right from the start - MITES! The Varroa mite (Varroa jacobsoni) and the tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi) are major risk factors in beekeeping, and both mites will continue to be serious problems in the next century. You can enjoy and profit from beekeeping, but only if you incorporate effective mite-control practices into your management program. Of course, that assumes you have a management program. So, before you ever put hammer to nail on your first hive body, put together a seasonal plan for managing your bees, and make mite control a key feature of that plan. Remember! Healthy bees and large honey crops don't just happen. You have to make them happen. Basic biology In order to put together an effective mite management program, you must understand the basics of the pest's biology. Varroa jacobsoni is an external parasite that feeds on the hemolymph (i.e. blood) of adult and immature bees. Varroa mites reproduce solely on the immature stage of the bee, in the capped cells, where they are well protected from miticides. Mite reproduction is much higher on drone brood because it is capped for a longer period of time than worker brood. This allows time for more offspring to mature. Not surprisingly, Varroa mites exhibit a clear preference for drone brood. Varroa mites Winter with the colony, although reproduction is greatly reduced when brood rearing is low. Identification and detection Viewed from the top, the adult female is elliptical in shape, measuring 1.6 mm (= 1/16"), side to side, and 1.1 mm, front to rear. Mature mites are dark brown or reddish-brown in color, while the immature stages are light brown or off-white. Male Varroa mites die in the capped cells and are not seen on adult bees. Unlike their close relatives, the six-legged insects, adult mites have four pairs of legs. There are several ways to detect Varroa mites. 1. The ether roll Approximately 250 bees are collected from two or three brood nest combs and placed in a quart glass jar. A one to two second burst of automotive starting fluid is sprayed into the jar, which is covered, shaken vigorously for 30 seconds, and then, gently rolled two or three times along its long axis. Mites, if present, will be seen adhering to the side of the jar. Mite levels are about twice as high on combs with brood as on combs with only honey (Calderone and Turcotte 1999), so, you increase the chance of detecting mites in your colonies by collecting bees from brood combs. The ether roll removes about half of the mites from the bees. 2. The soapy water method It is similar to the ether roll, except that you place the bees in a jar with soapy water and shake it for 30 seconds. This method removes nearly all of the mites from the bees, which are then separated and counted. You can use a bee brush or a plastic laundry scoop to collect the bees, but a portable vacuum device will greatly speed up Pests and Diseases 32

41 the process and make it easy to collect samples of the same size. Remember! In order to use the information you get from the ether roll, or any other method, it is essential that you always collect samples of the same size. 3. The sticky board It is a passive method for monitoring mite levels. A sticky board with a screen covering is placed on the bottom board for a set period of time, usually 24 hours. The board is then removed, and the mites adhering to the board are counted. A sticky board in conjunction with Apistan strips can also be used to detect mites. 4. The cappings scratcher Symptoms This method involves removing some capped pupae; preferably drone pupae, and examining them for mites. It is good for a `presence-absence' determination, but is not very good for comparison purposes. Mites can sometimes be seen on the adult bees or walking on the comb, but this is more common when infestation rates are high and should not be relied on as a detection method. The three most obvious symptoms of Varroa are the following: 1. Bees with deformed wings walking on combs 2. Crawling bees at the entrance 3. The presence of atypical brood diseases. Transmission and re-infestation Varroa infests colonies in several ways. 1. Moving capped brood among colonies for the purpose of strengthening or equalizing colonies is a common practice among beekeepers and can be a major source of transmission of both mites and disease. 2. Robbing is also a significant source of transmission. Colonies weakened by mites or disease are unable to defend themselves and are usually robbed by stronger colonies. In the process, the robber bees take home more than just a free load of honey. 3. Swarms from infested colonies establish new nests with mites already present and are not likely to survive more than a year or two. This makes feral colonies a prime source of re-infestation for managed colonies because your bees may rob them when they become too weak to defend themselves. Swarms that you capture are also likely to be infested with mites. Bees often drift among colonies within an apiary, especially when colonies are kept close together in regular patterns. Drifting can spread mites among colonies. 3 3 Morse, Roger, Integrated Pest Management for Varroa Mites, Bee Culture, November (Archived article in Pests and Diseases 33

42 Prevention and Treatment Integrated Pest Management The goal of an effective mite control program is to impose a cycle on the mite population such that the mite population density is always below the economic injury level. Treatment after honey harvest (January to March), late summer (May to June) or (September to early October) treatment might provide adequate control if you had to worry only about your own bees. However, feral colonies are constantly dying, and other beekeepers may not always pay adequate attention to their bees. You must assume that mite levels in your colonies are augmented by mites from nearby infested colonies that are robbed by your bees, especially when there is a dearth of nectar. Mite levels also seem to be higher in years when there is a strong and sustained nectar flow. 4 One of the best methods of controlling external mites is to maintain strong colonies with young, healthy queens. In case of weak infested colonies, add brood with young bees to discourage the mites. The most popular way of treating mite-infested colonies is by fumigation with chlorobenzelate. However, bee colonies should never be treated unless signs of infestation are evident. The procedure for fumigation is detailed in Module 4 of the Technology Resource Center Foundation, Inc. 5 Preparation before fumigation: 1. Assemble all the necessary materials: a. Prepare the syrup b. Bring the fumigation box set in a deep super box with inner cover near the infested colony to be fumigated. c. Get another super box where the brood frame will be transferred after removing the worker bees. 2. Transfer the queen in a separate cage. a. Open the box of the infested colony and remove the queen. b. Out the queen and 6-8 workers in a cage that contains syrup. Make sure that the workers to be placed with the queen and free of mites c. Keep the queen cage in a secure place. 3. Spray syrup a. Spray syrup on the worker bees of the infested colony b. Let the worker bees pass through a funnel placed at the top hole of inner cover, and then through the deep super box on top of the fumigation box. 4. After all the worker bees have passed through the funnel to the deep super box, remove the box of the infested colony. 5. Brush off the workers left on top of inner cover, then cover with a shallow super box 6. Place the inverted feeding bottle through the hole of inner cover. 7. Place the queen cage on top of the screen, and finally put the outer cover. 4 Ibid. 5 Technology Resource Center Foundation, Inc. Module 5: Pests and Diseases of Honeybees, n.d. Pests and Diseases 34

43 Fumigation Proper 1. Remove the queen and the feeding bottle before fumigating. 2. Cover tightly any hole or space, including the hole where the feeding bottle is inserted to prevent escape of smoke. 3. Place securely the third inner cover and place a chlorobenzilate strip paper at the back of the fumigation box. Burn it and let it smoke for minutes. 4. Remove the inner cover and return the queen and the feeding bottle to their original place. Then place the inner cover no. 2 for better ventilation. 5. Repeat the process on the 6 th day and observe if there are any more mites. Repeat the following day until there are no more mites. Smoking Paper Method The latest and most effective method of eradicating mites is the smoking paper (Deung- Chun) method developed in Korea. This smoking paper can be obtained from local bee suppliers. Read the directions in the package very well before using. Chemical Treatments 6 Apistan (fluvalinate) and CheckMite+ (coumpahos) are the two products registered for control of Varroa mites in the U.S. (and in the Philippines). Unless you have mites that are resistant to Apistan, that is your safest and most effective treatment. Use one new Apistan strip for every five full-depth combs of bees in the brood nest. For most colonies, that means one strip after honey harvest (February), two to three strips in late summer or early rainy season (May-June). Place strips so that they will be in contact with the bees when they cluster. Leave strips in place days (6-8 weeks). However, you should be monitoring your colonies throughout the season. If, during the summer you find, using an ether roll, more than five mites, you should seriously consider sacrificing your remaining honey crop and treat immediately. Again, losing a colony is more expensive than losing a partial honey crop. Meanwhile, always read the label for the latest instructions on how to use the strips. Resistance to Apistan is becoming common throughout the United States, especially in migratory operations. You should be monitoring for resistance by checking the effectiveness of your Apistan treatments. This can be difficult because you do not know if Apistan is working until after the treatment period is over. Partial resistance can add to this problem. Nonetheless, if you find mites in your colonies after the six to eight week treatment period, assume that you have Apistan-resistant mites and switch to CheckMite+. Always read the label for the latest instructions. Formic acid Formic acid has been approved for control of tracheal mites and for suppression of Varroa mites. Formic acid treatments generally result in 50% to 80% mortality of Varroa mites, which is not generally thought to be sufficient as a stand-alone treatment. 6 Morse, Roger, Integrated Pest Management for Varroa Mites. Pests and Diseases 35

44 NEVER APPLY APISTAN, CHECKMITE+ OR FORMIC ACID DURING A NECTAR FLOW OR WHILE HONEY SUPERS ARE ON YOUR COLONIES. Substitute to Apistan Strips A mixture of 60% sulfur and 40% mothballs can be a substitute to Apistan. Make the mixture and put it in the hive at night. Remove it the following day. Apply again after five days and two more times afterwards. Wax Moth (Galleria mellonella) 7 The wax moth is one of the most active enemies of bees. The adult moth lays eggs in old and neglected combs while the larvae infest honeycombs. Symptoms The larvae when hatched, devours everything within their reach and makes web through the combs. Prevention and Treatment Always keep colonies strong so they can fight and destroy the moths. Never keep combs in exposed places. There are two ways of protecting unused combs against wax moth infestation. 1. Keep the combs in strong colonies so bees may remove any wax moth larvae, which enters the colony. The bees, however, may not be able to remove all the larvae. 2. Protect combs against wax moth by keeping them in storage protected with paradichlorobenzene (PDB) or some other fumigant. PDB will both repel and kill wax moth adults and larvae. Treated combs should be aired very well before using again to remove all chemical fumes. Other fumigants equally effective in treating wax moths and less expensive than PDB are available but are recommended only for use by persons familiar with them. These fumigants are calcium cyanide, methyl bromide, carbon disulphide and sulfur. Calcium cyanide and methyl bromide are very effective but are toxic to mammals. Sulfur is irritating while carbon disulphide is relatively poisonous to mammals. 7 Technology Resource Center Foundation, Inc. Module 5: Pests and Diseases of Honeybees, n.d. Pests and Diseases 36

45 Birds Several species of birds feed on honeybees, but only a few may be considered a threat to the beekeeping industry. One of these is the Philippine spine-tailed swift or balilunod Chaetura dubia. The bird is active during cool, windy and cloudy days. In Sagada, the swifts come during the ikik season from November to February. From the mountains, they swoop in flocks of 10 to 15 birds, from 9:00 o clock in the morning to 2:00 o clock in the afternoon, to prey upon foraging bees. One-spine tailed swift may catch as many as 400 to 500 bees a day. An apiculturist developed two designs of traps that could catch several birds at a time. The two types of traps designed to suit the location of your apiary are the open field trap and the forested area trap. 1. Open field trap. This trap is used when your apiary is located in a clear area. The open field trap makes use of number 5 or 6 net measuring 10 x 6. One end of the net is tied to a long bamboo pole firmly rooted to the ground. The other end is tied to a piece of wood or bamboo, which you can easily swing with the hand. When there are no birds in sight, the side attached to the piece of wood or bamboo is lowered. When birds are about 5 meters away and flying in the direction of the net trap. The net is raised at once to block the birds. Since the birds fly fast, they tend to get stuck to the net. In Sagada, some farmers trap swifts by tying a net between trees. 2. Forested area trap. This type is used when the apiary is located in an area where trees abound. It is made of the following materials: Net no. 5 or 6; two bamboo poles firmly planted on the ground; six rubber strips (1½ meter long and ¾ inch wide) cord and two pulleys. Set the device. Wasps, dragonflies and other insects Other species of insects also feed on field bees, but they are not considered a serious threat to the beekeeping industry. Wasps usually feed on the honeybees flying to and from the colony entrance. Dragonflies, on the other hand, prey on large, virgin queen bee. American Foulbrood The American foulbrood is considered to be the most serious of all bee diseases, although it is not yet present in the Philippines. The disease called American Foulbrood, or AFB, is caused by the bacterium Bacillus larvae. AFB has plagued both bees and beekeepers from the earliest days of U.S. beekeeping. The bacillus larva is a spore-forming bacterium. Spores can survive in dormancy for thirty-five years or more. They are easily transported by Pests and Diseases 37