Begining Beekeeping

Basic requirement :

• Acquire knowledge of bee behaviour and management from books and bulletins.
• Gain experience by working with a successful beekeeper
• It is highly recommended to attend short training courses in apiculture.
• It is advisable to start with fewer colonies and multiply and increase number later as you acquire experience.
• Bee colonies can be purchased in hives from beekeepers / organization./li>

When to Start :

There are regional climatic variations and, therefore, it is difficult to specify the exact time but as a thumb rule, enough blossoms should be available for supply of food requirements for brood rearing. Well established colonies can survive and face the problems but poorly started colonies in bad floral and climatic conditions are difficult to establish. A beginner is not conversant of needs of colonies. Beekeeping can even be started in any season, provided the beginner knows the needs of the colonies at that time and manages accordingly.

Area/ site requirement:

An ideal location should provide enough spring forage for repid build up and later avail major nectar flow for long duration. Nectar producing plants of wide variety and seasonal distribution provide a base for profitable beekeeping. The locality should provide economic surplus of nectar and pollen. 4 To start beekeeping, the knowledge of local flora is essential. For hobbyist any location can be good but for commercial venture the assessment of the flora should be very exact. Commercial beekeepers generally migrate their bees from one place to another and my produce more than one honey crop of different types. Large number of amenity, highway, forest and social forestry trees are good bee flora. Many crop plants also surve as good bee forage. Irrigated cropped areas present ensured flora.

Climatic Protection

The bee colonies should be located in shade in areas where the temperatures go above 0 95 F in summer and fall. This shade can be provided by boards laid on top of the hives, by harbors, by shrubbery or under thick shade giving trees. Bees have greater difficulty in lowering down hive temperature during summers. During winter in north India, the colonies are better if these hives are not shaded and located in sun.

Good Air Drainage

Air with high moisture should be regularly drained away from the apiary. Dampness is bad for bee flight and effects the colony's capacity to regulate nest temperature. Air drainage is more important in rainy season in India.

Wind breaks

Wind breaks of trees or artificial structures give protection against cold winds. This is especially during build up period when colonies are weak and weather is unsettled in cooler areas.

Water

Artificial source of water should be managed in the apiary if natural sources are not available. Adding some common salt makes water more attractive

Hive Arrangement & Density

Spread and stagger the colonies in both directions, space them as wide as possible. Bees get advantage of land marks. Economic foraging distance of Indian honeybee is about one km and that of A. mellifera is 2 km, though, they go in search of nectar and pollen and fly farther if necessary but longer foraging distances are not advantageous in terms of energy balances. Assessment of suitable density of hives in a locality is a difficult job. Overstocking of a locality means reduced honey production. Under tick floral conditions the 6 apiaries can be set apart at about one kilometer. One hive per 2.5 hectare area should be appropriate. A radius of 0.6 km would present a foraging area of about 115 hectare and this area can economically support about 50 bee hives. The number of bee colonies in an apiary would be lower under poorer floral conditions. As a principle each new location should be tested with fewer colonies then regular the number according to seasonal conditions affecting plant growth

Water

Water is required in the hive for dilution of honey for larval food when there is no nectar income. Water is also needed to requlate nest humidity and for cooling down hive temperature through evaporation by fanning the bees. Water foragers complete a trip in about 5 minutes and have average of 50 trips per day.

Propolis

It is a sticky resinous material. Propolis is used to stick down frames, forproofing the walls of hive and cover unwanted debris which cannot be pulled out by bees.Indian honeybee does not collect propolis but mellifera bees are heavy propolisers

Temperature Control

Bees cannot regulate their body temperature individually but can regulate colony 0 temperature. When atmospheric temperature drops below 57 F bees form a cluster and the compactness of the cluster increases with the decrease in temperature. The heat produced by the muscular movements by bees is conserved by the cluster.

Brood Cycle

Bees cluster below 57 F and remain inactive in cooler regions where the wintertemperatures are low and no flora is available. Brood rearing is stopped, but in most partsof India the winters are milder and flora from oilseed crops is available. In such areas thebees do forage but the working hours restricted to 4-5 hours. Brood rearing is there and colonies grow in strength. Brood rearing starts or increases two weeks before spring flowers appear. Pollen and nectar are eagerly gathered. Large quantities of water are also collected for elaboration of food. New bees emerge and they can now cover larger comb areas, thus the brood rearing is rapidly expanded. The brood nest becomes crowded in late spring and the colony prepares for swarming. New queens are reared and the old queen leaves with “prime swarm”. Secondary swarms may be issued later on. Swarming instinct is more prominent in Indian hive bee as compared to mellifera. Nectar which remains unused is stored as surplus during early summer in the form of honey. Pollen is stored as bee breed. Because of high summer temperatures and lack of flora, the brood rearing is stopped. Colony strength depletes. The drones are deprived of food and driven out to die. During later part of monsoon season some subsistence flora becomes available to bees and some brood rearing is resumed which picks up with flowering of Brassica Crops.