Honey fest: Apiculture latest buzz for

entrepreneurs
Sandeep Dua,TNN,Feb 23, 2011, 11.31pm IST

LUDHIANA: Apiculture, involving beekeeping, has provided many entrepreneurs to the city
besides giving employment to others. In fact, Punjab Agricultural University is pioneering in the
field in the state by taking all components of apiculture, including scientific colony management,
bee breeding, bee pathology, bee products, bee flora, bee pollination, value-addition and bee
equipment.

Having initial investment of Rs 5 lakh, the business can give a turnover of Rs 2-2.5 lakh annually
with experts feeling that there was a lot of scope for employment-generation in the sector.

City resident Kulwant Bhardawaj said that he started his beekeeping business by taking a loan of
Rs 5 lakh which he could return easily as was earning Rs 2.25 lakh annually. His firm was
employing

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five persons.

A farmer for last 25 years, Sadhu Singh, who was awarded at PAU Honey Festival for his
contribution to the field, said that he was supplying bees to Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal,
Rajasthan and in many other states.

Dr BL Sarswat, director, National Bee Board (NBB), Government of India, New Delhi, said, ''At
present there are about 1.6 million bee colonies in India, with estimated production of around
65,000 metric tonnes of honey, including from wild honey bees. There is a need to enhance the
production and PAU can play a key role in this regard.''
As per cropped area under the major insect-pollinated crops, about 200 million bee colonies
were required in the country to bring the production at par with developed countries, adding
that it would provide jobs to about 215 lakh persons.

Dr SS Gosal, director of research, PAU, said that Punjab, alone contributing more than 30% to
the country's apiary honey production, had the credit of being the largest honey producer, trader
and exporter of the country.

He highlighted that honey was exported to 48 countries and that on April 16, 2009, a train
carrying over 2,000 tonnes of honey was flagged off from Ludhiana with the help of Indian
Railways.
Dr AK Dhawan, head, department of entomology, PAU, said that there was a lot of scope in
diversification in beekeeping in the state.

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Honey collection likely to fetch big bucks for tribals

S. Harpal Singh
 Bright prospects: Kunbi youth collecting honey at Kagaznagar in Adilabad
district.
ADILABAD: Honey will bring decent money for the primitive tribes in the State this
summer as the prospects of collection of this non-timber forest produce (NTFP) goes
up. Collection of honey in the winter spell had declined drastically in the Agency
perhaps due to spread of ‘sac brood' disease that had resulted in death of bees.
Encouraging factor
As the honey bees have returned for nectar collection in the forests of Adilabad
experts have forecast a good season ahead.
The number of honeycombs that can be seen in the jungles should be an encouraging
factor.
“The death of bees meant severe loss of production across the country. This no-
production phase is cyclic occurring at five year intervals”, says out Gopal Paliwal of
the Centre for Bee Development, Wardha, Maharashtra, who has worked on
apiculture and honey production in Andhra Pradesh.
The apiculture expert also sees a relation between occurrence of less rainfall last
monsoon and the cropping pattern for causing decreased honey production.
“These indicators seem to have a negative impact on the trees in jungles that make
it so much difficult for the bees to go about their activity”, he opines.
Like elsewhere in the State, the Girijan Cooperative Corporation (GCC) that
purchases NTFP from Gond and Kolam tribals in Adilabad district has reported
arrivals of only 28 quintals of honey so far against last summer's 100 quintals. “This
means an income loss of about Rs. 7 lakh for the tribal families”, points out a GCC
official.
Good season
Mr. Paliwal forecasts a good honey collection season for the State. “Andhra Pradesh
may top honey collection now as it still has more area under forest cover When
compared with other States. About 300 quintals of honey is expected to be produced
in these forests this season”, he hopes.
The picture may not be so bright in Adilabad district due to continuing deforestation
at an alarming pace. Trees are being decimated in areas where honey has been
produced traditionally like in the Mangi forests.
The primitive tribes will also have competition from non-traditional honey collectors
Migration
This season scores of their families have migrated to the agency areas.
Kunbi families from Vidarbha region of Maharashtra can be seen extracting honey
from the jungles that surround many a tribal village.
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Bee keeping (Apiculture)

Bee keeping is an agro based enterprise, which farmers can take up for additional income
Honey bees convert nectar of flowers into honey and store them in the combs of the hive.
Collection of honey from the forests has been in existence for a long time. The growing
for honey and its products has resulted in bee keeping emerging as a viable enterprise.
are the two economically important products of bee keeping.
Advantages of beekeeping as an income generation activity
• Bee keeping requires less time, money and infrastructure investments

• Honey and beeswax can be produced from an area of little agricultural value
 • The Honey bee does not compete for resources with any other agricultural enterprise.

• Beekeeping has positive ecological consequences. Bees play an important role in the pollination
plants, thus increasing the yield of certain crops such as sunflower and various fruits.

• Honey is a delicious and highly nutritious food. By the traditional method of honey hunting many w
are destroyed. This can be prevented by raising bees in boxes and producing honey at home.

• Beekeeping can be initiated by individuals or groups

• The market potential for honey and wax is high

Production process
Honey bees can be raised in boxes at the farm or home.
1. Equipment requirements for bee keeping

2. Species of honey bees

3. Establishment of hives

4. Establishing a bee colony

5. Management of colonies

6. Harvesting of honey

Source : http://www.dainet.org , http://www.vuatkerala.org

Varroa Mite management in bee keeping
 Previous page (Countries) / Page précédente

INDI
A (Pays)

INDE
• number of inhabitants / nombre d'habitants : 1 000 000
000
• size in square kilometers / nombre de km2 : 3 287 590
• number of beekeepers / nombre d'apiculteurs : 150 000
• number of beehives / nombre de ruches : 600 000
• average production honey/beehive/year / production
moyenne miel/ruche/an : 8,5 Kg
• average honey prices wholesale/retail / prix moyens
gros/détail : 1,5 to 4 US $ / Kg
• tons of exported honey / tonnes miel exportées : 1997-
3,000 tons, 1998- 1,500 tons, 1999- 750 tons
• tons of imported honey / tonnes miel importées : 0 T
• addresses of national associations / coordonnées
associations nationales :
○ Dabur beekeepers association
Chandigarh
INDIA
○ Dabur beekeepers association
Bihar
INDIA
○ West Bengal beekeepers association
West Bengal
INDIA
 • addresses of relative government
ministries / coordonnées responsable gouvernemental :
○ Department of Food Processing
Ministry of Agriculture
New Delhi
INDIA
• diverse : research centers, laboratories, annual
congresses, WEB, etc. / divers : centres de recherches,
labos, congrès annuels, WEB, etc... :
○ APEDA (agricultural and processed food products
export development authority)
Ministry of commerce
Government of India
New Delhi-110066
INDIA
○ All India Co-ordinated Project on Honeybee
Research and Training
Bee Research Station
Nagrota
Himachal Pradesh
INDIA
Average annual per capita consumption of honey in India is 8.4 grams.

Average honey production per colony has increased from 1.5 kg per colony in
1953-54 to about 8.15 kg in 1993-94.

The following are the main species of bees used for honey production in the
country: Apis dorsata, Apis cerana indica, and Apis mellifera (introduced spp).
 Research centers Centres de Recherche

Hav Training centres Voy Centres de formation

ea ez
look Beekeeping equipment auss Fournisseurs matériels
at: suppliers i à : apicoles

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Beekeeping

Successful beekeeping means knowing and understanding your bees, what they
need, and what intervention they will, and will not, tolerate from you. Keeping bees is
much like any other kind of animal husbandry, demanding regular care, maintenance,
time, skill and knowledge gained from experience. The one essential difference is that
bees are wild creatures, not domesticated animals. Bees work for man, even with
man, but they do not need humans and will remain in the hive only while it suits them.

The Hive

The most common model is the Langstroth hive, named after its inventor. The most
important feature is the brood chamber, being a wooden box filled with frames of wax
foundation arranged vertically with the familiar honeycomb pattern. This is the nursery
where the queen lays her eggs and where the colony stores its food.

Once the chamber is filled, further chambers with 'supers' are added where the
surplus food and honey is stored. Between the brood chamber and supers, a queen
excluder is added, allowing workers bees to pass through, but not the queen with her
trail of eggs and larvae to contaminate the honey.

The Beekeeper's Role

Beekeeping means managing the hive in a way that maximises honey production. No-
one should start keeping bees before learning the basics first, preferably from
experienced beekeepers and books about bees and beekeeping. Local beekeepers'
societies are wonderful places to learn the art. Make contact with your local branch a
priority.

The beekeeper inspects the hive regularly to make sure all is well, that the queen is
laying, and the bees are happily collecting nectar and pollen. He also checks for signs
of disease and obvious distress among the bees. An unhappy hive is not a productive
hive. Often the mood of the queen dictates that of fellow bees, and it is she who is
usually replaced.

From May onwards, the beekeeper checks for new queen cells which are destroyed to
prevent a new queen emerging and the old one leaving with followers and as much
honey as they can carry. This is called swarming and is often due to overcrowding or
the appearance of a new queen.

What You Need

A minimum of equipment is needed for operating one or two hives. You'll need bees,
of course, as well as a hive, a hive tool for opening and inspecting the hive, some form
of protective clothing for you, and a smoke box. Smoke has a calming effect on bees
and a light puff of smoke at the entrance hole calms the bees and makes inspecting
easier. Most equipment can be purchased inexpensively, even second-hand, through
specialist suppliers listed later and via most local beekeeping associations.

Starting Your Own Colony

Essentially there are three main ways to get your bees, by obtaining a colony in an
existing hive; a nucleus; a swarm.

The first is the easiest, if not also the costliest option, and many ready-made colonies
are available from established beekeepers and specialist suppliers such as those
listed later.

A nucleus comprises a queen and a few hundred workers from another colony. They
can be introduced to your hive and fed with sugar water until they are sufficiently
established to fend for themselves. You must not add a super to the nucleus brood
chamber until all the frames in the chamber are filled with honey.

Hiving a swarm is the cheapest, most difficult, and potentially most dangerous start to
keeping bees. First you have to find a swarm, usually a queen and several thousand
workers whose habit is to cling together in a huge ball dangling from a tree branch
where they remain until scout bees return with news of a suitable home.

The swarm can be gathered by shaking the branch hard or cutting it off, so the whole
mass of bees falls into a box. Turn the box upside down with a stick under it to leave
a gap through which the scouts can return to the swarm. Then take the box to your
empty hive, lay a white sheet on the floor leading up to the hive, and shake the bees
on to the sheet. Bees tend to crawl upwards and will usually head straight for the hive.

Seasons in Beekeeping

There are definite seasons in beekeeping, when sometimes bees are self-sufficient
and do most of the work themselves, while at other times the beekeeper takes lead
role.

Summer
Summer demands your special interest. Bees must be stopped from swarming and
honey can be extracted from the hive as it is made. Regular inspection is vital to
ensure bees have enough spare combs to build on. Honey production reaches its
height.

Autumn
Bees should still be producing honey, but in reduced quantities. Any shortfall from
honey extracted by you should be replaced with sugar. As winter approaches, a
blanket and mouse guard can be added to the hive as protection during the colder
months.

Winter
Bees can be left almost untouched throughout the winter months, as long as the hives
are safe and not blown over in winter gales or flattened by snow.

Spring
Bees that have been dormant all winter will know it is spring when you remove the
blanket and mouse guard from their hives. On the first warm day the bees emerge
from the hive on a 'cleansing flight' and start the search for nectar- and pollen-
producing plants. The honey season is with us again.

Beekeeping Principles and Legal Obligations

The real secret of successful beekeeping is to manage your bees properly and avoid
being a nuisance to your neighbours. Check what local by-laws say about beekeeping
before you establish your colony. Some local authorities forbid the practice, while
others positively encourage bees for their enormous benefits to the community.

The newcomer's first task should be to join a local Beekeepers' Association, where
many benefits and services are offered to members. Local associations are affiliated
to the BBKA (British Beekeepers' Association), who offer courses, examinations,
books, and other information services.
Consideration for Others

Not everyone likes bees. In recent years, increasing legal actions have developed
against beekeepers. The British Beekeepers' Association says "There is no doubt that
many people are genuinely afraid of bees. This is not necessarily because of the
possibility of stings but is a real fear of what they regard as 'creepy crawlies' - a
massive swarm in flight can induce panic. ..... Fear always gives rise to feelings of
anger and aggression. Sometimes beekeepers show less sympathy with these
feelings than they might and fail to understand why bees, which they regard as clean
and altogether admirable creatures, are regarded with such dread by a small
minority." The Association offers much useful advice and information to members.

Bees in Small Gardens

Bees can be kept just as effectively, and profitably, in small gardens as in extensive
agricultural sites. The most important thing is to have a good source of pollen close by
for the bees to forage from. In small gardens or residential areas, you and your
neighbours will be entirely safe from bees if the hives are sited high, meaning the
bees' flight path remains unhindered. Locating your hive on a platform or roof is a
good idea. Alternatively, site your hive behind a hedge or bush, forcing the bees to
rise before flying away.

Harvesting and Marketing Honey

Honey made from oilseed rape must be extracted as soon as possible, before it sets
too hard for collecting by conventional methods. Otherwise, the main honey harvest is
in late summer when the heavy frames are taken out and the wax caps removed from
the combs using a sharp, heated knife, or other more sophisticated equipment.

Honey is normally taken from the frames by spinning the wax in a centrifugal extractor,
following which the honey is filtered and bottled. The wax can be cleaned and melted
down for various other uses. The final harvest traditionally takes place on 24th
August, the Feast of St. Bartholomew, after which honey is left in the hive as
nourishment for the colony during the winter months.

Honey can be sold direct to consumers or through shops, supermarkets, markets,

even at craft and country fairs. Alternatively, you could sell your produce through the
Women's Institute. You do not need to belong to the W.I., or even be female, to sell
from a W.I. market stall. You just pay a small fee for your goods to be displayed and
sold on a commission basis. The market controller of your local W.I. Market will
advise. If you have a talent for producing honey, try entering it into shows, like The
National Honey Show or smaller, county shows.

Money From Other Bee Products

It isn't just honey we gather from bees. Propolis, pollen, royal jelly and beeswax are
other profitable bee products which can generate a useful income for you. A wide
range of books will show you how. Keep all your wax cappings and damaged combs.
These can be melted down and reused in your own hive or sold to people who use
wax to manufacture foundation cream, polishes, cosmetics, candles and ornamental
plaques