Hive Management
Hive management, performed by beekeepers, is defined as active manipulation of a honey bee colony, to augment honey bee production and to ensure the survival of the colony. Common hive management practices include: disease prophylaxis and treatment of infested colonies, swarm prevention/control, supplementary feeding, breaking down queen cells, etc. [1] Due to fragmentary published data, it has to be mentioned, that none of the provided information is representative for the whole country (i.e. Ethiopia and Indonesia)!
Feeding:
Especially, during periods of forage unavailability, supplementary feeding is essential to avoid absconding and to ensure the survival of the colony. The suitable supplementary must be chosen depending on the type of food shortage (pollen, nectar, or water). [2]
Ethiopia: A study in 2006 revealed, that the best time to offer additional food (A. mellifera bandasii) is the occurrence of 4-5 sealed brood combs and freshly secreted, white besswax on top of the frames at the base of the hive. [3] An assessment on beekeeping practices in the Jigjiga Region (2015) revealed that interviewed beekeepers are aware of the importance on water availability for their honey bees. They provide water in form of waterholes, ponds, or rivers/streams near the apiaries. [4] To provide carbohydrates, Ethiopian beekeepers feed sugar-, or honey solution, or flour of roasted grain (barley and maize). Due to various climate conditions, there are regional differences on the time of additional feeding. Beekeepers of the Tigray region offer supplementary food mostly in the months February to May. According to Fichtl and Adi (1990), there are some few regions, where it is common to offer “freshly slaughtered meat scraps” as a supplementary protein source. However, this method seems to be questionable regarding the possible human pathogens that may be enriched in the bee products. [5] More common pollen substitutes are chickpeas and peas. [5] [6] In a study by Zaghlou et al. (2017) three different supplementary diets were compared (soy bean, chickpeas and yellow corn) resulting in an increase of honey yield, laid eggs/day and area of brood, while a supplementary diet on chickpeas led to the lowest increase. [7]
Indonesia: Feeding of honey bee colonies is not common in every part of the country. Flowering occurs throughout the year, and therefore it is often believed, that honey bees have enough forage (plants in flower may produce pollen but not nectar and vice versa). [2] There is no published data available on supplementary feeding in Indonesia, but a local scientist (Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia) claims, that additional nourishment is practised among beekeepers during the dry season. The most common supplementary carbohydrate source is sugar solution due to its easy availability and affordability. Beekeepers place the supplement inside the hive (small branch is placed inside the solution to provide protection). Widowati et al. (2013) compared local pollen substitutes with different composition. They found, that a mixture of soy flour, skimmed milk, yeast (i.e. C. hawaiiana CR015, honey, sugar syrup in the ratio 3:1:1:5:0) was preferred by A. cerana colonies and its consumption led to the highest productivity. [8] The study showed, that locally available ingredients can be used to produce a high quality protein source for honey bees.
Swarm prevention:
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXAbsconding is related to various factors like: drought, overgrazing, deforestation, honey bee diseases and pests, shortage of water, poor hive management, a lack of protection against bad weather, shortage of melliferous plants (pollen, nectar), thus it is important for beekeepers to offer feed supplementation and protection against environmental influences (climate, pests and pathogens, …) (Haftom Gebremedhn et al. 2013; Tesfaye & Tesfaye 2007) XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ethiopia:
Indonesia:
Bee health management:
Ethiopia:
Indonesia:
References
- ↑ Carrol, T. (2006). A Beginner’s Guide to Beekeeping in Kenya. Legacy Books Press, Nairobi, Kenya.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Crane, E. (1990). Bees and beekeeping: science, practice, and world resources. Ithaca, N.Y. : Comstock Pub. Associates.
- ↑ Kibebew, W., & Dereje, W. (2006). Investigating indicative conditions for supering the honey bee colonies at central highlands of Ethiopia. In: Proceedings of 5th National Annual Conferences of The Ethiopian Beekeepers Association. 52-61.
- ↑ Fikru, S. (2015). Review of Honey Bee and Honey Production in Ethiopia. J. Anim. Sci. Adv., 5(10), 1413-1421. https://doi.org/10.5455/jasa.20151019083635
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Fichtl R. & Adi A. (1994). Honeybee Flora of Ethiopia. Margraf Verlag Germany.
- ↑ Solomon, B. (2009). Indigenous knowledge and its relevance for sustainable beekeeping development: a case study in the Highlands of Southeast Ethiopia. Livestock Research for Rural Development, 21(11), 1-12.
- ↑ Zaghloul, A . O., El-Sayed, N. A., Hassona, N. M., Mourad, A. K., & Abdel-Razek, B. A. (2017). Enhancement of Honey Production of Apis mellifera L. Colonies in Egypt. Alexandria Science Exchange Journal, 38(3), 426-432.
- ↑ Widowati, R., Basukriadi, A., Oetari, A., Anwar, E., & Sjamsuridzal, W. (2013). The Effect of Pollen Substitutes on the Productivity of Apis cerana in Indonesia, Bee World, 90(3), 72-75. https://doi.org/10.1080/0005772X.2013.11417550
