Beekeeping-training-manual-1.pdf

8/11/2019 Beekeeping-training-manual-1.pdf

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In Collaboration with

Presents the Beekeeping Training Manual

Putting People at the Centre of Developmen

Yaaxch Conservation Trust


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TABLE OF CONTENTSContents Page

Acknowledgement----------------------------------------------------------------------------------4What is Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) --------------------------------------------4

Introduction to Beekeeping-----------------------------------------------------------------------5Advantage of Apiculture---------------------------------------------------------------------------5Characteristic of Africanized bees---------------------------------------------------------------5A brief history of beekeeping in Belize----------------------------------------------------------6History of Africanized bees-----------------------------------------------------------------------7Honey bees- Colonies and development--------------------------------------------------------8Development stage of the Honey Bee-----------------------------------------------------------9Queen bee-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9Worker bee-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10Duty pattern of the worker bee after emergence-------------------------------------------10Diagram of the external and internal structure of a worker bee--------------------------11

Drone------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------11Protective gear and equipment for beekeeping----------------------------------------------11Overall----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------11Veil--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------11Gloves-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12Shoes------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12Smoker----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12Hive tool--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12Wax foundation------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12Frame-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12Wire-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12

Boxes------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12Bottom Board--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12Cover (top board) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------12Frames----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12Hive body-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12Foundation wax------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12Honey house---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------13Things to consider when choosing an apiary site---------------------------------------------13Location and structure of Apiary---------------------------------------------------------------13List of some nectar producing plants in Belize-----------------------------------------------13Apiary management-------------------------------------------------------------------------------13

Basic revision--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------14Instinct----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------14Management during the rainy season----------------------------------------------------------14Management during the dry season------------------------------------------------------------14Swarming-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------14Harvesting------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------14Pest management---------------------------------------------------------------------------------15Ants-prevention-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------15


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Moth-prevention-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------15Birds-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------15Diseases---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16Varroa Mites----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16American Foulbrood------------------------------------------------------------------------------16

Marketing-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------17International Market------------------------------------------------------------------------------17Bee products---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------18Honey uses and processing-----------------------------------------------------------------------18Pollen use (medicines, food and processing) ------------------------------------------------18Wax use (cosmetics and food processing) ----------------------------------------------------19Royal jelly Uses------------------------------------------------------------------------------------20Propolis uses (cosmetics and medicines) -----------------------------------------------------20Beekeeping Terms---------------------------------------------------------------------------------21


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Acknowledgement:

This manual was written to support and encourage community members within theMaya Golden Landscape in providing information in beekeeping for the production of

Honey. This livelihood activity will provide additional income for farm family whileengaging in sustainable agro-forestry practices within the Landscape.Funding for this manual was made possible by the Caribbean Network for IntegratedRural Development (CNIRD) that was implemented by Yaaxche.

The Caribbean Network for Integrated Rural Development (CNIRD) is an independentregional non-government organization, which was launched in Jamaica in 1988.

CNIRDS Mission is to promote sustainable and environmentally sound development,through consultation with and the involvement of communities and their relevantentities, in order to improve the quality of life in rural areas and the well-being of

Caribbean people.

Tumul Kin Center of Learning located in Blue Creek Village also provided technicalsupport and information needed for beekeeping training, field visit for new farmers inIndian Creek on hands on experience in dealing with honey bees.

What is Integrated Landscape Management (ILM)

ILM is a way of planning of how land will be used and resources will be managed.It looks at planning from the whole landscape perspective, taking into accountall activities, in order to reduce cumulative impacts. ILM is a mechanism for

making comprehensive decision based on multiple objectives- decisions thatresults in healthy forest and communities.

Yaaxche over the past3 years is actively promoting ILM within the MayanGolden Landscape, assisting and providing support to communities in livelihoodactivities, better management practices of their natural resources and adoptingbetter farming practices that is environmentally friendly that eventually leads tosustainable development.

Now with the effects of Climate Changefarming has become more challenging,especially for small farmers that is struggling for survival. Weather condition

affects their usual planting and harvesting season for cash crops such as beans,rice and corn. Pest and disease out breaks becomes more frequent and affectcrop yields that a small farmer is depending on. Small farmers need to adapt tobetter farming practices that will reduce the impacts of Climate Change and atthe same time continue to provide the basic needs of the family.

An Agro-forestry farming system is one method or technique that a farmer canadapt and implement to reduce the impact of Climate Change and at the same


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time continue to produce crops needed by the farm family. This has to be planwell so that an area of land can be utilized properly, in cooperating a varietybeneficial tree species; legume, timber and fruit trees, root crops, vegetablecrops and other cash crops. In addition to all these crops beekeeping for honeyproduction fits in nicely within a good agro-forestry system. Bees will not just

produce honey for additional income but will also assist the farmer in pollinatinghis crops for better yields. If honey bees are well managed they will produce 80-100 lbs of quality honey per hive during the dry season. Bees will enjoyharvesting nectar and pollens from a variety of flowering plants in a good Agro-forestry farm.

1. Introduction to Beekeeping

Africanized bees wi1l continue to spread throughout the Americas in the yearsahead. This means the adaptations of new methods, for handling the bees will reducethe risk of dangerous harm to the handler himself, as well as to neighbors and animals

close to the apiary.Since early civilization beekeeping has been one of the means of providing foodand adding nutritional value, to diets. Scientific research has shown that honey hassugars, protein, minerals, and vitamins important in our diet. The discovery of thisvalue has moved the general population to consume more honey for health reasons.

The increased, consumption has increased the demand, therefore creating theopportunity for many small farmers to become beekeepers. Taking into considerationthe importance of these small insects in the process of crop pollination, thesignificance of apiaries has increased within the agricultural sector since they aid withhigher yields.

Bees are social insects since they live in colonies and work for the survival of the

entire colony. This group work is achieved since each member has a specific job todo. Their sex and future job is defined while still in the brood. This is partlycontrolled by the queens pheromones and the kind of food they are being fed whilegrowing. At first, in Belize honeybees were introduced as pollinators in the northerndistricts for the sugar industry. The farmers saw that they produced honey very fast,thus complementing income from sugarcane production. As more farmers becomebeekeepers, and their techniques improve, better management of honey bees inBelize is being realized.

1.1 Advantages of Apiculture.a. Provides valuable food

b. Environmentally friendly, only positive effects on the eco-systemc. Earns much-needed foreign exchange (Exportation)d. Requires no large investment after establishment.e. Contributes to pollination, thus increasing crop production.f. Requires practically no space on the farmg. Provides some employment


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2. CHARACTERISTICS OF AFRICANIZED BEES

The Africanized bees can easily be recognized from the European bees by their maincharacteristics. (Looks)

1. Africanize bees are smaller, but are similar in shape.2. Africanized bees fly faster than the European bees.3. Africanized bees can enter the colony without stopping on the landing board.4. They start to work earlier and stop working later in the evening.5. They attack weak colonies and replace the queen with Africanized queen6. They are more defensive and they usually attack in large groups.7. They have a defense area of up to 10 kilometer (5/8 mile).8. Many times, when disturbed they can remain angry and attacking for up to aday.9. Africanized bees can easily adapt to different environments; this permits

them to invade areas very quickly and form their own colonies.

A.

Difference between African and European beesTable 1

European AfricanSize 92 mg/wt 61 mg/wt

Development period 21 days 18-19 days

Cell size (average) 5.2-5.3 mm 4.8-4.9 mm

Adult lifespan 21 days 12-18 days

X time to become angry 43 seconds 23 seconds

Chasing 40.5 minutes 160 minutesTo become calm 2.88 minutes 28.5 minutes

Absconding 0 50-100 %

Queen laying 2000 eggs 4-5000 eggs

Drones Very active Less active

3. A BRIEF HISTORY OF BEEKEEPING IN BELIZE

The Maya Indians initially produced honey in Belize with stingless bees (Melliponaand Trigona). Honey production was less but enough for their food, wine and

medicine. Boxes were not necessary for production. Instead they kept the bees in logsand they periodically harvested by breaking the honey pot and thus allowing thehoney to flow out of the log for collection. The production was very minimal;therefore this type of beekeeping was not very popular. However in 1957, Europeanbees (Apis mellifera) were brought from Mexico as pollinators for the sugar industry inCorozal and Orange Walk. When farmers saw their ability to produce more honey,beekeeping became popular, thus increasing the number of beekeepers and hivesthroughout the country of Belize.


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With high production and enthusiasm, 7 cooperatives were formed. The forecastwas excellent, since the industry production countrywide amounted to 270,000 lbs. In1983, Belize reached its maximum number of hives. (10,000 hives) producing 60.3 lbs.per hive. The highest production ever recorded was in 1985, with only 6,972 hiveswith an average of 71.65 lbs. of honey/hive/year. The lowest was in 1998, with a

production of only 98,260 lbs. of honey. The product was exported in 55-gallon drumsto U. K, Canada, Saudi Arabia and the U.S.A.Between 1983 and 1987, when the problems of marijuana spraying, Varroa mites

and Africanized bees arose and production declined which resu1ted in the decline ofthe cooperatives membership. This further continued because of aerial spraying, ofmarijuana fields which resulted in the elimination of the natural flora, therebyreducing the food source for bees, and increased bee poisoning from pesticides.

In 1987, after the Africanized bees came to Belize, many more beekeepersabandoned their apiaries, because they were not trained to deal with theiraggressiveness, and were afraid of deadly attacks due to lack of appropriateprotective gear.

Training however continued for farmers interested in beekeeping and in 2000, 10individuals formed the Maya Mopan Beekeepers Cooperative in Stann Creek, and 7formed the Indian Church Group, production steadily increased, until the effects ofhurricane Keith in late 2000. However, in central and southern parts of Belize theproduction was not affected until the devastation of hurricane Iris in 2001. Productionin the Toledo district has declined to a minimal until recent interest, sparkled by localand international demand for honey.

Now more farmers are seeing the potential of beekeeping, with the integration ofagriculture. Donor Agencies such as PACT, GEF/SGP, Belize Audubon Society andProgramme for Belize and recently the CNIRD have become interested in beekeepingby funding projects that use natural reserved areas for the production of honey and

positive environmental effects. Tumul Kin Center of Learningshas taken the lead inencouraging new farmers in honey production in the Toledo District. Through thefunding of Caribbean Network for Integrated Rural Development (CNIRD), Yaaxchewith the technical support of Tumul Kin Center of Learnings intends train andencourages more farmers in Indian Creek and other communities within the MayaGolden Landscape.

4. HISTORY OF ARICANIZED BEES

Brazilian investigators believed that the African bees would improve the qualityof the European bees and therefore imported African Queens in 1956: Since the

African bees are tropical bees it was assumed that they would be less susceptiblediseases increase production, and produce colonies that adapt easily to the tropicalconditions. In 1957, 26 African queens and their colonies escaped from the apiary andstarted to breed with the European bees forming a hybrid now known as theAfricanized bees. They began migrating north and later appeared in Honduras, ELSalvador and in Belize. It is reported that they have reached as far as the UnitedStates of America.

They have the same characteristics as their ancestors the African bees. They can


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reproduce very rapidly. Africanized drones can fertilize European queens thusconverting a European colony into an Africanized colony.

They have unjustly received the name of killer bees because of their natural wayof defense, which makes them more aggressive, Deaths of domestic animals andpersons have been reported due to attacks, which have occurred primarily when

colonies have been accidentally disturbed.

5. HONEY BEES----COLONIES AND DEVELOPMENTPicture 1


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Development stage of the Honey BeePicture 2

Metamorphosis development of the three castsBiological cycle of the three cast of the colony

Table 2Queen Worker Drone

Egg 3 days 3 days 3 days

Larvae 5+1/2 days 6 days 6+1/2 days

Pupa 7+1/2 days 12 days 14+1/2 days

Total Days 16 days 21 days 24 days

A) Queen Bee

The queen bee is the most important bee in the colony because she is responsiblefor the laying of eggs and ensuring that there is always a continuation of the colony. Aqueen can lay from 1,500 to 3,000 eggs per day Her job is only to lay eggs, and not tocollect nectar, pollen, feed or care for her young.


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The temperature of the brood, the kind and amount she is fed controls her layingcapacity. Normally, there is only one queen in a colony. The queen lays two types ofeggs, the fertilized eggs that can produce both queens and workers and theunfertilized eggs that only produce drones. (males)

The queen bee is bigger than the worker bees. She is given to eat royal jelly

throughout her lifetime. At about 6 days after she becomes an adult, she will fly adistance for up to 200 yards, where she will meet thousands of drones in congregation(together) waiting to mate with her. The queen will mate with about 8 to 10 dronesonly, and the sperm is stored in her spermatic sac. At about 6 days after mating, shewill begin laying eggs, about as much as her weight, daily. She produces a pheromone(acid) that will not allow the development of the reproductive organs on the otherbees therefore they become workers.

B) Worker Bee

The worker bee is a female bee that has undeveloped reproductive organs. They

are unable to mate, but they may assume egg laying if the colony becomes queenless.Their unfertilized eggs will produce only drones. They are adopted especially to work,by hunting flowering plants and collecting nectar for honey production, wax, cleaningthe hive, feeding the larvae, storing honey and pollen in cells and hive protection.Each worker bee has barbed sting that is lost when she stings, causing her to loose herlife

B. 1 Duty pattern of the worker bee after emergence.

1-3 days- young bee would clean up her cell or cells for queen to lay in or for honeystorage

3-6 days- by this time the feed the older larvae with nectar and pollen.6-9 days -their g1ands are developed and ready to produce bees milk or royal jelly.9-12 day- bee start to build comb and seal cells which contain honey or larvae.12-15 days- At this age the bees already transfer pollen and nectar to the comb fromthe field bees which arrive with the product at the entrance of the hive. They arealso involved in the fanning of the honey in order to evaporate excess water thusreaching correct water moisture (18%) to allow proper storage.15-18 days- At this stage, the workers do the guard duties at the entrance of the hive.During this period the bees takes short flights around the hive and learn the exactlocation of the hive. After this the bee may become a field bee, collecting nectar,pollen, water and propolis.


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B.

Diagram of the external and internal structure of a worker beePicture 3

DRONEThey are the male bees hatched from infertile eggs. They are heavier and shorterthan the queens but larger than the workers. They are useless to work. Their onlypurpose is to mate and fertilize the queen. They eat a lot; therefore, they are drivenout to starve during a shortage of stored food, or at the end of a honey season.

6. PROTECTIVE GEAR AND EOUIPMENT FOR BEEKEEPING

Africanized bees are aggressive and do attack in large groups, therefore you needprotective gear to reduce the risk of stings. A complete bee suit is best with anoverall, veil, hat, gloves and proper shoes, wax foundations, frames and wire.

a.

OverallA bee suit should always hang loosely over the body, to prevent stings to

penetrate the material and skin. It should have elastic at the wrist and ankles toavoid easy entrance of bees into the suit. The overall should be made of thickmaterial. The best color is white so as to reduce attacks.b. Veil

Basically same material, except for a wiring mesh at the front to allow a perfect


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view of the surrounding. It works in conjunction with a hard hat to proper cover thehead and skirts the mesh over your face to reduce bee sting on the face.

c. GlovesThey should be of a soft and smooth leather, elbow length, and elastic wrap at

the end.

d. ShoesBetter to use high leather shoes or rubber boots.

e. Smoker One of the most important equipment, since it will produce the smoke to help

keep the bees calm while inspecting the hives.

f. Hive toolUsed to open difficult to open boxes and to remove frames from boxes without

disturbing the bees.

g. Wax foundationA first layer of wax that is fixed on the frame, on which the bees will continue to

add their wax to build complete cells.

h. FrameThe wooden fixture that supports the wax foundation, brood, pollen and honey

filled cells. They are removable at harvesting for honey extraction.i.Wire

It serves as a mesh to keep in place the wax foundation on the frame.

7. BOXES

(a) Bottom Board -Same size as the hive, except for an extra 3 inches in length forlanding board at the entrance. Remember that Africanized bees may not land onboard.

(b) Cover - (top board) Must fit tightly on top and be rain proof.

(c) Frames - Used for holding the comb on which the brood (young ones) is reared,honey and pollen is stored. A wire support is added to hold the foundation wax.

(d) Hive Body - Has many names (brood chamber, super, food chamber, depending onits purpose.

(e) Foundation wax - Placed on frames that have stainless steel support. Bees build onwax.

(f) Honey Houses - A shed or small house near the apiary, used when the honey is


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extracted. Extracting in the open may increase the possibility of contamination.

Things to consider when choosing an apiary site:

Nectar and pollen source

Water source

Sufficient shadeAir circulation

Wind breaks/barriers

Vandalism

Protection from nearby people and livestock

Protection from fire and flood

Easy access to the beekeeper

Nearby insecticide use

8. LOCATIONA AND STRUCTURE OFAPIARY

Location is very important, for better bee adaptation to work and to reduce domesticand general public injuries. Adequate measurements are:

About 200 yards away from houses and streets.

About 3 kilometers away from cities (3000 yards)

Not more than 30-35 colonies in apiary. (More will increase competition onresources of nectar for honey production.

Space hives about 2-1/2 yards from each other.

Should have physical natural barriers around apiary.

8.1 List of some nectar producing plants in Belize

a. Citrus (all)b. Mangoc. Avocadod. Coconute. Palmsf. Pimentog. Vegetables crops that produce flowersh. Madre cacaoi. Bukutj. Tambrank. Crabboo

l. All other vines or shrubs that produce attractive flowers.

9. APIARY MANAGEMENT

Depending on the aggressiveness of bees, a beekeeper can decide when best to work.Nevertheless colonies should be checked every 15 days maximum. Revision should bedone quickly and calmly. It is best in the evenings since all bees have usually returnedin the evening for the night rest. If colonies do not show reduction on aggressiveness,


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then the queen most be changed to a European queen for future less aggressive bees.

(a) Basic revision should include; See if there are nectar reserves. If there are eggs with an evenly laying pattern. (This will indicate the strength of

the queen) Check for pests and diseases.

(b) Hives are potentially powerful at the beginning of the flowering season. (Jan.-Feb.) A hive may have a population of 30,000 bees. Such a size of colony will needadded supers with wax, thus providing more space for bees to store honey andreproduction.

Sealed honeycombs mean time to harvest. Remember to leave some honey forsuccessful rearing of their young. At this time a colony may be divided so as toincrease the number of hives.

(c) Management during the Rainy Season:This is a difficult time for the bees. Normally there is a high incidence of

diseases, abandoned hives and food shortage. Avoid excess bee handling at this time.It is wise to treat against diseases and feeding of colonies.

(d) Management during the dry season: (good management is needed for betterresults). During the dry season the queen will 1ay many eggs on the upper boxes,therefore they should be moved to the lower first or second box. All honey reservesshould be moved to the upper box. During this period it is very critical because it isthe season to harvest. After the honey flow it is recommended to split or divide your

colonies. This practice may reduce the chances of swarming.

10. SWARMING

Very difficult to avoid, therefore proper monitoring of hives after the end of the rainyseason is very important. No space to work, (overcrowding) natural enemies, andshortage of food can lead to swarming. This can reduce your number of hives.

11. HARVESTING

Harvesting is the same as in European bees. When about 75% of the frames with honey

are sealed, the honey can be harvested. The supers should be removed from theapiary and taken to the honey house for extraction by using a stainless steelextractor. The frames should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Africanized bees donot store honey in large amounts, therefore it is necessary to harvest morefrequently, at least once a month. Smokers may be used in an even slow manner andnot using excess smoke. It is best to harvest in the evening or at night. This can helpto avoid attacks to humans and animals in the surrounding area. Remember to leavesome honey for reserve for the bees. The honey may be stored in stainless steel


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containers.

Some of the basic tools needed for harvesting are:a. Complete overall for total protection of handler.b. Smoker - produce smoke that will reduce the aggressiveness of the bees.

c. Hive tool to pry hard to open boxes.d. Uncapping tank or basin used for collecting the wax and spilled honey atuncapping.e. Extractor - this equipment actually removes the honey out of the cells by its

internal spinning mechanism.

12. PEST MANAGEMENT

A.Ants

Ants can be one of the fastest and deadliest enemies of the bees. They will normally

intrude into a hive and kill the bees and steal the honey from them. The beesnormally abandon the hive when ants attack them.Prevention:There are many ways of preventing these types of attacks. It may be a good idea toapply burnt oil or mechanical grease to the foot of each stand, while keeping thegrass low at all times. At Tumul KinCenter of Learning, tires were utilized, and cutin half, like a doughnut style cut. They were then filled with water, creating anisolated island for the hives away from the ants. This method needs constantmonitoring for bridged troughs by a growing plant, or dried limbs that fall from treesmay render the method ineffective.

B. Moth

This is a grey colored moth that enters the hive very easily. The adults lay their eggson the frames. When hatched, the larvae eat through the cells thus destroying them.They feed off the stored pollen and can force a colony to leave the hive. If seen it iseasy to remove the larvae from the hive.

Prevention:It is very important to keep the boxes covers and bases clean, because these areexcellent places for the Moth. Make sure that the supers are stocked neatly, allowingno space for the moth to enter. Burning of sulfur at the base of the stack boxes will

eliminate the moths and eggs.

C. Birds

They are really a threat because they eat the bees when they are exiting, re-enteringthe hive or at work out in the fields. There is no effective treatment against the birdsat this time.


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13. DISEASES

A.

Varroa Mites

Varroa mitescause Varroasis, which is one of the diseases that affect Africanized

bees.Symptoms:

Varroa mites visible on the bees.

Deformed bees.

Unproductive hive.

High mortality rate of brood.Treatment:

First you need to determine the level of mite infestation. Constant watch over thehives and bees will enable a beekeeper to maintain tolerant levels of infestation thatare not harmful to production. The level of infestation may be seen by placing acollecting tray with a mesh screen allowing the mites to tall on the tray. An average

of mites may indicate level of infestation.

Table 3

Population of Mites Rank TreatmentLess than 5 low None required

5-7 medium Biological control

Over 10 high Chemical treatment

Biological control:Biological control is recommended to reduce the speed at which the mites

develop resistance to the chemical used. This consists of eliminating the drone brood

in the hive. Also the queen can be removed to allow the workers to lay eggs that willonly produce drones. These drones may be destroyed to reduce population of mites.

Chemical Control:Apistan strips are the chemicals used. Two are burned per colony. You can also useBayticol and Bayberol as spray. These are used for mite control

B.

AMERICA FOUL BROOD

This is a very destructive disease that is caused by a microscopic bacteria (verysmall and cannot be seen) called bacillus larvae, which produces spores, that lives in

the hive, pollen and honey. They reduce the population of bees by killing the larvae.It can be transmitted from an infected colony to a healthy one when the bees actuallysteal honey or pollen. Without a proper control the entire apiary may be destroyed.

Symptoms:a. Brown sunken cells.b. Foul odor similar to spoiled fish.c. The dead larvae are brown in color.d. Weak laying pattern with many empty cells.


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e. The dead larvae are liquid and sticky.f. The dead larvae can be found at the bottom of the cell with their tongue out

and glued to the upper part of the cell.Treatment:The only way to control this disease is to burn the colony.

So far there is no medicine to cure this disease; therefore it is better to loose acolony than to loose an entire apiary.

To control the spreading of this disease to healthy colonies you should:

Sterilize all equipment that comes in contact with infected colony.

Seal the infested colony to ensure no visits of other bees.

Burn the infested box with brood and frames and if possible bury theremains.

14. MARKETING OF HONEY

For a business to be successful, it is important that the producers know a little morethan the production aspect of the business. Unfortunately, this important function isusually ignored. This should include knowledge of available markets both local andinternational, pricing and the variation of price due to seasonal production, how othermarkets affect theirs and the appropriate time for selling. Some beekeepers havetaken beekeeping management a step further by improving their packaging andlabeling for honey sold domestically.

15 INTERNATIONAL MARKETS

The world production for 1999 was 2,425,000 metric tons of honey of which 27% isexported. The main exporter of honey is China, followed by Argentina, Mexico,Eastern Europe and Australia. The main importer is the European Union that imported47% of the honey in 1998. In 2000, only 300,000 metric tons were imported. Othermajor importers are the U.S.A. and Japan.There are two separate types of honey: table honey and industrial honey. Theindustrial honey is used mainly in the food industry especially for bakery, cereals andbeverages. It is a good quality honey, bought at a lower price due to higher HMF(hydromethylfurfural) than permitted, therefore used for industrial purposes.The table honey is used as spreads or sweetener and has a higher price, on the market

as it is sold directly to the consumer.An increase in consumption of natural and dietary products, increase the demand ofhoney as a healthy food. This has stimulated an increase in world production ofhoney. This also has lead to the development of new regulations which strictlyreduces the levels of heavy metals veterinary drugs and pesticide residues that arepermitted in the honey.Due to its vast protected, low usage of pesticides, and large areas that areuninhabited, Belize has no problem in meeting these requirements. In collaboration


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with partners, such as TUMUL KIN and the CNIRD and Community members of IndianCreek Yaaxch is working hand in hand to continue educating young minds insustainable organic agricultural practices. These practices friendly to the entire eco-system for maximum crop production by bee pollination and higher yield in honey,additional income for the farmer with no pesticides residues.

16. BEE PRODUCTS

A.HONEY

Aside from being a natural sweetener, honey is a mixture of sugars like fructose,glucose, and maltose among others. The honey is comprised of about 80% sugars. Theyare formed when enzymes are added to the nectar in the combs. The moisture in thenectar is about 13-25%; the bees remove this moisture as they convert it to honey.The flavor of honey is due to acids such as formic, acetic, tartaric, oxalic, lactic,amino acids etc. It also contains proteins and enzymes. Honey is primarily a high-

energy carbohydrate, which is easily digested due to its simple sugar contents. Thesugar and acid content in the honey allows it to be stored for a long time withoutspoiling. This is achieved if the moisture content is kept below 17%. Too muchmoisture could contribute to fermentation of the honey.

UsesHoney is used as a sweetener in bakery, confectionery, and beverage industries. Itgives the foods their delicate taste. It is also used for some beauty products likeshampoos, facial and other creams among other products since it helps to rejuvenateskin.

ProcessingAfter extraction the honey is filtered and then placed in settling tanks or drums forfurther extraction of moisture. In most cases, this is the only processing practice thatis done, however big processing plants heat the honey to facilitate the elimination ofdebris from the honey by filtering. Honey is consumed in its natural liquid statehowever it can also be consumed as creamed honey.

B. POLLEN

Pollen grains are small reproductive cells formed on the anthers of flowering plants

that are transferred to the stigma of a flower by wind, water and insects among whichthe honeybee is the most important one. Pollen contains protein fat, minerals andvitamins. Pollen changes its composition depending on the species of plants fromwhich the bees collect it. The addition of enzymes to the pollen initiates lactic acidfermentation thus producing beebread. This beebread is then feed to the workerswhen they about 3 days old.


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UsesMedicine:Pollen has not been officially recognized as a medicinal drug. However it is used forvarious purposes in medicine, such as desensitization of allergic patients and variousprostate problems. There may be other medicinal uses in traditional medicine, which

have not been published in readily accessible journals.

Food:Pollen is used as food or as a food supplement even though there are no controlledexperiments done on humans that show any real benefits when taken as a foodsupplement.

Processing:Not much processing practices are carried out with pollen. After the pollen isharvested from the hive, much attention on the deterioration caused by moulds,bacteria and insects should be made. The pollen should be dried under a constant low

heat produced by a bulb. (25 watts) Do not overheat. This will increase the shelfstorage life of the pollen.

C. Wax

Wax can be obtained from a variety of plant and animal substances like leaves, palms,sugar refining and stingless bees as well as from petroleum. Therefore each wax hasits own physical and chemical characteristics, which can be used for multiplepurposes. One wax that has a wide spectrum of applications is the honeybee wax. Theyoung worker bees have 8 wax glands on the underside of the abdomen from whichthey secrete wax. To get the right texture for the repair of combs, capping the

ripened honey and building cells, it is chewed before using.

UsesMost producers reuse the wax in their apiaries after they are made into foundationsheets. Sometimes it is used as a preservative, or for baiting swarm traps. Bee waxwas the major ingredient for candles before petroleum became popular, because it ischeaper and melts at a lower temperature.

CosmeticsIt is used in cosmetics because it gives solidity to emulsions; increase the watercapacity of a specific cream and helps in the appearance of the product.

Food Processing:Bees wax has been used in a variety of products and processes from packaging toprocessing and preservation. A common application for bee wax is the protection ofcontainers against the effects of acids from fruit juices or honey.


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D. ROYAL JELLY

Young bees secret royal jelly from glands that is located on the head of the bee. Only

the queen bee is fed at all times with royal jelly. It is whitish in color, with yellow orbeige tinges and a characteristic sour taste. The principal constituents of royal jellyare water, protein, sugar lipids and mineral salts.

UsesSome people claim that royal jelly helps general health by increasing appetitesresistance to viral infections, assists with anorexia, improves skin conditions,cholesterol level, arteriosclerosis and high and low blood pressure. It is used as tonic,an anti-wrinkle cream, or to normalize sebaceous secretions. Scientific evidence hasshown that royal jelly has some antibiotic effects.

E. PROPOLIS

Propolis is a mixture of bee wax and resins that the bees collect from plants. Thebees use their mandibles to scrape the resins off the tees and carry it along with thepollen pellets. They use the propolis to seal entrances, and also to seal animals orinsects inside the hive to protect them from diseases It is yellow to dark brown incolor depending on the origin of resins.

UsesCosmetics:

Propolis has both dermatological and cosmetic applications and is commonly used forthe regeneration of tissue. Its bactericidal and fungicidal characteristics make it idealfor cosmetics.

Medicine:It is used to treat cardiovascular and blood system (Anemia), dental care,dermatology, (tissue regeneration, ulcers, wound healing- particularly burn wounds,mucous membrane infections and lesions), cancer treatment, immune system supportand improvement, digestive tract (ulcers and infections), liver protection andsupport.Food - The propolis can be used in chunks or ground into fine powder. Large pieces

can be chewed directly, however small quantities are recommended to prevent upsetstomach.


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Beekeeping Terms

Beeswax- Waxy materials produce by worker bees and used to build combs.

Drones- Male bees, there main function in the colony is to fertilize the queen.

Larva- grub like immature form of bee, after it has developed from egg and before ithas gone into resting stage in preparation for the change to adult form.

Queen- Completely develop female who lays eggs and rules the colony.

Pupa- immature form of bee during the resting while changing to the adult form.

Workers- incompletely developed female bees that do not normally lay eggs. Theygather nectar and convert it to honey and take care of the immature bees.

Nectar- sweet fluid produced by flowers and converted into honey by bees.

Pollen- very small dust-like grains produced by flowers, these are the male germ cellsof plants.

Propolis- brownish gum gathered by bees from trees and buds. They use it to close

opening in the hive and sealing of the cells.

Royal Jelly- milky white secretion of young nurse bees that is fed to queen larvaethroughout their lives and to worker and drone larvae only during their larva lives.

Hive Body- first two boxes placed on the bottom board. The hive bodies will containthe brood nest of the colony.

Super- supplementary boxes placed on top of the hive body for storage of surplushoney.

Supercede- when a colony with an old or failing queen rears a daughter to replaceher.

Foundation- thin sheet of beeswax imprinted with the pattern of honey cells by metalrollers when it is processed. These sheets are fastened into frames as starters forthe bees in making the combs.

Frames- the removable wooden structure, which are placed in the hive bodies and


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supers. Bees build their combs within these forms.

Notes

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