AGT 124 PRINCIPLES OF BEE KEEPING

LESSION NOTE
A. Introduction:
There are around 20,000 known bee species worldwide, most of these species are wild. Only few of these
species are managed or cultivated by man. Bees are currently in decline due to changes in ecosystem s a
result of constant human interference/activities (farming practices, war, global warming,) and invariably
negatively affecting many of the Earth’s ecosystems. A loss of bees would affect honey supplies and food
supply such as fruiting crops like nuts, coffee, cocoa, tomatoes, apples, or almonds, to name a few crops.
Hence, honey production and pollination of fruits and vegetables by both cultured and wild bees have a
high economic value.
PRODUCTS FROM HONEY BEES
1. Honey: In traditional medicine, people use it when treating a wide variety of health
conditions/problems, such as eye diseases, bronchial asthma, throat infections, tuberculosis, thirst,
hiccups, fatigue, dizziness, eczema, ulcers, wounds etc.
2. Beeswax: Is used in waterproofing and fuel. It currently has benefits for health and features in a
number of skincare products.
3. Propolis: Is a resin that bees create
4. Bee Pollen: Also known as Bee bread or Ambrosia - It is a mixture of pollen and nectar or honey
and consists of simple sugars, protein, minerals and vitamins, fatty acids and a small percentage of other – it
is the main sources of food for bee workers and larva.
5. Royal Jelly: Royal jelly is an emulsion of proteins, sugars and lipids in a water base, and is synthesized by the
bee from pollen.
BENEFIT
- Importance of Bees to humans, the planet, and food supplies
- Bees produces honey which are essential for the health of people.
- Honey and other products have medicinal and nutritive values or properties. Honey contains specific
nutrients that can make it a healthful addition to the diet
- Bee and its products has antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties.
- Honey and beeswax are used by cosmetic/beauty industry as a skin moisturizer, softener and to heal the skin
tissue. etc.
- Bees play a major role in maintaining healthy ecosystems.
- Bees play vital role in pollinators of crops, thus vital for food supplies - they use the hairs on their
bodies to carry large grains of pollen between plants). Hence, bees are essential for the growth of
many plants, including food crop.
- Bee’s honey is a valuable product that is universally acceptable, medicinal, dietary and cosmetic properties. -
It has some cultural and religious significance too.
- Honey can be used singly or in combination with other ingredients in treatment of various diseases.
- Both farmed and wild bees control the growth and quality of vegetation — when they thrive, so do
crops.
- Natural honey contains a range of compounds that act as antioxidants (reduces oxidative stress in the
body and reduce risk of chronic diseases), including phytochemicals, flavonoids, and ascorbic acid.

Note: The nutrition and chemical composition of raw honey varies and its depends partly upon which
types of flowers the bees gather their nectar from.

Content of honey: Nutritionally, honey it is composed of carbohydrate, water, minerals, protein,

vitamins and enzymes like invertase, diastase and glucose oxidase, which are uses for nutritional values.
Natural honey naturally contains small amounts of the following vitamins and minerals:
Niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, phosphorous, zinc
One tablespoon or 21 grams (g) of raw honey contains 64 calories and 16 g of sugar. Honey is three times
sweeter than sugar.
Difference between Raw Honey and Processed Honey
Raw honey is not filtered or pasteurized. Raw honey comes straight from the honeycomb. Honey from
the hive contains bee pollen, bee propolis, beeswax, and parts of dead bees. Honey manufacturers will
usually pass raw honey through a filter to remove as many impurities as possible, but some generally
remain.
Note: The nutritional values of honey could be altered by feeding the bees with selective food.
Type of Bee
There are different species of bees, the best bee’s honey is made by Apis mellifera (Family: Apidae) Apis
cerana, Apis dorsata, Apis mellifera, Apis floria, Apis andreniformis, Apis koschevnikov, and Apis
laborisa are the varieties of bees that make honey
Scientific classification of bee

Bee pollination of agricultural crops

Of all the animal pollinators of agricultural crops, bees are the most important because of their foraging
behavior and floral constancy (ability to visit flowers of only one plant species on every foraging bout).
List of Crops depend on Bee Pollination
Common Scientific Pollinators Commercial Pollinator
Name Name product of pollination impact
Tomato Solsnum Bumble bee, solitary bee Fruit
lycoprsicum
Soybean Glycine Max honeybee, bubele bee, Seed 40-90℅
solitary bee
Papaya Carica papa Honeybee, trips, moths, Fruit ≤10℅
butterflies
Onion Alliumcepa honey bee solitary bee Seed
Oilpalm Elaeis guineensis Weeves, thrips Fruit ≤10℅
Mango Mangifera indica Honeybees, stingless bees, Fruit
flies, Antes, wasps 40-90℅
Lemon Gossypium spp Honeybee Fruit
Cotton Daucuscerota bumblebees, solitary bees, Seed ≤10℅
honeybee
Carrot Flies, solitary bees, Seed
honeybees
Source, Klein et al. (2007)

Honey bee’s life cycle

The life of a honey bee colony is perennial. There are three castes of honey bees:
a. queens, which produce eggs; The queen lays eggs singly in cells of the comb. Larvae hatch from
eggs in three to four days. The average lifespan of a queen is three to four years.
b. drones or males which mate with new queens; Drones usually die upon mating.
c. workers, which are non-reproducing females. They are then fed by worker bees and develop
through several stages in the cells. Cells are capped by worker bees when the larva pupates. A
colony may typically consist of tens of thousands of individuals.

HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE OF BEES

Since ancient times, bees - especially honey bees,
i. have been seen to symbolise industry,
ii. to bring messages from the Divine,
iii.to set an example, to be associated with the soul, and
iv.to bring the blessing of fertility.
- Bees are good omen - Bees are a symbol of wealth, good luck and prosperity since Ancient
times.
- Charms in the shape of a honey bee are said to be good luck for attracting wealth.
- The Ancient Greeks thought of bees as a symbol of immortality - Various Greek philosophers
believed that humans could be reincarnated as bees, or that the bees were the souls of those who
had not yet been born. Sometimes nymphs were referred to as bees, because they were believed
to be reincarnated souls.
- Honey was a beloved food of the gods.
- Bees symbolize in African culture - In the Pedi culture, a swarm of bees in the yard is always
taken as a symbol of the ancestors bringing luck to the family. One needs to then prepare
some kind of African beer, but it should not ferment like umqombothi.
- Native northern Australians used beeswax when producing rock art.
- Bee products are a key aspect of archaeology, because beeswax produces a “chemical fingerprint”
that people can assess to identify components in organic residue.
- Society and the environment - Bees are very intelligent, and people have applied knowledge
of their mannerisms and social interactions when creating human initiatives. E.g studying the
actions of bees could help experts develop emergency plans to evacuate people from an
overcrowded environment. Observing honeybee dances can also help understand where
changes are taking place in the environment.

Assignment:
1. Find out places/states/regions where honey is being produce in Nigeria Regions.
2. Mention and explain ten (10) importance of honey bees.

B. NECESSARY CONDITIONS/REQUIREMENTS FOR

ESTABLISHMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF COMMERCIAL APIARY
Site Selection determines success or failure of beekeeping (i.e. apiculture). Output of honey may be
affected by site selection. Conditions for site selection in beekeeping includes:
- Availability of flowers – Apiary should be sited where there are flowering trees, shrubs, food crops,
cash crops or vegetation.
- Availability of water – Water should not be far from Apiary - close to a permanent source of water.
- Accessibility and topography – An apiary must be accessible for easy management. And also for
transporting honey. Flat or gentle sloppy lands are more preferred for an apiary for easy
management.
 - Shelter or Shady area – Protect beehives against strong winds direct sunlight and wind blowing off
the top covers.

- The proximity of human activities or human conflicts – For instance, constant human interference
will affect performance of bee. Place an apiary away from public places or areas where human
activities take place every day.
- Presence of pests and the use of pesticides – Hives be sited in area that is free from frequent
attacks by pests (honey badger, ants and man) and far from fields which are sprayed with.
- Drainage – Placed hives in a well-drained site or area not prone to flood.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Apiaries/Beekeeping

- Advantages:
1. Beekeeping is a dependable source of employment.
2. Beekeeping is practical and environmental friendly.
3. Beekeeping is a fun and fascinating hobby.
4. The daily attention (time) required in bee keeping is small compared to other livestock like
poultry.
5. Honeybee require little attention (i.e. provision of space for them) compared to other farm
animals.
6. Breeding, raising their young, feeding their young, dealing with the many and varied weather
conditions [year round].
7. It is a dependable sources income - harvests of honey, and beeswax,
8. Beekeeping is educative – learn about the biology, behaviour, management, processing of
hive products.
- Disadvantages:
1. Bee may sting you – (stings can result in anaphylactic shock in extreme cases).
2. The take-up capital investment may be high – Construction of beehives, bee equipment and
getting bees into the hives.
3. In some years, honey yield may be low.
4. Extreme weather condition may also affect honey production – (hives may be lose during
winters.)
5. Beehives may be vandalized by people (thief) or destroy by bush burning.
6. Beekeeper may develop back ache/problem due to lifting heavy hive boxes
7. Swarming may become nuisance to the neighbours. (It also result in low honey yield.)
8. Absconding: bee may also abscond if under threat or unbearable conditions. Eg.
Overcrowding, lack of forage, ant invasion, heavy infestation of by hives beetles
9. The colony my dislike the new queen and kill her, thus end-up destroying the colony.

C. TYPES OF THE BEE HIVES

a. The three common types of beehives are:
- Langstroth Hives
- Horizontal Top Bar Hives
1. LANGSTROTH HIVES
The Langstroth beehive is the most common beehives. The hives look like tall, wooden drawers. Each
box consist of frames for the bees to build their combs. (the combs are used as storage of honey and for
brooding – (laying of eggs and nursing of their offspring). Langstroth hives are customizable and there is
a standard measurement which is same for constructing the heehive all over the world.

Types of Langstroth beehives -

i. 10 frame, and ii. 8 frame.
The difference between the two is the number of frames each box holds and hence resulted in slight
difference in their measurements.
Langstroth Beehive Measurements
i. 10 Frame Langstroth Beehive Measurements
- Length – 19 ⅞ inches long.
- Width –16 inches wide.
- Depth – there are differences in depth. – shallow, medium, and deep boxes with each have
different depth measurements.
Type Depth Length Width

Deep 9 5⁄8 inches 19 ⅞ inches 16 inches

Medium 6 5⁄8 inches 19 ⅞ inches 16 inches

Shallow 5 7/8 inches 19 ⅞ inches 16 inches

ii. 8 Frame Langstroth Beehive Measurements
8 Frame Langstroth Beehive measurements are very close to the 10 frame.
The width of each box is 2 inches shorter because it holds less frames.
Type Depth Length Width
Deep 9 5⁄8 inches 19 7/8 inches 14 inches
Medium 6 5⁄8 inches 19 7/8 inches 14 inches
Shallow 5 7/8 inches 19 7/8 inches 14 inches
-Bee Space: Space is ⅜ an inch and ¼ inch - If larger than ⅜ an inch, bees will build excess comb and if smaller
than ¼ inch, they will fill it with propolis.

Parts of a Beehive
Hive Stand: This is the platform that the beehive sits on. The purpose of the hive stand is to raise the beehive off
of the ground (waist level) to protects hive from ground moisture. It also makes working on the hive easy for the
farmer.

Bottom Board: The seat on the board and it also contains the beehive entrance.
Entrance Reducer: It is a small piece of rectangular wood. It is inserted between the bottom board and
the brood chamber. It minimizes the size of the hive entrance to protect the colony from robber bees and
other pests like mice.

Slatted Rack: The slatted rack is optional and not always used in beehives. It raises the brood chamber a
little higher to help with ventilation and hive congestion.
Brood Chamber: The brood chamber is a deep box placed on top of the bottom board, or slatted rack.
The lives and lay her eggs in the brood chamber. 2 deep brood chambers at the bottom of the hive is very
common for a colony.
Queen Excluder: It is used to prevent the queen from getting into the honey supers.
Super: This is where the bees store their honey. Supers are often heavy and stacked up high, hence,
medium and shallow boxes are usually prefer by the farmer.
Frames: Frames are placed inside each of the box for the bees to construct their combs. It is on the
combs the bees lay eggs, brood and deposit honey. The number of the frame in a box depend on the size
of the box.
Foundation: is often used on the frames to give the bees a guide in which to build their comb. There are
2 types of foundation – wired wax and plastic.
Inner Cover: The inner cover sits on top of the uppermost super, underneath the top cover. The purpose
of the inner cover is so that the bees do not glue the top of the super to the roof. Inner covers are made of
wood and have an entrance hole and a hole in the middle. Inner covers are also helpful in regulating
temperatures.
Outer Cover: The outer cover is at the very top of the beehive. The most common outer cover is made of
galvanized metal, which offers good protection from the elements.
Assignment: Write short note on (i) Two queen hives (ii) Observation hives and (iii) any other hives
apart from Langstroth, Warren and Horizontal Top Bar Hives
2. Warre Hives

The Warre hive is named after its inventor, French monk Abbé Émile Warré. A Warre hive is a vertical
top bar hive that uses bars instead of frames, usually with a wooden wedge or guide on the bars from
which the bees build their own comb, just like they do in nature.

Advantages of using Warre hives

 Its design is simple – boxes are lighter.
 It is simple and easy to manage.
 It provide ideal natural environment for the bees.
 This hive is a vertically stacking top bar hive that incorporates natural comb and the retention of
nest scent and heat.
 It is of a low-cost, and low-maintenance hive design.
 There is no need to frequently inspect the colony, purchase an expensive honey extractor or use
chemical-laden foundation.
  Because the top bar hive is horizontal, it holds heat much better than the Langstroth hive,
and this makes it easier for the bees to overwinter. During cold weather, bees have to actively
work to keep the hive warm. To provide the energy to do so, they consume honey.

3. HORIZONTAL HIVES
The top bar beehive produces as much honey as the Langstroth hive if harvest is done regularly —
especially during the peak period (when there is nectar flow). Top bar hives allow bees to build comb in a
natural way. Length of horizontal beehive may be as long as 40”

The horizo ntal hive body is

angled to hold the catenary curve of naturally build comb and is long enough to hold all a
Disadvantages of Top Bar Hives
 1. Most available top bar hives are too small to allow a strong colony to thrive. In our experience,
colonies outgrow horizontal hives shorter than 36”.
2. Queen excluders are not a typical component of top bar hives. Natural queen exclusion
happens due to the design of the hives. Top bar hives cause bees to store honey in one section of
the available space and brood in another area.
3. Frequent disturbance of the brood.

Advantage of Top Bar Bee Hives

1. The whole volume of the box is accessible to the bees at all times, so they can expand at their
own rate. This means that a small or weak colony can grow at its own pace, and big colony can
expand much faster.
2. A horizontal hive is designed to allow the colony to expand horizontally instead of up.
3. Easy accessibility by the bee keeper.
4. Because the top bar hive is horizontal, it holds heat much better than the Langstroth hive, and this
makes it easier for the bees to move from one end to another within the hive.
5. While the Langstroth hive is vertical, the top bar beehive is horizontal. The bees move in a
systematic way from one end of the hive to the ...
6. The top-bar hive is so named because the bees draw their comb from a top bar suspended across
the top of a cavity and not inside a full rectangular frame with the hive.
7. Top bar hives use bars that are placed upon the top of the box for the bees to build their comb
upon. This design allows the bees ...
8. With top-bar hives, the entrance location sets the placement of the brood and honey. I place my
entrances at the end of the hive. The bees put the brood nest close to the entrances with most of
the honey to the rear of the hive as diagrammed below.
NOTE: Idea number of brood box for hives is either one or two brood boxes. Farmer may have a honey
super or several on the hive. The size of the box (boxes) designated as the “food super” for the bees
varies from one beekeeper to another and from one region to another.
d. Essential Beekeeping Equipment
The following are the equipment required for successful beekeeping among others, viz:
1. Beehives

Beehives are wooden boxes designed for housing bees – Bees brood and store their honey in the
hives. Hives are where the bees live, e.g. Langstroth hives, Warre hives & Top Bar hives
2. Frames: These are rectangles that hang inside of a hive like a filing system. The bees will build
their comb inside of these frames. They make honey and brood on the frames inside the hive.

3. Smokers: It is one of the priority essential equipment for beekeepers. It prevents the bee keeper from
been stung. Once you start squirting smoke throughout the hive, the bee moves away and that gives the
keeper opportunity to inspect or perform other husbandry operation on the hive.

4. Hive Tool: It is a necessary because the bees line their hives with propolis and this make
it difficult to pull the frame out of the hive box during inspection or harvest. Hence, it assists
the bee keeper in safety removal of the frame from the box.
5. Queen Catcher: A queen catcher is a handy tool used to separate the queen for a while when
hive is being inspected. The catcher prevent beekeeper from losing in the process.
Also, it is essential when one is catching a swarm because if you have the queen then the
hive usually stays as long as she does.
6. Bee Suit: Bee suits give you protection from bee sting. There are ventilated suit and some are not.
7. Gloves: Gloves are also an important tool for bee keepers. It is not advisable to dig into bee hives
without gloves.
8. Shoes: Shoes are important when working on beehives
9. Queen Excluder: It is used to prevent the queen from laying her brood in the honey supers. The
Slots are small enough that the worker bees can still pass through the slots, but the queen cannot.
She is forced to stay below where the excluder is. It is also use to prevent the queen from leaving
the hive when relocating the hive.

10. Queen Marker: Marking queen could be very helpful for easy location and identification. Queen
can be marked at the hindquarters with a bright marker.

e. BEE INSPECTION
The purpose is for proper understanding bee behavior and to manipulate the colony accordingly. Bee
sting to protect themselves and after stinging they die.
A bee colony is inspected top determine its requirement at a particular time.
When a bee colony is opened, make the following observation:
ii. Whether the colony has sufficient food or its need artificial feeding. Colony should have at least
2.5kg stored food all the time.
 iii.Whether the queen is present or not. If present, whether laying satisfactorily or to consider
replacement queen.
iv.Whether there are sufficient comb for egg laying by the queen and for storage of nectar. If not
provide more frames.
v. Whether there are any enemy or disease in the colony. If yes, manage them accordingly.
Note: Honeybee do not like much interference since its affect their normal working. During buildup of
colony, it is examine once in a week. During offseason it is examine only once a month.
The beekeeper may also look for some visible signs of absconding, such as:
i. Spotted brood pattern
ii. Decrease population
iii. Bees with deformed wings
iv. Lack of honey stores
v. Empty combs
vi. Small hive beetles
vii. Wax moth
viii. Ant invasion
ix. Wasps Note: Weak hives can also display one or more the above sign.
Requirements for Examination of Bee Colony
i. Hive tools
ii. Bee veil
iii. Apiary record register
iv. Measuring Scale or grid,
v. Smoker
Precaution:
i. Wear a bee vail before inspection of a beehive or colony
ii. Do not wear a dark colour – bees are furious to dark colour
iii. Do not use perfume, strong hair oil, metal like wrist watch etc. when inspect hives/colony
it could induce stinging by the bees.
iv. Do not be shaky while handling bees. Take care and avoid quick and jerking movement.
v. If a bee stings, do not get nervous. Gently pullout the sting with a sharp edge of hive tool
or finger nail from the base and not from the top without squeezing the venom out of it.
Rub some grass on the stung area to mask the smell of alarm pheromone which
otherwise induce other workers to sting in the area.
vi. Do not crush any bee while taking the frame out or pulling back in a hive.
vii. Hive should be opened on a windy chilly day or the period when bees are not working
outside the hive.

f. COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES
The queen's only job is to lay eggs and a drone's job is to mate with the queen. The worker bees are
responsible for everything else: gathering nectar, guarding the hive and honey, caring for the queen
and larvae, keeping the hive clean, and producing honey.
Each of our hives each has about 50,000 bees. Each hive has one queen, and 100 female worker bees for
every male drone bee. The queen’s only job is to lay eggs and a drone’s job is to mate with the queen.
The worker bees are responsible for everything else: gathering nectar, guarding the hive and honey,
caring for the queen and larvae, keeping the hive clean, and producing honey.
Queen Bee
The queen is like the goddess: her life is committed to selfless service by being the reproductive center of
the hive. She lays all the eggs (about 1,500 – 2,000 per day) and only leaves the hive once in her life in
order to mate. Queens become queens only because as eggs, they her laid in cells specifically designated
for raising queen and fed more royal jelly (which contains more honey and pollen than the “larval jelly”
that is eaten by workers and drones). Royal jelly allowing them to grow larger than other female bees.
Without a queen, life in the hive grows chaotic. The worker bees forage for nectar and pollen less, and
when they do forage, they bring less back to the hive. When the queen dies (or if she slows down egg
production), worker bees once again designate queen cells and raise new virgin queens.
Drones
A male drone has only one purpose in life: to mate with the queen. The number of drone is the least in a
bee colony and, there are 100 female worker bees for every male drone bee. Drones are incapable of
feeding themselves or foraging for food, they lack stingers, and they die immediately after mating. The
workers usually force them out of the hive and allow them to starve to death during winter.

Workers
All of the work in the hive is done by female bees called workers. Workers outnumber male bees by a
ratio of 100 to 1. They are responsible for virtually every job in the hive except reproduction. The female
worker bees have different responsibility/working position in the hive - scout, guard, care for the queen,
produce honey, etc. The under listed are the activities of the worker bees in the colony.
Nursing: Nurse bees feed and care for growing larvae.
Attending the Queen: Attendants to the queen groom her and feed her frequently.
Cleaning the Hive: This may involve cleaning used cells or clearing the hive of debris.
Cleaning other Bees: These chores involve cleaning dust, stray hairs, and other debris off several others
in rapid succession.
Undertaker duties: Although 90% of bees die outside the hive, those that do not are dropped
immediately outside the hive to dry. After they have dried, undertaker bees pick them up, fly them
several hundred meters from the hive, and drop them (to prevent dead bees from accumulating by the
hive, which could attract pests or pestilence).
Building Honeycomb: Bees secrete beeswax and use it to build honeycomb. Oftentimes hundreds of
bees will work on the same small section of comb.
Capping Honeycomb: Bees secrete beeswax and use it to cap pupae cells and cells full of ripened
honey.
Pollen Packing: House bees collect pollen from returning foragers and pack it in cells for later
consumption.
Nectar Ripening: House bees ripen nectar into raw honey by depositing it in cells, and fanning the
nectar so that excess water evaporates.
Repairing Hive: Bees use propolis to repair cracks in the hive and to cover foreign particles that are too
large to remove.
Forager Bee Activities:
Collecting Nectar & Pollen: Bees visit 50-100 flowers to collect nectar and pollen on each foraging trip.
They carry nectar in their “honey sacks” and pollen in the “pollen baskets” on their legs.
Collecting Propolis: Certain bees only collect propolis (“bee glue”), gathering the resinous substance
from trees and carrying it home in their “pollen baskets.”
Collecting Water: 1% of the bees in the hive collect water. Water helps keep the hive cool and allows
nurse bees to dilute raw honey for young larvae.
Guard the Hive: Guard bees protect the hive, stinging intruders and emitting a pheromone to warn bees
inside the hive of impending danger.

g. ACTIVITIES OF BEES IN WINTER:

When temperature drop or during extremely cold weather, bee head to the hive/colony.
Before the winter, bee gathering a winter reserve honey. Honey bee gather in a way to form a winter
cluster.
The major job of the bees during winter/cold season is to take care of the queen by keeping her safe and
warm. In order to do so, worker bees form a cluster with their bodies. The worker bees then flutter their
wings and shiver. This constant motion and continuous use of energy is how the bees keep the inside
temperature of the hive warm. In order to keep shivering the bee most have enough energy honey. The
temperature of the shivering rang from 46degree at the exterior to 80degree at the interior and no
individual bee get cold.
Activities Performed by the Beekeepers for Protecting Bees During Winter
The activities of the beekeepers during the winter include
i. Melt down bee wax: Excess bee wax from frames are melted down to form blocks of bee wax
for future use.
ii. Make beauty products: Lip balms, lotion, creams, salves and scrubs are thing beekeepers learn
and do on their own.
iii. Make Candle: bee wax that are melted down were turn to homemade candle.
iv. Research new techniques: New hives, integrated pest management, alternative feeding
method etc. are adapted and improving.
v. Repair and replace of old hives: repair of honey supers, build new ones, replace worn frames
and or foundations. Assembling of a new hives.
vi. Prepare for the spring splits: Most hives that come out of winter with strong numbers should
be split.

h. ACTIVITIES OF BEES IN SPRING:

Early spring the population of bee is reduced as old bee dies while drones were fling out of hive during winter
to conserve stored food. In the spring, the lengthening days and new sources of pollen and nectar stimulate
brood rearing. The bee also gather water to regulate temperature and to liquidity thick or granulated honey in
preparation of brood food. At the later part, the population young bee increases. Workers also increases and
field bee may collect nectar and pollen in greater amounts than are needed to maintain brood rearing and
surpluses of honey or pollen may accumulate.
The cluster in the hive expand as the temperature increases, Queen lay more eggs in drone cell in preparation
for natural division of the colony. In addition to rearing workers and drone, queen also prepare for rearing a
new queen. The larva that would develop to new queen are fed special gland food and their cells are
reconstructed to accommodate the large queen and are rate of development is speed up.

A colony of bee comprises of a cluster of several to 60,000 worker bees (sexually immature females) a queen
(a sexually mature female), and, depending of the colony population and season of the year, a few to several
hundred drones (sexually developed males)

Swarming: Swarming occurs during the springs (not in winter), naturally it means to reproduce and propagate.
When the new first virgin queen is about to emerge, the colony will swarm during the warmer hours of the
day. The old queen and about half of the bees will rush out of the entrance of the colony. After flying around
for several minutes they will cluster around limb of a tree or similar object. On reaching the new location
combs are quickly constructed, brood rearing started and nectar and pollen are gathered.
The bee in the old colony will continue their activities. Emerging drones are nurtured in preparation for
mating the emerging queen. The queen emerge from her cell, eat honey, grooms herself for a short time and
then proceeds to look for rival queens. Mortal combat eliminate all queen except one. When the survival is a
week old, she flies out of the hive to mate with one or more drones in the air. The drone die after mating but
the queen return to the hives as a new queen mother. Nurse bee care for her and within 3 or 4days mated
queen begins to lay eggs.

Colony reach it peak population during the summer. All bee activities after fertilization in summer geared
toward survival in winter. In summers, bee ensure storage of surplus food in preparation for winter supplies.
If the honey storage is surplus, the honey keeper may remove some for survival of the colony during winter

Difference between swarming and absconding (migration):

Swarming is natural occurrence when the colony gets too large and resources are abundant – the colony rears
a new queen and hive split roughly into half, creating two separate colonies. While

Absorbing occurs when resources are scarce or there is a threat to hive/colony. bee may also abscond if
under threat or unbearable conditions. E.g. Overcrowding, lack of forage, ant invasion, heavy infestation
of by hives beetles. To prevent absconding, inspection of hive bee done at least 2 – 4 weeks interval or
else weekly inspecting will give a quick intervention.

i. ROBBING
Robbing is a behavior/situation in which honey bee workers invade and steal honey/nectar from other
colonies or sugar/corn syrup from feeders used to deliver syrup to other colonies/beehives.
Robbing behavior typically involves the collection of nectar and honey, but not pollen or brood.
Robbing do occur when young worker bees take their orientation flights.
Reasons for Robbing
Honey bees are compulsive hoarders. They will collect nectar or honey from any source they can find,
and that includes a poorly guarded or weak hive. Robbing may be considered as “looting” because, like
human looters, they tend to prey on the weak and vulnerable, especially a hive with a problem.
How to Recognize Robbing
1. A weak hive will suddenly come to life, the farmer may think the colony is positively turning
itself around.
2. When the hive is visited the next day, there will be no bee would be inside,
3. Honey frames stripped clean,
4. Bees lie dead on the ground, and the small colony is decimated.

Prevention of Robbing
1. Reduce entrances to the hive at the beginning of a nectar dearth.
2. Make sure all your hives are queenright as robbing season approaches.
3. Avoid entrance feeders and use other type of feeder during nectar dearths.
4. Combining of small or weak hives before period of nectar dearth.
5. Install robbing screens devices.
6. close up the hive opening – the suspected hive may be completely close up for several days until the
robber bees give up.

Note:
Once robbing starts, it is difficult stop.

j. PROTECTING BEES IN SUMMER

1. Smart Gardening: Plant things that bees like. Bees go where the pollen is. ...
2. Buy Organic Food Only. ...
 3. Build Bee-Friendly Shelters in Your Property. ...
4. Buy Honey and Support Our Beekeepers!

1. Plant a Bee Garden: By planting a garden with plants that are rich in pollen and nectar is a way
of creating habitat for the bees.
2. Avoid the Use of Chemical Fertilizers and Pesticides: Synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, and
neonicotinoids are harmful to bees, wreaking havoc on their sensitive systems. Avoid treating your
garden and green spaces with synthetics.
3. Instead, use organic products and natural solutions such
compost to aid soil health and adding beneficial insects that keep pests away like ladybugs and praying
mantises.

3. Provide Trees for Bees: Bees get most of their nectar from trees. Blossoming tree provides feed for
the bees and habitat. In addition, tree leaves and resin provide nesting material for bees, while natural
wood cavities make excellent shelters.

5. Create a Bee Bath

Bees work up quite a thirst foraging and collecting nectar. Fill a shallow bird bath or bowl with clean
water, and arrange pebbles and stones inside so that they break the water’s surface. Bees will land on the
stones and pebbles to take a long, refreshing drink.

6. Build Homes for Native Bees

Did you know that, with the exception of honeybees, most bees are solitary creatures? 70% of solitary
bees live underground, while 30% live in holes inside of trees or hollow stems. Species like bumble bees
build their nests in undisturbed land, and you can provide safe haven for them by leaving an untouched
plot of land for them in your garden! “Bee condos” — which have small tube “apartments” — allow
species like mason bees to take up residence. They’re easy to make or purchase.

7. Give Beehives and Native Bee Homes

Keep honeybees, nurture native bees, or help gardens and schools around the U.S. and Canada grow food
and strengthen local environments. Our Sponsor-a-Hive program creates safe havens for precious
pollinators in underserved communities by supplying the tools, gear, and education needed to
successfully home bees.

8. Teach Tomorrow’s Bee Stewards

Inspire the next generation of eco citizens with guides, lessons, and activities to get them buzzed about
bees! Educators can use our collection of free resources to bring nature and ecology into the classroom —
and the hearts of children everywhere.

9. Host a Fundraiser
Host a fundraiser online or do something you love to help #BeeTheSolution. Your #BeeTheSolution
fundraising events create community building and information sharing opportunities that inspire while
raising funds for The Bee Conservancy programs. It’s an easy, fun way to make a serious impact.

10. Support Local Beekeepers and Organizations

Local beekeepers work hard to nurture their bees and the local community. The easiest way to show your
appreciation is to buy locally-made honey and beeswax products. Many beekeepers use products from
their hives to create soaps, lotions, and beeswax candles. Plus, local honey is not only delicious — it is
made from local flora and may help with seasonal allergies! You can also give time, resources, and
monetary donations to local beekeeping societies and environmental groups to help their programs grow.
k. QUEEN RAISING INVOLVES THE FOLLOWING STAGES:
 establishing a starter colony for initial stage of raising queen cells.
 establishing the cell building colony.
 grafting honey bee larvae.
 transferring the mature queen cells to honey bee nucleus colonies for the mating stage.

Methods of Queen Rearing

In the first method, an actively laying queen is separated from the main hive. She is provided
synthetic queen cups where she will lay her eggs. In the second type, the beekeeper removes newly
hatched larva from the brood comb to prepared queen cups, a technique known as grafting.

There are three main tools for harvesting honey:

i. a bee brush,
ii. an escape board, or
iii. a fume board.
Use a bee brush to simply brush the bees out of the way when harvesting honey. An escape board
is a "door" you place on the hive between the supers and the brood chamber.

Ways to Harvest Honey: There are three ways, namely:

1. Comb Honey. This honey-extraction method yields lovely jars full of comb floating in the jar of
honey—the kind people will pay premium prices to get. ...
2. Crush and Strain. One step removed from comb honey, this method of harvesting can be done
with wax or plastic foundation. ...
3. Extractor.

l. BEE DISEASES AND PESTS

1. Varroa mite –
2. Tropilaelaps mite (Tropilaelaps clareae)
3. Braula fly (Braula caeca)
4. American foulbrood (Bacillus larvae)
5. European foulbrood (Melissococus pluton)
6. Leafcutter bee chalkbrood (Ascosphaera aggregate)
7. Small hive beetle (Aethina tumida)
8. Stonebrood (Aspergillus falvum and A. fumigatus)

Frames
Honeybee comb Bee swarm hanging on a tree branch

Bee foraging