Unit 2: Rearing of Bees

1. Artificial Bee rearing (Apiary), Beehives - Newton and Langstroth
2. Bee Pasturage, Selection of Bee Species for Apiculture
3. Bee Keeping Equipment
4. Methods of Extraction of Honey (Indigenous and Modern)

1. Artificial Bee rearing (Apiary), Beehives - Newton and Langstroth

Artificial Bee Rearing (Apiary)

An apiary is a location where beehives of honey bees are kept. Setting up an apiary requires careful site selection:

Pasturage: Must be located within 1-2 km of good bee pasturage (flowering plants).
Water Source: A clean, reliable water source (pond, stream) should be nearby.
Sunlight: Should receive morning sun but have partial shade in the hot afternoon.
Windbreak: Trees or buildings should protect the hives from strong winds.
Accessibility: Must be accessible by vehicle for transport and management.
Safety: Should be away from high-traffic public areas, livestock, and sources of pesticides.

Beehives

Modern apiculture uses movable-frame hives. These allow the beekeeper to inspect the colony, manage it for honey production, and extract honey without destroying the comb or bees.

Langstroth Beehive

The global standard, invented by L.L. Langstroth in 1851.
Designed around the "bee space" (a space of 6-9 mm), which bees will not fill with comb or propolis.
Components: Bottom Board, Brood Chamber (for the queen to lay eggs), Queen Excluder (optional), Honey Super (for honey storage only), Inner Cover, and Top Cover.
It is a "supering" hive, meaning honey boxes are added *on top*.
Best suited for Apis mellifera.

Newton Beehive

A smaller hive designed by Father Newton in India.
It is a single-chamber hive (brood and honey are in the same box).
Well-suited for the smaller Indian bee, Apis cerana indica.
Good for hobbyists or small-scale operations, but less efficient for commercial honey production than the Langstroth.

2. Bee Pasturage, Selection of Bee Species for Apiculture

Bee Pasturage

Bee pasturage (or bee forage) refers to the flowering plants from which bees collect nectar and pollen.

Nectar: The bees' carbohydrate (energy) source. It is ripened into honey.
Pollen: The bees' protein and vitamin source (fed to larvae).

A good apiary site needs a rich and continuous supply of diverse pasturage. Examples include:

Agricultural Crops: Mustard, Sunflower, Clover, Buckwheat.
Horticultural Crops: Litchi, Citrus, Apple, Berries.
Forest Trees: Eucalyptus, Acacia, Jamun, Neem.

Selection of Bee Species for Apiculture

Choosing the right species is crucial for success.

Species	Pros	Cons
Apis mellifera (European Bee)	High honey yield, good-natured (less aggressive), easily managed in Langstroth hives.	More susceptible to local pests (like Varroa mites) and diseases; prone to absconding (leaving the hive) if stressed.
Apis cerana indica (Indian Bee)	Native to India, well-adapted to the local climate, highly resistant to local pests/diseases, good pollinator.	Lower honey yield than mellifera, more prone to swarming (splitting the colony) and absconding.
**Apis dorsata & Apis florea**	(Not for apiculture)	Cannot be hived or domesticated. They are wild species.

3. Bee Keeping Equipment

Beyond the hive itself, a beekeeper needs several key pieces of equipment:

Bee Veil and Suit: A protective suit, typically white (which bees find less threatening), with a mesh veil to protect the face and neck from stings.
Gloves: Leather or rubber gloves to protect the hands.
Smoker: A device that burns fuel (like burlap or wood pellets) to produce cool, white smoke. The smoke masks alarm pheromones and calms the bees, making inspection safer.
Hive Tool: A multi-purpose steel bar, used for prying open hive bodies (which bees seal with propolis), lifting frames, and scraping off wax.
Queen Excluder: A grid (metal or plastic) with slots large enough for workers to pass through, but too small for the queen. It's placed between the brood chamber and the honey supers to ensure no eggs are laid in the honeycombs.

4. Methods of Extraction of Honey (Indigenous and Modern)

Indigenous / Traditional Method

This method is used with traditional, fixed-comb hives or when harvesting from wild colonies.
It involves squeezing and crushing the entire honeycomb.
Disadvantages:
- Destructive: The comb is destroyed, forcing the bees to rebuild it (a huge energy cost).
- Unhygienic: The honey is mixed with pollen, brood (larvae), wax, and debris.
- Harmful: Often kills many bees and larvae.

Modern Method (using a Honey Extractor)

This method uses a centrifuge and is only possible with movable-frame hives.

Uncapping: The beekeeper takes frames full of ripe, capped honey. The thin wax caps are scraped off using a hot knife or fork.
Extraction: The uncapped frames are placed in a honey extractor (a large drum with a spinning rack).
Centrifugal Force: As the rack spins, honey is slung out of the cells onto the wall of the drum, without damaging the comb.
Collection: The honey flows to the bottom and is drained through a tap (honey gate).
Return: The empty, intact combs are returned to the hive for the bees to refill.

Key Advantage of Modern Extraction: It is non-destructive. By saving the comb, the bees' energy is directed at gathering more nectar instead of rebuilding wax, leading to a much higher honey yield.