Bee-keeping (or apiculture, from latin apis, bee)is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans for the purpose of producing honey and wax. In other words, bee-keeping is the art and science of domesticating bees (insects) for production of products such as honey and wax . Bee-keeping is an important part of small scale integrated farming systems and works particularly well near natural forests or on integrated farms with abundant water and flowers.
A bee-keeper (or apiarist) keeps bees in order to collect honey, and other products of the hive (including bees wax, propolis, pollen, and royal), to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other bee keepers. A location where bees are kept is called apiary or “bee-yard”.
Types of bees
There are two major types of bees. These are indigenous bees and exotic bees:
1: Indigenous bees: These are local bees commonly found in local environments. They are majorly of African origin. They have smaller body sizes, heights, low productive abilities, lower growth rate, lower honey and wax production. They are not very economical in terms of commercial production of honey and wax. Example is the African black bees.
2: Exotic bees: These are bees imported from other countries to West Africa. These species are capable of interbreeding and hybridising. Many bee breeding companies strives to selectively breed and hybridise varieties to produce desirable qualities such as diseases and parasite resistance, good honey production, swarming behaviour reduction, prolific breeding and mild disposition. Some of these hybrids are marketed under specific brand names, such as the Bucketfast bee or midnite bee.
Some examples of exotic bee include:
- Western honey bee (Apis millifera)
- Italian bee (Apis mellifera liguestica)
- European dark bee (Apis mellifera mellifera)
- Carniolan honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica)
- Meditterenean bee (Apis cerana)
Importance of bee-keeping
Bee-keeping by farmers is of great importance and such benefits includes:
1: Income generation: The sales of honey and other products do generate income for farmers when offer for sale or export.
2. Provision of food: Honey which is the main product derived from bee-keeping is consumed locally as food.
3: Employment: Bee-keeping is a source of employment as it generate income to many people from production to marketing of the products.
4: Production of wax: Bee-keeping also help to produce a special substance called wax. Wax is very important for the production of candles.
5: Industrial purpose: Honey is used for many industrial purposes e.g. production of cosmetics etc.
6: Medicinal purposes: Honey and other associated products are also known to be used in the preparation of medical items that are useful to humans.
7: Production of crops: Honey bees cross pollinate flowers to produce fruits and seeds for growing crops. To farmers, the honey bees are worth billions of naira. In fact, farmers rent honey bee colonies from the apiculturist for this purpose.
8: Generation of foreign exchange.
9: Bees are used in research or education.
10: Bees are used for protection.
Pioneers of practical and commercial bee-keeping
The 19th century produced an explosion of innovators and inventors who perfected the design and production of bee hives, system of management and husbandry, stock improvement by selective breeding, honey extraction and marketing. Prominent among these innovators were:
1: Jan Dzierzon: He was the “father of modern apiology and apiculture” All modern bee hives are descendants of the design.
2: Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth: He is referred to as the “father of American apiculture”. No other individual has influenced modern bee keeping practice more than this man. His classic book The Hive and Honey Bee was published in 1853.
3: Moses Quinby: He is often called “The father of commercial bee keeping” in the United States. He is the author of a book called “Mysteries of Bee-keeping” .
4: Amos Root: He is the author of a book called “The ABC of Bee Culture”. He pioneered the manufacture of hives and the distribution of bee-packages in the United States.
5: A. J. Cook: He authored the book called “The bee-keepings” Guide or manual of the Apiary.
6: Dr. C. C. Miller: He was one of the earliest entrepreneur to make a living from apiculture where he made bee keeping his sole business activity. He athored the book called “Fifty years among the bees”
7: Major Francesco De Hruschka: He was an Italian military officer who invented a simple machine for extracting honey from the comb by means of centrifugal force.
8: Walter T. Kelly: He was an American who pioneered modern bee keeping by manufacturing bee-keeping equipment and clothing. He authored the book called “How to keep Bees and Sell Honey”.
Methods of Bee-keeping
There are two major methods of bee-keeping. These are the traditional and modern methods.
Traditional method of bee-keeping
In this method, honey bees are allowed to remain in their natural habitats. The natural home for a honey bee colony is a hollow tree, log or cave. Honey bees build nests only in locations which are dry and protected from the wild and sunlight. These bees are less selective and may nest in hallowed out termite mounds, rock piles and locations which are less well protected. The management of this method is very low as the bees are left to fend for themselves.
Gathering or harvesting honey from the wild bee colonies is usually done by subduing the bees with smoke and breaking open the tree or rocks where the colony is located, often resulting in the physical destruction of the nest. Production of honey under this system is very low.
Modern method of bee-keeping
This is the method commonly used in today apiculture. Exotic breeds which ensure high production of honey and other product are used or reared. Scientific bee keeping started in 1851 when an American L.L Langstroth, discovered bee space and the movable frame hive. Bee space is the open space which is about 0.4 in (1cm) wide and this space is maintained around and between the combs in any hives or natural nest and in which the bees walk. If this space is smaller or larger than 0.4 in (1cm), the bee will join the combs. Under this condition, when the combs stuck together, the hive is not movable, and it is not possible for bee-keepers to manipulate a colony or to examine a brood nest. This was later corrected as the bees could be forced to build a straight comb in a wooden frame by giving them a piece of wax called foundation, on which the bases of the cells were already embossed. Bees now use these bases to build honey combs, the cells of which are used for both rearing brood and for storing honey. When a hive of bees is given a foundation, they are forced to build the combs where the bee-keepers want it and not where they might otherwise be inclined to build it.
In this method, the honey can be harvested or removed from the comb by placing a comb full of honey in centrifugal, force machine called an extractor. If the bee keeper can return an intact comb to a hive after removing the honey from it, the bees are saved from the time and trouble of building a new comb and the honey harvest is increased under this method of bee keeping.
