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 A BEEKEEPING GUIDE
 by HARLAN H.D. ATTFIELDillustrated by MARINA F. MASPERApublished byVolunteers In Technical Assistance1600 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 500Arlington, VA 22209, USAFourth printing, 1989ISBN: 0-86619-154-2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
 THE BEE COLONYThe QueenThe DroneThe WorkerCellRELATIVES OF HONEY BEESWHAT BEES NEED TO LIVEBeeswaxNectarWaterFlowersA HomeBEEHIVESLangstroth HiveNewton HiveSimple HivesSOME SIMPLE EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR BEEKEEPINGHOW TO MOVE BEES INTO A NEW HIVEINSPECTING THE COLONYHELPING A COLONY MAKE MORE HONEYWHAT TO DO BEFORE THE HONEYFLOWFirst-year Swarms
 
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Before the HoneyflowPrevent SwarmingWHAT TO DO DURING THE HONEYFLOWHARVESTING THE CROPS (HONEY AND BEESWAX)APPENDIX: SPECIES AND VARIETIES OF BEESThe Rock Bee of Giant BeeThe Little BeeThe Indian BeeThe European BeeREFERENCES ___________________________________________________________
 ABOUT VITA 
 Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA) is a private,nonprofit, international development organization. VITAmakes available to individuals and groups in developingcountries a variety of information and technical resourcesaimed at fostering self sufficiency--needs assessment andprogram development support; by-mail and on-site consultingservices; information systems training; and management oflong-term field projects. VITA promotes the application ofsimple, inexpensive technologies to solve problems andcreate opportunities in developing countries.VITA places special emphasis on the areas of agricultureand food processing, renewable energy applications, watersupply and sanitation, housing and construction, and smallbusiness development. VITA's activities are facilitated bythe active involvement of VITA Volunteer technical expertsfrom around the world and by its documentation centercontaining specialized technical material of interest topeople in developing countries. VITA also publishes aquarterly magazine and a variety of technical papers,manuals, and bulletins. For more information, write toVITA, 1600 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22209
 
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 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 This manual presents construction details for several kindsof hives, guidelines for selecting sites and caring forhives, instructions for proper clothing, etc. It is basedon the experiences of the Sylhet Package Program ofInternational Voluntary Services, Inc., a communitydevelopment effort in Bangladesh. Harlan H. D. Attfield,the author, has been a VITA Volunteer for many years and isthe author of a number of books and articles published byVITA, including Raising Rabbits.
 A BEEKEEPING GUIDE
 Keeping bees can be extremely fascinating. It can also beprofitable. A beginning beekeeper needs to have someknowledge of the habits of bees, good locations for thebeehives, and a small amount of materials.
THE BEE COLONY
 Honeybees live in a home of wax comb. These six-sided waxcells are very strong and house the brood (immature bees)during development and provide storage space for honey andpollen. In nature, bees usually live in a sheltered cavity,such as a hollow tree or rock crevice. The colony iscomposed of a queen, drones, and workers.
The Queen
 There is only one queen beein the colony (family). Asmother of the colony, herpurpose in life is to layeggs. She may lay severalhundred eggs in one day.These eggs may hatch intodrones (males), workers, ornew queens. The queen candetermine which type of eggshe is going to lay. Shelays only the type that shefeels the colony needs.It takes sixteen days forthe queen to develop froman egg into an adult. About the seventh day after hatching,the queen flies from the hive and mates with one or moredrones. This is the only time in her life that the queenmates, though she may live four to five years.
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