REPORT ON -

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROGRAMME (ELP)

FOOD PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY (AGRI4015)

Project Report submitted in the partial

fulfillment for the award of the degree of

B.sc.(Hons) Agriculture

Submitted by

MD ASIF

19SBAS2080088

IN

SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE

Under the Supervision of

Dr. Ravindra Kumar

(Assistant Prof.)

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 SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE

BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE

Certified this project report on EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROGRAMME (ELP) on the

topic COMMERCIAL BEE KEEPING is the bonafide work of MD.ASIF who carried out
the project work under my supervision.

Signature Signature

Dr.Sahadeva Singh Dr.Ravindra Kumar

Dean of School of Agriculture Assistant Professor

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S.NO. CONTENT PAGE NO.
1. INTRODUCTION OF HONEY BEE. 5
2. RESOURCE AND POTENTIAL OF HONEY BEE. 6
3. TYPES OF HONEY BEE. 6–9
5. BEE KEEPING. 10 – 11
6. HOW TO ACQUIRE AND HIVE BEES. 11 – 12
7. BEE FLORA AND POLLINATION OF CROPS. 12 – 14
8. CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF BEE KEEPING. 14 – 17
9. PEST AND DISEASES OF HONEY BEES. 17 – 18
10. HARVESTING AND PROCESSING OF HONEY BEE. 18 – 21
11. PESTICIDES POISONING IN HONEY BEES. 22

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

My EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROGRAMME (ELP) at Lil farm dhoolkot has

provided me with a lot of practical work experience , under the guidance of Mr. Shobhit
pundir (Managing Director of LIL Farm) and Miss. Neelam Bhatt ( Training Co-
ordinator) who directed me all through the preparation span in completing my project. I express
my gratitude to each and every individual who had assisted and upheld me during my whole
preparation term with their significant counsel and information abilities and their substantial
direction and checking for my work and progress at standard spans.We would also like to thank
staff of LIL Farm who provided sufficient guidance in our entire programme. We feel so
pleasured to offer gratitude to Dr. Ravi Kumar, Coordinator Director of School of Agricultural
sciences, Galgotias University, for their keen interest, whose trust served as a constant
inspiration and support during the module which brought a great motivation in our assignment.

My sincere thanks to Dr. Sahadeva Singh (Dean of School of Agriculture) who

directed and managed me in this venture. This report would have been fragmented without the
assistance of Dr. Mahesh Singh (Professor & Program Chair- SOAG) and Dr.Uzma
Manzoor (Associate Dean) as they furnished and provided me with their continuous support
and guidance while pursuing the training.

I am immensely grateful to Mr. Shobhit pundir (Director -LIL Farm, Dhoolkoot) who
provided me with this opportunity to get a practical exposure at LIL Farm, Dehradun. I would
also like to thank Dr. Ravi Kumar (ELP Coordinator & Ass. Prof.) for their valuable
guidance to complete the project.

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 INTRODUCTION

Honeybees belong to the

Family – Apidae

Subfamily – Apinae

Genus – Apis

The location where the bees are kept is called as an APIARY.

BEES are one of the many insects in the world that can produce something that is beneficial to
all of us. We obtain honey from these bees and as we all know, honey is an important food for
human beings. Since ancient times, honey is used for treating several diseases, and it is an
antioxidant, therefore bee keeping is an important activity.

In this method, bees are bred commercially in apiaries, an area where a lot of beehives can be
placed. Usually, apiaries are set up in areas where there are sufficient bee pastures – such as
areas that have flowering plants.

They are social insects living in colonies. A colony consists of a queen, several thousand workers
and a few hundred drones. There is division of labour and specialization in the performance of
various functions. They build nests (combs) with wax, which is secreted from the wax glands of
worker bees. The bees use their cells to rear thin brood and store food. Honey is stored in the
upper part of the comb; beneath it are rows of pollen storage cells, worker brood cells and drone
brood cells in that order. Some Apis species build single comb in open, while others build

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multiple combs on dark cavities. There are many ways to utilize honeybees for their pollination
services or to obtain products from them.

RESOURCES AND POTENTIAL

The raw materials for the beekeeping industry are mainly pollen and nectar that come from
flowering plants. Both the natural and cultivated vegetation in India constitute an immense
potential for development of beekeeping. About 500 flowering plant species, both wild and
cultivated, are useful as major or minor sources of nectar and pollen. There are at least four
species of true honey bees and three species of the stingless bees. Several sub-species and races
of these are known to exist. In recent years the exotic honey bee has been introduced. Together
these represent a wide variety of bee fauna that can be utilized for the development of honey
industry in the country. There are several types of indigenous and traditional hives including
logs, clay pots, wall niches, baskets and boxes. In modern beekeeping, the combs are built on
wooden frames that are movable. This is of different sizes and shapes.

India has a potential to keep about 120 million bee colonies that can provide self-employment to
over 6 million rural and tribal families. In terms of production, these bee colonies can produce
over 1.2 million tons of honey and about 15,000 tons of beeswax. Organized collection of forest
honey and beeswax using improved methods can result in an additional production of at least
120,000 tons of honey and 10,000 tons of beeswax. This can generate income to about 5 million
tribal families.

TYPES OF HONEY BEE

Five important species of honey bees are as follows –

1. The rock bee – Apis dorsata (Apidae)

They are giant bees found all over India in sub-mountainous

regions up to an altitude of 2700 m. They construct single comb in
open about 6 feet long and 3 feet deep .They shift the place of the
colony often. Rock bees are ferocious and difficult to rear. They
produce about 36 Kg honey per comb per year. These bees are the
largest among the bees described.

2. The Indian hive bee – Apis cerana indica (Apidae).

They are the domesticated species, which construct

multiple parallel combs with an average honey yield of 6-8 kg per
colony per year. These bees are larger than Apis florae but smaller
than Apis mellifera. They are more prone to swarming and
absconding. They are native of India/Asia.

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 3. The little bee – Apis florea (Apidae).

They build single vertical combs. They also construct comb in

open of the size of palm in branches of bushes, hedges, buildings,
caves, empty cases etc. They produce about half a kilo of honey per
year per hive. They are not rearable as they frequently change their
place. The size of the bees is smallest among four Apis species

4. The European or Italian bee – Apis mellifera (Apidae).

They are also similar in habits to Indian bees, which build parallel
combs. They are bigger than all other honeybees except Apis dorsata.
The average production per colony is 25-40 kg. They have been
imported from European countries (Italy). They are less prone to
swarming and absconding.

5. Dammer bee or stingless bee – Melipona

irridipennis (Meliporidae).

These bees are much smaller than the true honey bees and build
irregular combs of wax and resinous substances in crevices and hollow
tree trunks. The stingless bees have the importance in the pollination of
various food crops. They bite their enemies or intruders. It can be
domesticated. But the honey yield per hive per year is only 100 gms.

CASTES OF HONEY BEE

Every honey bee colony comprises of a single queen, a few hundred drones and several
thousand worker castes of honey bees.

1. THE QUEEN

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 There is only one queen in a colony and is fertile and functional. It is considerably larger
than the members of other castes.
 Wings are much shorter in proportion to her body and it appears more wasp-like than
other inmates of the colony.
 The queen is the only individual which lay eggs in a colony and is the mother of all bees.
It lays upto 2000 eggs per day in Apis mellifera.
 Five to ten days after emergence, she mates with drones in one or more nuptial flights.
When her spermatheca is filled with sperms, she will start laying eggs and will not mate
any more. She lives for 3 years.
 The queen can lay either fertilized or sterile eggs depending on the requirement.
 The differentiation in worker and queen is due to the quantity and quality of food fed to
the larva. The larva which .becomes the queen is fed the royal jelly.
 The queen is reared in large finger-shaped cells in the lower portion of the combs. Only
one queen can remain in a colony, but during unfavourable season two queens are also
observed.
 The old queen is killed as soon as the new queen is fertilized.

2. THE DRONE
 The drones are the male bees. They have no sting; a suitable proboscis for gathering
nectar is also absent.
 They are physically incapable for the ordinary work of the hive.
 Their only function is to impregnate the young queen a task which they are unable to
perform until they are about 10 days of age.
 They also help in maintenance of hive temperature.
 They go out of the hive only at the mid-day when the weather is warm.
 The drones are reared and tolerated during the breeding season.
 The drones are produced by unfertilized eggs of the queen, or by those workers which
take up the reproductive function due to the absence of a queen in a colony.
 The normal life-span of a drone is 57 days.
 Mating takes place in the open when the queen is in flight and dies in the act or
immediately afterwards.

3. THE WORKER
 The workers sterile female and is the smallest inhabitants of the beehive.
 The number of workers in a colony varies from 1,500 to 50,000.
 They are imperfect females incapable of laying eggs.
 On certain occasions when the colony is in need of a queen, some of the workers start
laying eggs from which only drones are produced. These workers, called laying workers,
are killed as soon as a new queen is introduced or produced in the colony.

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  The life-span of a worker is about 4 weeks during active season and 8 to 10 weeks during
less active season.
 The division of work within a colony among the worker bees is based on the age of the
individual and on the needs of the colony.
 The young bees, immediately after their emergence, do the work of cleaning cells and
feeding older larvae. When they are grown and their hypopharyngeal glands have
developed, they secrete the royal jelly with which they feed the younger larvae. These
bees are called nurse bees.
 Bees wax, of which the comb is made, is a secretion of the wax glands located in the
abdomen of the worker bees. For producing 1 kg of wax the bees consume 10 kg of
honey.

HOUSEHOLD DUTIES
 Build comb with wax secretion from wax glands.
 Feed the young larvae with royal jelly secreted from hypopharyngeal gland.
 Feed older larvae with bee-bread, a mixture of pollen and honey
 Feeding and attending queen.
 Feeding drones.
 Cleaning, ventilating and cooling the hive.
 Guarding the hive.
 Evaporating nectar and storing honey

OUTDOOR DUTIES
 Collecting nectar, pollen, propolis and water.
 Ripening honey in honey stomach.

BEEKEEPING

Beekeeping is the care and management of colonies of honeybees and commonly in man-
made beehives. Honey bees in the genus Apis are the most commonly kept species but other
honey producing bees such as Melipona stingless bees are also kept.They are kept for their honey
and other products or their services as pollinators of fruit and vegetable blossoms or as a hobby.

BEEKEEPING EQUIPMENTS
 HIVE STAND – The hive stand, actually an optional piece of equipment, elevates the
bottom board (floor) of the hive off the ground. This support reduces dampness in the
hive, extends the life of the bottom board, and helps keep the front entrance free of grass
and weeds. Hive stands may be concrete blocks, bricks, railroad ties, pallets, logs, or a

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 commercially produced hive stand. A hive stand may support a single colony, two
colonies, or a row of several colonies.
 BOTTOM BOARD – The bottom board is open in the front, the colony should be tilted
forward slightly to prevent rainwater from running into the hive. Bottom boards available
from many bee supply dealers are reversible, providing either a 7/8- or 3/8-inch opening
in front.

 HIVE BODIES – The standard ten-frame hive body is available in four common depths
or heights. These large units provide adequate space with minimum interruption for large
solid brood areas. They also are suitable for honey supers. However, when filled with
honey, they weigh over 60 pounds and are heavy to handle.
 FRAME AND COMBS – The suspended beeswax comb held within a frame is the basic
structural component inside the hive. In a man-made hive, the wooden or plastic beeswax
comb is started from a sheet of beeswax or plastic foundation. After the workers have
added wax to draw out the foundation, the drawn cells are used for storage of honey and
pollen or used for brood rearing.
 QUEEN EXCLUDER – The primary function of the queen excluder is to confine the
queen, brood rearing, and pollen storage to the broodnest. It is an optional piece of
equipment and is used by less than 50 percent of beekeepers.
 INNER COVER – The inner cover rests on top of the uppermost super and beneath the
outer telescoping cover. It prevents the bees from gluing down the outer cover to the
super with propolis and wax.
 OUTER COVER – Removal of the outer cover, with the inner cover in place, disturbs
few bees within the hive and allows the beekeeper to more easily smoke the bees prior to
colony manipulation.

 SMOKER – A bee smoker and hive tool are essential for working bees. The smoker
consists of a metal fire pot and grate with bellows attached. The size of the smoker is a
matter of individual preference. The 4 x 7 inch size is probably the most widely used.
 HIVE TOOL – The hive tool is a metal bar essential for prying apart frames in a brood
chamber or honey super, separating hive bodies, and scraping away wax and propolis.
The hive tool should be cleaned from time to time to remove propolis, wax, and honey.
This may be done simply by stabbing the tool into the ground or by burning it in a hot
fire pot of a smoker.
 PROTECTIVE CLOTHING – Wear a bee veil at all times to protect your face and
neck from stings. Three basic types of veils are available: those that are open at the top to
fit over a hat, completely hatless veils, and veils that form part of a bee suit. A wire or
fabric veil that stands out away from the face worn over a wide-brim, lightweight hat that
fits securely offers the best protection. Veils without hats, although lightweight and fold
easily for transport, do not always fit as securely on the head as they should. The elastic

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 band that fits around your head often works upward, allowing the veil to fall against your
face and scalp as you bend over to work with bees.

BEEHIVES
A beehive is a structure in which bees are kept, designed so that the beekeeper can collect
the honey that they produce. Bee hives were designed after the discovery of “Bee Space” or “Bee
Passage” by L.L.Langstroth.

TYPES OF BEEHIVE
1. LANGSTROTH HIVE

Langstroth Hive are comprised of stacked boxes with vertical hanging frames. This hive comes with
either 8 or 10 frames. The bees build comb on the frames and the beekeeper can easily remove the
frame from the beehive. Langstroth hives are expandable because more boxes can be added to the top
of the hive as the bee colony grows.

2. TOP BAR HIVE

Top bar beehives look very different from Langstroth hives. They are horizontal, in comparison to
the tall,vertical Langstroth hive. Instead of multiple boxes stacked on top of eachother, Top bar hives
have one long box.

3. WARRE HIVE

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Warre hives look very similar to Langstroth hives, but they are a little smaller. They use vertical
stacking boxes just like the Langstroth hive. French monk Abbé Émile Warré created the hive in
hopes of simulating the hollow of a tree.

4. HORIZONTAL HIVE

The Horizontal hive functions similarly to the Langstroth hive, but with the benefit of no heavy
lifting. While the Langstroth hives boxes are stacked upon each other, the Horizontal hive has
everything on one level. The frames used in the Horizontal hive are the same as regular Langstroth
hives. Therefore, you can choose to use foundation or go foundationless.

BEE FLORA AND POLLINATION OF CROPS

Bee visits plants for its food, nectar and pollen. This floral fidelity of bees is due to their
preference for nectars having sugar contents and pollens with higher nutritive values. Besides
getting food for the bees as a result of their visit pollinate a number of crops.

QUALITIES OF HONEYBEES WHICH MAKE THEM GOOD

POLLINATORS

 Body covered with hairs and has structural adaptation for carrying nectar and pollen.
 Bees do not injure the plants
 Adult and larva feed on nectar and pollen which is available in plenty
 Considered as superior pollinators, since store pollen and nectar for future use
 No diapauses is observed and needs pollen throughout the year
 Body size and proboscis length is very much suitable for many crops
 Pollinate wide variety of crops
 Forage in extreme weather conditions also

EFFECT OF BEE POLLINATION ON CROP

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  It increases yield in terms of seed yield and fruit yield in many crops
 It improves quality of fruits and seeds
 Bee pollination increases oil content of seeds in sunflower
 Bee pollination is a must in some self incompatible crops for seed set

MANAGEMENT OF BEES FOR POLLINATION

Place hives very near the field source to save bee's energy
 Migrate colonies near field at 10 per cent flowering
 Place colonies at 3/ha for Italian bee and 5/ha for Indian honey bee
 The colonies should have 5 to 6 frame strength of bees, with sealed brood and young
mated queen
 Allow sufficient space for pollen and honey storage

POLLINATION BY BEES

1. SUNFLOWER: It is a cross-pollinated crop. The pollen of the plant cannot fertilize

ovary of same plant. Pollen source should be from different plant. Hence, honey bees acts
as important agents for pollination in sunflower. In sunflower, yield increases even up to
600 per cent due to bee pollination. It improves quality and quantity of seeds. Mostly
irrigated crop is preferred by bees.

2. CUCURBITACEOUS VEGETABLES: Cucurbits are monoecious with staminate and

pistillate flowers in same plant. Due to bee pollination fruit set increases up to 30 to 100
per cent.

3. ALFALFA OR LUCERNE: These plants have tubular flowers with 5 petals joined at
base. They posses one large standard petal, 2 smaller petals on sides and 2 keel petals
holding staminal column. When bee sits on a keel petal, stamina column strikes against
standard petal resulting in shattering of pollen. This is called tripping. Seed set occurs
only if bee sits to trips the flowers.

4. CORIANDER: In coriander yield increases up to 187 per cent due to pollination.

5. CARDAMOM: It is an important commercial crop depending on bees for pollination.

Here yield increases up to 21 to 37 per cent.

6. GINGELLY: Another oilseed crop where bee pollination causes 25 per cent increase in
yield.

7. APPLE: In apple seed set occurs only if it is pollinated by bees. Fruit is formed only
around the seeds. If improper seed set occurs fruit shape is lopsided resulting in
decreased market value.

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 \

CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF

BEEKEEPING

GENERAL APIARY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

1. HIVE INSPECTION: Open the hive at least twice a week and inspect for following details.
Hive record also is to be maintained for each hive.

 Presence of queen
 Presence of eggs and brood.
 Honey and pollen storage
 Presence of bee enemies like wax moth, mite, disease

2. EXPANDING BROOD NET: It is done by providing comb foundation sheet in empty

frame during honey flow period.

3. SUPERING: This is done when brood chamber is filled with bees and all frames are
covered. Comb foundation sheet or constructed comb is provided in super chamber

4. DURING BREEDING SEASON: During honey flow season there is considerable increase
in the foraging activity of the workers and in the rate of egg laying by the queen. Necessary
additional space has to be provided for all these and this is done through supply of new,
clean, yellow combs or comb foundation sheets.

5. SWARM CONTROL: The strength of colonies gets denoted as a result of Swarming.

Swarming can be prevented by clipping off special queen brood cells as they are constructed,
since a colony does not send out a swarm unless a new queen is ready to take the place of
the reigning queen.

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6. ARTIFICIAL FEEDING: Bees do not visit each and every flower. They visit only flowers
having ample pollen and nectar (non-toxic to them) and it should be within their reach.
Therefore, the bee flora of a particular region is most important for the bee industry.

7. PREPARATION OF ARTIFICIAL FEED: Sugar syrup is prepared by dissolving 100 g of

sugar in 150-200 ml of hot water, boiled and cooled. It is offered in 400 ml glass-bottle or
cigarette tins with their mouth covered with a mark in cloth held tightly with rubber band or
thread. The syrup bottle is placed upside down in the super with or without inner cover. The
colonies should be fed on alternate days in the evening.

8. PROVISION OF DRINKING WATER: Water is required to blend with the food and to
lower the temperature of the hives during hot weather. Water can be supplied in a tank or an
earthen pot set up so as to permit the water to drip. The water can be given in a glass bottle
inside the hive also.

9. HANDLING THE QUEEN: The queen is the most important and indispensable individual
in the bee colony, and should be handled properly and carefully.

SEASONAL MANAGEMENT

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Pollen and nectar are available only during certain period. When surplus food source are
available it is known as honey flow season. In contrast during dearth period there will be scarcity
of food. During extremes in climate like summer, winter and monsoon certain specific
management tactics are required.

HONEY FLOW SEASON MANAGEMENT

 This season coincides with spring. During this season,
 Provide more space for honey storage by giving comb foundation sheet or built combs
 Confine queen to brood chamber using queen excluder
 Prevent swarming as explained in swarm management
 Prior to honey flow, provide sugar syrup and build sufficient population
 Divide strong colonies into 2-3 new colonies, if colony muitiplication is needed
 Queen rearing technique may be followed to produce new queens for new colonies

SUMMER MANAGEMENT
 Bees have to survive intense heat and dearth period by following means.
 Provide sufficient shade, under trees or artificial structure
 Increase RH and reduce heat by Sprinkling water twice a day on gunny bag or rice straw
put on hive
 Increase ventilation by introducing a splinter between brood and super chamber
 Provide sugar syrup, pollen supplement, substitute and water

WINTER MANAGEMENT
 Maintain strong and disease free colonies
 Provide new queen to the hives
 Provide winter packing in cooler areas hilly regions

MANAGEMENT DURING DEARTH PERIOD

 Remove empty combs and store in air tight container.
 Use dummy division board to confine bees to small area
 Unite weak colonies
 Provide sugar syrup, pollen supplement and substitute

RAINY SEASON AND MONSOON MANAGEMENT

 Avoid dampness in apiary site. Provide proper drainage
 In rain when bees are confined to the hive, provide sugar syrup feeding

BEE PASTURAGE OR BEE FORAGE

Plants that yield pollen and nectar are collectively called bee pasturage or bee
forage. Plants which are good source of nectar are tamarind, moringa, neem, Prosopis juliflora,
Soapnut tree, Glyricidia maculata, eucalyptus, Tribulus terrestris and pungam. Plants which are
good source of pollen are sorghum, sweet potato, maize, tobacco, millets like cumbu, tenai,
varagu, ragi, coconut, roses, castor, pomegranate and date palm. Plants which are good source of

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both pollen and nectar are banana, peach, citrus, guava, apple, Sunflower, berries, safflower,
pear, mango and plum.

FORAGING: This refers to collection of nectar and pollen by bees.

NECTAR FORAGERS: These collect nectar from flowers using lapping tongue and pass the
nectar to hive bees. Hive bees repeatedly pass the nectar between pre oral cavity and tongue to
ripen the honey. Later they drop the ripened honey into cells.

POLLEN FORAGERS: They collect pollen by passing through different flowers. Pollen
sticking to the body is removed by using pollen comb. Then it is packed using pollen press into
corbicula or pollen basket. A single bee carries 10 to 30 mg of pollen which is 25 per cent of
bee's weight. Then the pollen is dislodged by middle leg into cells. Pollen is mixed with honey
and stored.

PESTS AND DISEASES OF HONEYBEES

PESTS OF HONEY BEES

1. WAX MOTHS:
The greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella L. (Galleriidae) enjoys world wide
distribution In South India it is seen causing severe
damage in the plains and lower altitudes but it is rare in
high altitudes. It is one of the most observed throughout
the year but more common and severe during July to
October and November to December. Combs of all the
species of Apis are freely attacked. It is one of the most
important enemies of the bee colony causing serious
damage particularly to weak colonies where the number
of bees are not sufficient enough to cover all the combs.
The insect can be controlled by frequent examination all
the crevices of the hive and removing all debris. The excess of the hive not covered by the bees
are removed and stored after fumigation with ethylene bromide. In the store rooms the spare
should be stored in tightly closed containers.

2. WASPS
The yellow banded hornet, Vespa cincta F., is a large wasp with a broad transverse yield
band on the abdomen. It is a social insect constructing papery nests in hollow spaces. It waits
area the entrance of the hive, catches bees as they come out, macerates them for feeding the juice
to its young. It captures bee in the field also. By reducing the width of the alighting board of the
hive, the wasps can be prevented from sitting near the entrance Wasp nests should be destroyed
by burning them. V. tropica vat, haemotoides B. is also known to attack bees in India. In hilly
regions another bee hunter wasp, Phyllanthus ramakrishnae T. attacks and carries away bees.

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 3. WAX BEETLES
The tenebrionid beetle, Platybolium alvearium B., is found in the hives under unhygienic
conditions feeding on the debris and on old combs in weak colonies. Periodical examination of
empty combs and regular cleaning of the bottom boards will control the enemy.

4. BEE MITES
Mites are microscopic and are ecto or endo parasites of honeybees.

5. BROOD MITE, Tropilaelaps clareae

These mites are serious ectoparasites on brood and adults of Apis mellifera. They
attack the brood and cause larval death. Perforations are seen on the brood cells. The adult mites
are longer than brood.

DISEASES OF HONEY BEES

1. NOSEMA DISEASE

This disease is caused by a protozoan, Nosema apis. The Nosema infestation leads
to dysentery. The flies are unable to fly and void loose excreta on the combs, frames and
ground in front of the hive. It mainly affects the flight during cold weather. An antibiotic
known as Fumagillin is useful in controlling the infection. The drug is administered by
giving a feed of 100 mg fumagillin per colony in 250 ml of sugar syrup for 10 days
continuously.

2. BROAD DISEASES
Honey bee broods suffer from variety of diseases. Loss of brood affects the
colony strength. Adult bees are not affected by brood diseases but they can spread the casual
organisms. Brood diseases are more serious than adult diseases. Brood diseases of bees are

described below.
a. European foul-brood
b. American foul-brood
c. Sac foul-brood
d. Thai Sac brood virus (TSBV)
e. Chalk foul-brood and stone brood disease

HARVESTING AND PROCESSiNG OF HONEYBEE

Honey, bees wax, royal jelly, bee venom, propolis and pollen are the important bee
products. Honey is harvested at the end of a flowering season. In traditional or top-bar hives, the
beekeeper selects combs which contain ripe honey covered with a fine layer of white beeswax,

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usually those nearest the outside of the nest. Honey is extracted only from super combs using
honey extractor.

COLLECTION AND RIPENING OF HONEY

Honey contain a wide range of sugars, varying according to the nectar source, and small
amounts of other substances such as minerals, vitamins, proteins and amino acids. The
temperature in a nest near the honey storage area is usually about 35 °C.

Field bees draw nectar by its lapping tongue known as proboscis. Field bees regurgitate
the nectar which is colIected by hive bees and deposited in cells in comb. Nectar contains 20 to
40 per cent sucrose. The enzyme invertase converts sucrose into dextrose (glucose) and levulose
(fructose). Invertase is present in nectar itself and also in saliva of honeybees. Finally ripening of
honey takes place by the action of enzyme and by evaporation of water from honey by
temperature and the ventilation produced by fanning of wings by bees. When the water content is
reduced to about 20 percent, the bees seal the cell with a wax capping. The honey is now
considered "ripe" and will not ferment. In this way the bees prepare for themselves a
concentrated food source packed in minimal space. It is free from problems of fermentation;
therefore bacteria cannot grow in the honey and it will not deteriorate during storage. This food
sustains the bees through periods when there are no flowers.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF HONEY

 Honey is hygroscopic. If exposed to air it absorbs moisture
 Honey is a viscous fluid.
 Heating of honey reduces viscosity
 Specific gravity of pure honey is 1.35 to 1.44 gms/cc

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  Refractive index of honey, helps to find moisture content measured using refractometer

PURITY TEST FOR HONEY

 Measure specific gravity of honey using hydrometer

 If the specific gravity is between 1.25 to 1.44 it is pure honey

AROMA AND FLAVOUR OF HONEY

 It is acquired from the nectar of the flower

 It is lost if heated or exposed to air for long time

COLOUR OF HONEY

 Depends on the nectar of flower and the plant species

 Darker honey has stronger flavour
 Lighter honey has more pleasant smell

 PROCESSING OF HONEY

1. HONEY
Flowers nectar is a solution of sugars and other minor constituents that bees collect and
concentrate into honey. It is a sweet, viscous fluid, produced by honeybees. It is collected as
nectar from nectarines at base of flowers. Also collected from nectar secreted by plant parts other
than flowers known as extra floral nectaries. It is collected also from fruit juice, cane juice etc..

2. BEESWAX

Beeswax is the material that bees use to build their nests. It is produced by young
honeybees that secrete it as a liquid from special wax glands. Worker bees secrete wax when
they are 14 to 18 days old. On contact with air, the wax hardens and forms scales, which appear
as small flakes of wax on the underside of the bee. About one million wax scales make 1 kg of
wax. Bees use the wax to build the well-known hexagonal cells that make up their comb, a very
strong and efficient structure. Bees use the comb cells to store honey and pollen; the queen lays
her eggs in them, and young bees develop in them. Beeswax is produced by all species of
honeybees, although the waxes produced by different species have slightly different chemical
and physical properties.

3. BEE VENOM

Sting of worker bee is attached to a poison sac where venom is stored. Newly emerged
bee is unable to sting because she cannot insert the sting.

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 4. PROPOLIS

Propolis gathered by bees from resinous exudes of tree. In the bee colony propolis is used
for sticking frames, sealing cracks and crevices but it is a contaminant of comb wax. Propolis is
obtained by scrapping it from the frames.

5. ROYAL JELLY

Royal jelly is secreted by gland of nurse bees of the age of 6 to 12 days when the glands
are fully active. It is very nutritious food and is fed to the young worker larvae and the queen
larva and adult. Royal jelly is milky or light pale in colour.

6. POLLEN

It is collected by pollen trap from ingoing pollen foragers. Pollen is a rich protein source
for human diet.

PESTICIDE POISONING IN HONEY BEES

The use of pesticides has become inevitable in modern agriculture. During the last four
decades, the consumption of pesticides in India has increased several folds. Pesticides used on
field crops for the control of pests have their side effects, one of which is toxicity to ho ney bees.
Honey bees are susceptible to many pesticides. Three types of harmful effects evident in
agriculture are loss in production of honey, contamination of bee products, reduction in the yield
of cross pollinated crops.

The harmful effects may be due to the direct exposure of honey bees to pesticides or
through indirect contact with their residues. Direct exposure occurs from treatment of bee hives
for disinfestation purpose or bees visiting the field at the time of spray. While the indirect
exposure occurs from the spray drift or bee foraging in sprayed crops.

SYMPTOMS OF BEE POISONING

 Dead bees near the entrance of hive or colonies

 Dead bees on the top of frames or bottom board
 Lack of recognition of guard bees
 Aggressiveness bee products.
 Fighting among bees.

CAUSES OF POISONING
 Pesticide application during crop bloom

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  Drift of toxic chemicals on to flower, pollen and nectar
 Bee feeding on contaminated food and water sources
 Use of insect growth regulators may inhibit brood production
 Herbicides indirectly affect through damage to the foliage
 Use of diesel oil as a carrier in insecticide formulations
MANAGEMENT OF BEE POISONING
 Bee colonies should be maintained where use and drift of pesticide is minimum
 Close co-operation with farmers to avoid irrational use of pesticides
 Feeding of colonies with sugar syrup at the time of pesticide application to reduce bee
foraging

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