9.
Routine Apiary Management
9.1. General apiary management practices
9.1.1. Hive hanging
▪ When working with local bees, one of the activity is hanging the hives.
▪ After baiting the frames with beeswax, the hives are hung in a natural forest
environment.
▪ Ideally, the hive is hung on a sturdy tree branch, under a canopy that shields and
protects the hive.
1
Routine Apiary Management…cont’d
9.1.2. Hive inspection
▪ Experienced beekeeper can usually know about how his colonies are progressing by
observing them from outside.
▪ But for a real understanding, it is important that the beekeeper open up the hive.
▪ There are two types of inspection.
I. External hive inspection
➢An indications of the overall health and well-being of a colony can be deduced from
simply observing the level of activity at the hive entrance.
➢By external inspection, we can inspect the following things;
✓Swarming: it is good to always look for “bees in the trees” all around the bee
yard so there is a chance you can capture a new colony.
✓Full Pollen Baskets: Bees carrying pollen into the hive packed onto their hind
legs indicates that the bees are raising brood.
2
External hive inspection…cont’d
✓Air conditioning: If dozens of bees at the hive entrance all lined up in the same
direction fanning their wings intently, there may be heavy smell of nectar stored
in the honey comb being dehydrated and converted into honey.
✓Sound: when inspecting a colony, do not overlook your sense of hearing. The
sounds that arise from a hive can tell you whether the colony is alive.
✓Presence of dead bees around the entrance: indicator of diseases
✓Robbing: are there small pieces of wax cappings in or around the hive entrance?
It could be a sign that the colony is being robbed out by others.
• Look closely at the flight activity of the worker bees flying in and
around the hive.
• Robbing bees will hover around the entrance with numerous quick
motions before they land.
3
External hive inspection…cont’d
• This behavior is quite different from a returning forager that belongs to
the hive.
• Foragers fly in a more direct path, land and then calmly walk into the
hive without much resistance or challenge from guard bees at the
entrance.
II. Internal hive inspection
▪ The only means of knowing for sure whether every thing is going smoothly is to
open the hives and inspect each comb.
▪ Opening the hive at least twice a week and inspecting for following details:
✓Presence of queen
✓Presence of eggs and brood
✓Honey and pollen storage
✓Presence of bee enemies like wax moth, mite, disease
4
Internal hive inspection…cont’d
• The general rules for internal hive inspection are mentioned here below.
1. Wear protective clothes and cover the body thoroughly.
2. Beekeepers should always work in pairs: One for operating the smoker and the
other working on the hives, frames and the combs.
3. Never forget to take along a good knife or hive tool and brush.
4. Open the lid of the hive and detach the frames from the side of the hives using
hive tools or knife.
5. Then remove the first comb and inspect it.
➢If it is a brood comb, look at the cells to see whether the cells are filled regularly
and well sealed; this is a sign that the colony is preparing to swarm.
➢If it a honey comb, examine whether the cells are fully capped (containing ripe
honey) or uncapped/partly capped (unripe honey).
6. Repeat it until all the combs have been inspected.
5
Internal hive inspection…cont’d
7. If more than ten brood combs are found, remove the excess, because if too much
brood is allowed to emerge, the hive will become overcrowded and the colony may
abscond.
▪ These brood combs can be replaced in another hive to strengthen its colony if
necessary.
9.1.3. Supering
❖It is placing of any upper hive box over the brood chamber for purpose of storing
surplus honey.
❖Top-supering is the addition of a super on top of existing supers, and is a relatively
quick and convenient way of adding supers.
❖Bottom-supering is the addition of a super below the other honey supers, but
above the brood box.
✓Queen will enter the super and lay eggs in it, unless a queen excluder is used.
6
9.1.4. Swarm management
❖Swarming is the process by which honey bee colonies reproduce to form new
colonies.
❖This comprises of a sudden departure of a proportion of the adult worker bees of a
colony from its nest.
❖Causes of swarming are;
1. Genetic disposition
▪ Swarming tendency is differ based on the species and races of bees.
2. Colonies with an older queen
▪ Even before the colony has reached its maximum size it can, in the presence of the
old queen, raise new queens and the colony can split itself in to groups with one
queen each.
▪ Because the pheromones produced by the older queen which inhibit the workers
from rearing other new queens, are produced in small amounts.
7
▪ Such a separate group of bees with one or more queens is called swarm.
Causes of reproductive swarming ….cont’d
3. Overcrowding in the hive- this may be because of the small size of the hive.
4. Poor ventilation
❖Some methods of swarm prevention are indicated here below:
➢Remove honey combs near the brood and replace them with empty combs
➢Do not leave honeycombs in small hives for too long and apply supering.
➢Provide shade by covering the hive with a bundle of dry grass or tree branches
when it is too warm. Overheating can be detected when bees fanning their
wings at the entrance.
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Swarm on the tree
9.1.5. Splitting/dividing and uniting bee colonies
A. Dividing a colony
❖Colony division is a method of multiplying bee colonies, i.e., producing two or more
colonies from a mother colony.
❖Colony division is used to control swarming, as well as to increase the number of
colonies for honey production or sold for income.
❖Colony division during the honey flow season can reduce honey production and it is
necessary to decide whether division or honey production should have priority.
❖Before dividing a colony;
✓The mother colony should be selected
✓The time and season of division should be decided.
✓Collect and prepare all the required materials.
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Dividing bee colonies…..cont’d
❖Equipment and Materials;
✓Empty hive
✓A frame fitted with comb foundation
✓Feeder and sugar
✓Colony inspection equipment
❖The mother colony can be multiplied into several nucleus colonies but each should
have at least 2 brood combs and 3–4 combs with food.
The steps are as follows:
➢Select the most appropriate mother colony.
➢Move the hive about 1 foot (30 cm) to the left of the existing location.
➢Place an empty hive about 30 cm to the right of the previous location, leaving the
old location empty.
➢Take 3 to 4 brood combs from the mother colony together with 1 mature queen
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cell.
The steps of dividing bee colonies…..cont’d
➢Divide the combs with food stores equally between the hives.
➢Divide the adult bees equally between the hives.
➢Check whether the incoming foragers are entering both hives equally.
➢If more foragers are entering one of the hives, move it further from the previous
location. Continue to adjust until equal numbers of foragers are entering both hives.
➢Close and cover the hives.
➢Divided colonies can be moved to the desired position by increasing the distance
from the old position at a rate of 30 to 45 cm per day in the evening after the bees
have stopped foraging.
➢Divided colonies should be fed with sugar syrup in the evening for 3 days after
division and comb foundation added as necessary.
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B. Uniting colonies
❖Colonies are united to make a strong healthy colony from two (or more) weak
colonies, or one weak and one strong colony, according to the needs of the
beekeeper.
➢The reasons for uniting colonies include the following:
✓Weaker colonies: uniting weak colonies results in a single strong colony.
✓Queenless colony or weak queen:
✓Inability of the queen to lay fertilized eggs: Occasionally a queen may not lay, or
may lay only unfertilized eggs which become drones. This can happen under
unfavorable weather conditions. Under such circumstances, the non-performing
queen can be removed and the colony united with a queen-right colony.
✓Increasing honey production: two or more colonies can be united at the onset of
the honey flow season to maximize honey production.
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Points to be consider for uniting bee colonies
❖All the foragers should have returned to the hive before colonies are united, thus it
is best to unite them in the evening.
❖One of the colonies selected for uniting should be made queenless before uniting it
with a queen-right colony.
❖The paper placed between the two colonies should be perforated but able to
prevent bees from passing through.
❖A diseased colony should not be united with a healthy colony unless fully treated
and recovered.
Preparation for uniting
❑Identify the colonies to be united.
❑Bring distantly placed colonies closer before uniting. A weak colony can be brought
close to the stronger, queen-right colony by moving at a rate of about 2 feet (60 cm)
per day.
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Preparation for uniting…..cont’d
❑Feed the colonies continuously with sugar syrup for 3 days before uniting if food
stores are insufficient.
❑Remove the queen of the weaker colony 24 to 48 hours prior to uniting.
❑Remove all the empty combs and super/s from the colonies to be united during
daytime.
The steps of uniting are as follows:
➢The colonies to be united should already have been moved close to each other (see
above).
➢Give a light puff of smoke at the entrances of the colonies.
➢Remove the (outer and inner covers) of the queen-right (strong) colony and place a
perforated paper over the frames to fully cover the brood chamber.
➢Spread honey or 2:1 sugar syrup lightly on the paper
➢Remove the bottom board of the queenless colony and place the hive on the
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perforated paper on top of the brood chamber of the queen-right colony.
Management
oHoneybees from the colonies are united when the pheromones of the two colonies
are thoroughly mixed by diffusion through the perforated paper.
oThe bees will chew the paper from both sides; it will disintegrate within 48 hours
and the bees will mix.
oThe hive should then be opened and the bees and frames from the upper chamber
transferred to the lower chamber so that all the bees are in one chamber.
oThe united colony should be fed with artificial food for 3 days after removing the
paper.
oIf required, a super can be added after some days once the brood chamber is full
and the united colony fully active, particularly during the honey flow season
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9.2. Seasonal management of honey bees
9.2.1. Honey flow season management
❖Honey flow refers to a period of time when surplus food source (nectar and pollen)
are available.
❖Prior to honey flow, provide sugar syrup and build sufficient population
❖This season coincides with spring. During this season,
➢Provide more space for honey storage by giving comb foundation sheet
➢Confine queen to brood chamber using queen excluder
➢Prevent swarming as explained in swarm management
➢Divide strong colonies into 2-3 new colonies, if colony multiplication is needed
➢Queen rearing technique may be followed to produce new queens for new
colonies.
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9.2.2. Management during dearth period
❖Provide sufficient shade, under trees or artificial structure
❖Increase RH and reduce heat by Sprinkling water twice a day
❖Increase ventilation by introducing a splinter between brood and super chamber
❖Provide sugar syrup, pollen supplement and water
❖Remove empty combs and store in air tight container.
❖Use division board to confine bees to small area
❖Unite weak colonies.
9.2.3. Rainy season/monsoon management
❖Avoid dampness in apiary site.
❖Provide proper drainage
❖In rain, when bees are confined to the hive, provide sugar syrup
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9.2.4. Attract bees to the new hive
❖You can attracting honey bees to a hive following 5 simple and easy steps:
I. Determine when swarm season is
▪ Bees don’t just randomly choose their new home.
▪ Several weeks before they swarm, the colony sends out their representatives (scout
bees).
II. Buy or build a bait hive
III. Apply the lure
▪ You can use an old hive or old frames since bees are attracted to the smell of
beeswax. The downside is wax moths also love that smell.
▪ So rather than using an old comb, there are better options like commercial
pheromone lures which are very effective at attracting bees to your hive.
▪ They usually have a lemongrass-like smell which is similar with the scent scout bees
leave after visiting a location.
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Attract bees to the new hive ….cont’d
IV. Position your bait box/hive
▪ Another critical factor to successfully attract bees to your hive is where you position
it and when.
▪ Place your trap hive 4.5m above the ground for the scout bees to see it quickly.
▪ You can place the swarm box up on tree branches.
▪ Make sure it is secure enough to hold the weight of super full of honey and bees.
V. Wait for the bees to move in
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9.3. Record keeping
❖Beekeeping records helps to assessment the health, behaviour and performance of
colony.
What records to keep?
❑Apiary records: the number of apiaries, their locations, and the total number of
hives in each one.
❑Equipment records: suppliers address and cost of equipment
❑Hive records: name or number of the hive, type of bees, colony’s source, queen
source and age, costs.
❑Inspection records: dates of inspections, observations from the inspections
including an assessment (strength of colony any presence of pests or diseases).
❑Production records: types and quantity of hive products with their selling price.
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10. Honeybee products properties, processing
❖Honey, bees wax, royal jelly, bee venom, propolis, pollen and brood are the
important bee products.
1. Honey
➢It is a sweet, viscous fluid, produced by honeybees.
➢It is collected as nectar from nectarines plants at base of flowers and converted in
to honey.
➢Field bees draw nectar by its lapping tongue known as proboscis.
➢Field bees regurgitate the nectar and deposited in cells in comb. Nectar contains 20
to 40 % sucrose.
➢The enzyme invertase converts sucrose into dextrose (glucose) and levulose
(fructose).
➢Invertase is present in nectar itself and also in saliva of honeybees.
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Honey…..cont’d
➢Finally ripening of honey takes place by the action of enzyme and by evaporation of
water from honey by fanning of bee wings.
➢When the water content is reduced to about 20 %, 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.
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Compositions of honey
➢Generally honey has a content of:
✓80–85% carbohydrates ((Fructose(levulose), glucose (dextrose), sucrose))
✓15–20% water
✓0.3% proteins
✓0.2% minerals (Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Sodium, Magnesium,
Manganese, Copper, Sulphur, Silica and Iron)
✓Minor quantities of amino-acids, pigments (Carotene, chlorophyll and
xanthophyll) and vitamins (Vitamin B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin K).
Physical properties of honey
▪ Honey is hygroscopic. If exposed to air it absorbs moisture
▪ Honey is a viscous fluid.
▪ Heating of honey reduces viscosity (the resistance to flow)
▪ Specific gravity of pure honey is 1.35 to 1.44
▪ Refractive index of honey, helps to find moisture content measured using
refractometer
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…..cont’d
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
Crystallization or granulation of honey: This is a natural property of honey
particularly at low temperature. Dextrose present in honey granulate and settle
down.
24
Honey quality
➢Objective criteria that determine honey quality include:
1. Absence of adulterants
▪ Measure specific gravity of honey using hydrometer
✓If the specific gravity is between 1.35 to 1.44 it is pure honey
▪ Measure moisture content of honey using refractometer
✓If the moisture content is between 15–20% it is pure honey
2. Absence of unhygienic components including metals that might present a health
hazard
3. Absence of fermentation
➢Subjective criteria
▪ Check the normal flavor, aroma, inclusion of other bee-produced materials.
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Use of Honey
➢Used as human food
✓In certain alcoholic beverages
✓Sugar substitute in cooking and baking
✓In child feeding
➢Used as an ingredient to made drugs
➢Health benefits
✓Useful in weight management
✓Strengthens immune system
✓Nourishes your skin and face
✓Boosts your memory
✓Home remedy for cough
✓It makes your hair smooth and soft (for cosmetics)
✓Used for healing wounds
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2. Bee wax
➢Wax is secreted by bees to make honeycombs
➢Beeswax is a product made from the honeycomb.
Common uses
➢Used as an ingredient in medicines
➢ For repairing kitchen utensils.
➢Used in tanneries for treating hides and skins.
➢Used to make cosmetics and candle
Important factors in processing of bees wax
1. Bees wax is damaged by overheating.
➢It should never be heated directly over a flame, because direct heat will darken and
spoil it.
➢Since it is flammable, heating it directly also creates a real and serious fire hazard.
27
Important factors in processing of bees wax…cont’d
2. Containers used for melting or cooling bees wax should be made of aluminum,
stainless steel, nickel.
3. Adulteration of wax should be avoided all times.
4. Contamination of beeswax with propolis, lowering its melting point and changing
its characteristics must be prevented; scrapings from frames should never bee mixed
with cell capping.
5. Sand or stones must not be allowed to become mixed with bees wax.
3. Pollen
❖Pollen is the source of protein and other substances they require for brood rearing
and a colony.
❖Bees normally collect pollen from flowers that produce nectar, but sometimes from
wind pollinated plants, such as maize.
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Pollen…cont’d
❖The composition of bee-collected pollen varies greatly according to plat source, and
its water content also varies with climatic conditions.
Commercial uses of bee pollen
✓Feeding to bees
✓As dietary supplement for domestic animals
✓For human consumption (as nutritional and therapeutic dietary supplements)
4. Propolis
➢It is a red or brown resinous substance collected by honeybees from tree buds, used
by them to fill crevices and to fix and varnish honeycombs.
➢It is the latest hive production to have been commercialized.
➢There is no standard equipment for harvesting propolis. Some beekeeper, scrape it
off hive walls, frames etc, but this gives a very impure product.
29
5. Royal jelly
➢Royal jelly is a very rich food, which enables honeybee larvae to grow extremely and
quickly, more specially queen larvae.
➢Royal jelly is used in some countries for treating a wide variety of human diseases
and to promote long life and well being.
6. Bees venom
➢ Apitoxin or bee venom is the venom produced by the honey bee.
➢It is used in medicinal research, in desensitization treatment for patients allergic to
bee stings.
7. Bee brood/larvae
➢Bee brood like honey, royal jelly and pollen is used for human consumption.
➢Bee brood, harvested as fully mature larvae, has high nutritive value.
➢In tropical Africa, honey hunter normally harvest whole combs (including brood).
➢Both the pollen and brood provide protein.
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11. Bee disease, pests and other enemies
➢Like all animals, bees are subjected to diseases, attacks by parasites and pests.
➢Bee diseases are transmitted from one colony to another in main ways.
▪ By adult bees
▪ By the re-use of contaminated combs.
▪ By robbing
▪ Consuming honey and pollen from diseased colonies
▪ Contaminated food and equipment
➢Diseased colonies should therefore be removed from the apiary
➢Hive entrance should be closed to prevent bees from healthy colonies robbing
honey stores in the contaminated hive.
➢Apiary hygiene is also important.
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11.1. Bee diseases
11.1.1. Brood diseases
A. American foulbrood disease (AFB)
▪ It is a bacterial disease of larvae.
▪ It kills all kind of capped larvae of brood combs.
▪ It occurs in all continents but mostly in temperate and subtropical region, but not as
such in Africa.
▪ Transmission- by robber bees, by drifting bees, by feeding and equipment.
▪ Symptoms:
✓The bees die in the larval or pupa stage
✓Larvae affected by this disease, exhibit color changes from white to dark brown
▪ Prevent spreading of the disease by not feeding any honey, and by not exchanging
combs, frames or hives from diseased colonies.
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AFB…cont’d
Treatment
➢There is no chemical control for the spores of AFB.
➢Burn or destruct all the bees and frames of an infected colony.
Fig 1. The larvae infected by AFB
33
B. European Foul Brood Disease
➢It is also a bacterial larval disease.
➢Attacks the larvae at an early stage (4-5 days) and the larvae die before the cells are
capped (Pupation).
➢Transmission- Contaminated food and equipment
➢Symptoms: -Dead and decomposed larval with pungent smell is noticed.
-The diseased larval turn from white to a dirty yellow and then to brown.
➢Treatment: -Remove the severely affected frames and melt them down.
-Sterilization of combs and honey
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C. Sac Brood Disease
▪ It is one of the viral diseases found all over the world.
▪ Symptoms:
✓In general quite similar to European foul brood, but with out a sour smell, larvae
die in an early stage
✓leaving a watery sac at the bottom of the cells
✓Dead larvae eventually become brown.
▪ Treatment: There is no treatment for such diseases. The controlling means are:
✓Sanitary management
✓Strengthening the colony
D. Chalk Brood Diseases
✓It is a fungal known disease
✓Commonly a disease of workers & drones brood.
✓Drone larvae are seriously affected by the disease more than worker larvae.
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Chalk Brood Disease…cont’d
▪ Symptoms
✓Larvae die early after their cells have been capped
✓Infected larvae left uncapped by the nurse bees when normal larvae are capped
▪ Treatment:
✓Burning of brood combs
✓Fumigation with ethylene oxide, cleaning of brood nests
E. Stone Brood Diseases
▪ This is a fungal disease and it infect both larva and adult bees.
▪ Transmission: Spread of this disease is by tools and equipment.
▪ Symptoms: Infected larval change color from white to brownish or greyish yellow
and become very hard and die before reaching to pupal stage.
▪ Treatment: There is no means of treatment, but some suggested that fumigation
with sulphur do control.
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11.1.2. Adult Honeybee Diseases
A. Amoeba Disease
▪ This is a parasitic disease and infects adult bees .
▪ Transmission- By contaminated combs, equipment, food and water.
▪ Symptoms: Crawling around the hive, bloating of abdomen, sudden reduction of
population.
▪ Treatment: No chemical treatment was found to control it.
B. Acarine Disease
▪ This is a parasitic disease of adult bees.
▪ Affect the tracheal system and then block and devoid air circulation.
▪ Transmission- By drifting of bees and exchange of combs
▪ Symptoms: Impairs the bee to fly, the tracheal system are found dark and stained.
▪ Treatment
✓Hygienic methods and separate non infested brood .
37
✓Chemotherapy- Burning Acaracide strips in front of the entrance
C. Nosema Diseases
▪ One of the parasitic disease and it attacks the digestive of organ of adult bee.
▪ Nosema disease is present in Ethiopia especially in high land areas.
▪ Transmission- By wind, insect, water and contaminated combs and equipment.
▪ Symptoms:
✓Young nurse bees stop their activities
✓Queen stop laying and die few weeks after
✓Restlessness, crawling out side the hive.
▪ Treatment:
✓Fumigation with fumagilin would destroy development of the organism at
vegetative stage
✓keeping the colony strong by providing food
✓keep good ventilation,
✓protection from prevailing winds, avoid cool weather
38
D. Varroa Diseases
▪ A parasitic mite.
▪ It is one of the most dangerous diseases ever exist in the world to day.
▪ Female mite would enter in to uncapped larval cells of worker and drones bees.
▪ Soon after entering in to the host cells, she starts laying eggs and at the time the
adult bees through larval stage of development tries to cap the cells as usual.
▪ Transmission: Varroa mite can spread by other bees and equipment.
▪ Symptoms
✓Death (high rate of mortality in short time)
▪ Treatment:
✓Remove the brood comb and cut off the life cycle of the mite
✓Isolate the severely infested colonies in a separate apiary
✓Chemical (formic acids and acaricide) fumigations are applied as treatment.
39
E. Bee Paralysis Diseases
▪ It is caused by virus called chronic paralysis virus (CPR).
▪ Transmission: Its mode of transmission is by bees and equipment.
▪ Symptoms:
✓Abnormal trembling of wing & bodies of adult bees
✓Fail to fly to foraging places, but crawling on the ground
✓huddle together on the hive
✓Blotted abdomen
✓Dislocated wings are seen inside the hive
▪ Treatment: There is no treatment for such diseases.
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11.2. Honeybee enemies
11.2.1. Pests
▪ Pests- those that are living on bees for food or for shelter, or for both.
A. Wax moth
❖This is the most dangerous enemy of honeybees in Ethiopia.
❖It is in fact a major problem in tropical climate.
❖It is found and affecting the colony during prolong dry months.
❖This pest occurs in weak colonics which can not occupy all the frames.
❖There are two kinds of wax moth, the larger and the smaller moth, 2 and 1cm long
respectively and both are grey.
❖They lay their eggs in cracks and grooves. The eggs hatch in to caterpillars which
move to the frames.
❖Wax moth larvae develop by eating bee wax, honey, nectar, pollen and sometimes
even the bee larvae and pupae.
41
Pest….cont’d
❖Symptoms: - combs are affected and the spaces between the combs are covered in
spider webs and the whole combs are eaten
❖Treatment: Various chemicals can be applied as control method but chemical are
very expensive and non available to the rural community here in the country.
✓Methyl bromide is effective to control wax moth
✓Acetic acid fumigation would kill the egg and adult wax-moth,
✓The best possible control method is the application of good bee management
practices, this includes:
• Maintain vigorous colony by providing adequate food during dry seasons
• Reduce empty comb frames during summer times
• Remove old and dark comb frames from hive
42
Wax moth….cont’d
Wax moth The comb affected by wax moth
43
B. Bee Lice
❖They are wing less ectoparasite and distributed through out the world.
❖Usually they are found in the thoracic and head regions and fed on nectar and
pollen.
❖It is harmless, unless it is found in a large number.
❖Control: Strengthen the colony
11.2.2. Predators
❑Predators- Those insects or animals that prey or kill and eat bees for their food.
A. Ants
▪ It is an insect and the black ants that produce pain by its jaws nibbling is the
leading in producing damage on honeybee in the country.
▪ It is most common in many parts of the country, especially in moist or humid
high land parts.
▪ When it attacks honeybees, it destroys the entire colony by carrying off any
44
comb contents, i.e. honey, brood, pollen & bees themselves.
Ants…cont’d
▪ The harassment is a contributory cause of aggressiveness and absconding by
colonies.
▪ It nests mostly in the soil or rotted wood (dirty area), hallow trees, underneath of
large fallen trunks that offer suitable hallows.
Control of Ants
❖Keeping apiaries clean, i.e. free of debris, that are ant attractants, controlling over
growths of grasses that serves as a pass route for ants, keeping dry land under hive
stands.
❖Destroy the ants nest, following the roads to the nest and remove the queen of the
ants.
❖Plastering the hive stand with cone shape smooth irons sheets.
❖Placing the legs of hive stands in open tins containing or filled waste used engine oil
can be recommended.
45
Control of ants…cont’d
❖Putting ash around the stand of the hive.
❖Use alderin on the nest site of the ants.
B. Termites
➢Termites are every where in Ethiopia causing heavy damage to developing bee
colonies especially new swarm colonies.
➢Termites would complete their reproduction in the outer surface of local hives
especially the ones plastered with straws or barks.
➢Termites invade the hived colony would eat honey and kill bees as well. They catch
the legs of bees and try to pull them out of the hive.
➢Control:
✓Putting ash near the hive stands
✓Used motor oils and grease on the hive stands
✓Cleaning and clearing apiary site from over growth of weeds.
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C. Spider
❖It is one of the honey bee enemies very popular in tropics.
❖It kills and eats the bees.
❖ It webs near the hive or near the forage source and traps foraging bees. Soon after
the bees are in the trapping net.
Control
❖It is quite possible to clean any trapping net from near and around apiary sites and
that could be the only means to avoid spider attack.
D. Birds
❖In Ethiopia there are few bird species which prey on the adult bee.
❖ If the population of the bird species is more, the colony will be severely affected in
relation to forager population.
❖King crow, sparrow with brown feathers and yellow triangular band underneath the
beak, green bee-eater are common.
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Birds…cont’d
❖When bees are weak & their flight speed decreases, these birds can catch and eat
then while flying out side their hive.
❖ Some birds can sit near hive entrance and eat bees.
❖Control: Some farmers kill such hunter bird and hang them near hive in order to
scare others not to approach bee hives, Destroying their nest.
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E. Wasps
❖These are insects, which prey on adult bee, either at the hive entrance or at the
foraging sites.
❖Cause to decrease forager population, this in turn affects the production.
Control
▪ The wasp problem can be avoided at the hive entrance by keeping the colony
strong.
▪ The nest of wasp can be located and removed, to reduce their population.
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11.3. Honeybee Poisoning
❖Poisonings are chemicals that are poisonous to our honeybees, they can be
artificial or natural.
❖The artificial poisonings include the contamination of bees by herbicides and
pesticides.
❖Whereas, the natural poisonings are the contamination of bees with poisonous
plants (i.e. Plants that produce poisonous (toxic chemicals) through foraging on
them.
❖Hazardous damage to bees poisoning come from pesticides, and herbicides.
❖Symptoms of poisoning bees:
✓Large number of dead bees in front of hive entrance with in a short period
✓Paralysis
✓Dead brood inside the hive
✓Improper cover of brood area
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✓ Queen fails to lay many eggs.
Honeybee Poisoning…cont’d
❖The bees are affected by pesticide toxicity. The honey bees are poisoned as follows:
✓Direct hit by pesticide application or drifts.
✓Contacts with pesticidal remains.
✓Feeding on contaminated pollen, nectar and water.
❖In the farming communities of Ethiopia, the rate of chemical application has
increased to great extent.
Prevention methods
❖By following the preceding precautions, it is possible to reduce the incidence of bee
poisoning:
✓Correct choice of pest control chemicals: If possible select less hazardous to
bees, select liquid formulations instead of dust.
✓Proper application techniques
✓Apply manually in stead of air plane & /or tractor.
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Prevention methods…cont’d
✓Cooperation among the beekeepers, pesticide applicators and experts, never apply
pesticides to crops on bloom (flowering)
✓ If possible apply in the evening after foraging activity has ceased (stopped)
✓Implement other integrated pest management.
✓Tell the beekeeper to remove his bees from the area 2 days ahead of the time you
intend to apply.
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