Biology · Ch 9 — Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production
Bee-keeping
Bee-keeping
Bee-keeping, also called apiculture, is the practice of maintaining hives of honeybees to produce honey. It is one of the oldest cottage industries known to humans.
Why bee-keeping matters
Honey is a food of high nutritive value and is also used in indigenous systems of medicine. Bees additionally produce beeswax, which is used in industry — for example in making cosmetics and various polishes. Rising demand for honey has turned bee-keeping into an established income-generating activity, whether carried out on a small household scale or as a larger commercial enterprise.
Bee-keeping can be practised wherever there are enough bee pastures — wild shrubs, fruit orchards or cultivated crops — to support the hives. Several species of honeybee can be reared, but the most commonly kept species is Apis indica. Hives can be set up in a courtyard, on a verandah, or even on a rooftop, and the practice is not labour-intensive.
Requirements for successful bee-keeping
Although bee-keeping is relatively simple to start, doing it well needs some specialised knowledge, which is why several organisations offer training in it. The key requirements are:
- Understanding the nature and habits of bees
- Choosing a suitable location for the beehives
- Catching and hiving swarms (groups of bees)
- Managing beehives through the different seasons
- Handling and collecting honey and beeswax