Beekeeping in Africa: Colony management I: examining the colony and controlling Source FAO Keywords , bee colonies, colony management, swarming Country of first practice Africa ID and publishing year 7328 and 2011 Sustainable Development Goals No poverty, decent work and economic growth and industry, innovation and infrastructure

Summary This technology focuses on practices 1. How to examine a bee colony to examine and control the colony. The While the experienced can usually second part discusses the phenomenon of have a fair idea of how his colonies are swarming and discusses measures to prevent progressing by observing them from outside, swarming. This technology is part of a series the only means he has of knowing for sure on hive management derived from the FAO whether everything is going smoothly is to publication ‘Beekeeping in Africa’. open the hives and inspect each comb. This will let him know if is being prepared Description and capped regularly, whether the colony is When the beekeeper has successfully getting ready to swarm, whether the hive has obtained some bees in his hives, he can look been attacked by pests, etc. forward to a bumper harvest, but he must The general rules for hive inspection and remember that success in keeping bees for harvesting honey are the same, and depends on the exercise of his knowledge therefore they can be discussed together of colony organization in relation to various here. factors. 1. Wear protective clothes, and cover the It is also controlled or affected by seasonal body thoroughly. It is better to have and climatic changes, not forgetting the another person check to be sure the bees existence of vegetation or bee forage in the have no way to reach the skin. area. 2. should always work in pairs: A farmer who plants his crop on fertile land one operating the smoker and the other with excellent climatic conditions is bound working the top-bars and combs. to fail if he leaves everything to chance, 3. Get a good smoker with a large bellows. neglecting other important managerial The fuel container must be large enough practices such as pest control, bush clearing, to carry enough fuel to last for the entire pruning, thinning, etc. Beekeeping calls for operation. Carpenter’s practices which are vital to the survival and wood shavings are well-being of every bee colony. excellent for fuel. Never TECA forget to take along a good TECHNOLOGIES

and PRACTICES for SMALL AGRICULTURAL 1/3 PRODUCERS Beekeeping

knife or hive tool and brush or quill. operation until all the combs have been 4. Puff some smoke gently around the hive. inspected. Then puff continuously through the main 8. If more than ten brood combs are found, entrance for at least three minutes. remove the excess, because if too much Wait about one or two minutes for the brood is allowed to emerge, the hive will bees to rush in and gorge themselves with become overcrowded and the colony honey. may abscond. These brood combs can be 5. Using the hive tool or knife, pry open the placed in another hive to strengthen its lid of the hive if it has been propolized colony if necessary. (top-bar hives have no problem with 2. Controlling swarming to advantage propolizing). With the top-bar hive, it is important to knock at the top-bars to It is a natural fact that bees in the hive will determine which are without combs; one day separate and that some of them will the empty side makes the most noise leave. The beekeeper will be worried about (the frame hive does not need to be the honey and other valuables that the bees “knocked”). will carry away from the hive. Swarming Using the hive tool or knife, pry up the divides the population of the colony, and this top-bars from the empty side. Then puff of course causes a considerable reduction of some smoke gently so that the smoke the working force. will drive the bees to the other side of As a result, the amount of honey and the hive. Host bees will gather as far as other valuable products that the colony possible from the first comb. might produce is considerably reduced. 6. Then remove the first comb and inspect Consequently, the beekeeper would prefer it. If it is a brood comb, look to see that to retain all the bees and make valuable use the cells are filled regularly and well- of them. This can be done by controlling sealed, and especially whether the comb swarming, but in a manner that will not contains queen and cells as well as interfere with the bees’ natural instinctive worker cells; this is a sign that the colony desire. Such interference can lead to is preparing to swarm. absconding, another deplorable behaviour If it is a honey comb, look to see whether characteristic of the tropical bee. the cells are fully capped (containing ripe Let us now look a little more closely at the honey) or uncapped or partly capped circumstances that lead the bees to swarm. (containing unripe honey). Then replace During the peak of the brood-rearing stage, the comb, even if it is full of ripe honey; the best queens are capable of laying up to it can be removed and taken away later, 2 000 eggs a day. In the forest areas, this during honey-harvesting operations, occurs between August to October and April which call for special equipment (please to May (these periods may differ in some see the entry “Beekeeping in Africa: parts of the region, but they usually occur traditional and modern beehives and after the main rainy season, when flowers beekeeping equipment” in the further are in bloom). readings, for more information). 7. Replace the comb, give a puff of smoke, The brood combs become so populous that go on to the next comb, and repeat the the queen can no longer withstand the

2/3 congestion in the brood nest. The whole The sign that warns the beekeeper that the colony is thrown out of balance, and workers bees are preparing to swarm is the discovery begin to build queen cells to rear queens of swarming queen cells. When these are for the purpose of swarming. The queen found, the beekeeper must intervene to turn cells are numerous and are built in twos and this activity to his advantage by dividing the threes at intervals of two days. These are colony himself. always built at the sides of the comb of a 3. Related/Associated Technologies top-bar hive or at the base of the comb of a frame hive. • Beekeeping in Africa. Traditional and modern beehives and beekeeping To prevent swarming, the hive must be equipment: TECA ID 7273 managed so that congestion will be avoided • Beekeeping in Africa. Installation of bee or, at least, minimized. The idea is to create hives (with particular focus on the top bar a commodious area to cope with the ever- hive): TECA ID 7291 increasing brood during the build-up stages. • Beekeeping in Africa. Site selection for bee Any managerial activity that will increase the hives: TECA ID 7323 desired cells required for the comfort of the • Beekeeping in Africa. Colony queen and the workers will prevent or delay management II. Dividing, uniting and swarming. Some methods of doing this are feeding a colony: TECA ID 7326 as follows: • Beekeeping in Africa. Colony 1. remove near the brood nest management III. Record keeping and nest and replace them with empty combs; control: TECA ID 7327 2. add empty combs from other hives at • Beekeeping in Africa. Honey harvesting: the sides of the brood combs of the TECA ID 7329 overcrowded hive. This means that the • Beekeeping in Africa. Honey and bee wax beekeeper must build a stock of empty extraction: TECA ID 7330 combs, which must be carefully protected • Beekeeping in Africa. Using bees for from the wax-moth larva; pollination: TECA ID 7331 3. do not leave honeycombs in small hives • Beekeeping in Africa. Responding to for too long. Always remove them to common bee diseases: TECA ID 7332 create more space for the bees to work; • Beekeeping in Africa. Choosing and rearing 4. provide shade by covering the hive with a queen: TECA ID 7333 a bundle of dry grass or palm branches 4. Objectives fulfilled by the project when it is too warm for the bees. • Resource use efficiency; and Overheating can be detected when bees • Pro-poor efficiency. gather at the entrance of the hive, fanning themselves.

TECA TECHNOLOGIES and PRACTICES for SMALL 3/3 AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS