The document discusses the significance of honey bees in agriculture and their role in pollination, highlighting that they are responsible for 80% of the pollination of crops which constitute one-third of the human diet. It also provides an overview of beekeeping practices globally and in India, including the types of honey bee species, management techniques, benefits of beekeeping, and challenges faced by the industry. Furthermore, it highlights the economic potential of beekeeping for rural development and emphasizes the need for increased awareness, technical support, and disease management in the sector.

2. Master Seminar
on
Bee-keeping
Seminar incharge :
Dr.Gaje Singh
Dr.D.V.Singh
Dr. RajendraSingh
Dept.of Entomology
Speaker:
Sushant Kumar
M.Sc. (Ag) (Entomology)
Id.No. - PG/ A 3935/17-18

3.  Honey bee is a social & beneficial insect. They lives in hive.
 They are flying insect & close relatives of wasp.
Beekeeping
The science that aims to study the life, behavior & activity
of honey bee in order to obtain bee products and crop
pollination.
Maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in
hives, by humans.

4. Honeybee pollinates more than 110 commercially grown crops including
33% of agricultural groups.
 Almond (100%)
 Apple (90%)
 Broccoli (90%)
 Cherry(80%)
 Onion(65% )
 Lucerne (110%)
 Sunflower (45%)
 Mustard (40%)
 Cardamom (35%)
 Cotton (20%)
Globally, 33% of the human diet comes from insect pollinated plants and
the honey bee is responsible for 80% of that pollination.

5. World scenario of Beekeeping
 About 50 million bee colonies, mostly, Apis mellifera, maintained all over the world.
 World production of honey estimated 13.88 lakh M.T.
 15 countries in world account for 90% of world honey production.
 Major honey producing countries are China, USA(85000MTs), Mexico, Argentina,
Ukraine, Turkey, Russia & India.
 China is only Asian country producing nearly 1.6 lakh M. T. of honey, 12800 M.T. of
beeswax against 43400 M. T. of world production.
 China also produces 1000 M. T. of pollen and 800 M.T. of royal jelly and biggest
exporter of honey, beeswax and other bee products.
 70 lakh A.mellifera bee colonies and 30 lakh A.cerana bee colonies in China and they
have a plan to increase this number to 5 times in next few decades.

6. Status of bee keeping in India
About 14 lakh colonies by 2.5 lakh beekeepers
Employment to 1.5 lakh persons
Annual honey production 70,000 tonnes(54.15% from domesticated
and 45.85 from wild)
Apis cerena and mallifera both are practice
Avg. yield of honey is 21kg./hive
Values of export of honey approx. 250 Crores
Major market Germany, USA,Japan, France, Italy and Spain

7. Morphology of Honey-bee

8. •Kingdom - Animalia
•Phylum – Arthropoda
•class – Insecta
•Order – Hymenoptera
•Family – Apidae
•Genus – Apis
HONEY BEE CLASSIFICATION

9. Important species of Honey-bee in Bee keeping

10. Open nesting. Builds single large comb
attached to branches of trees or rocks etc.
Found in plains as well as hills up to 1600 meters
above sea level. Highly migratory.
Biggest honey bee (16-18mm)
Swarming/ Absconding tendency Strong
Furious in Temperament
40 kg Honey
wild bees, cannot be domesticated
Apis dorsata

11. Apis cerena indica
Cavity nesting. Builds many
parallel combs in cavities of
tree trunks, hollows of rocks,
poles and other Covered
places.
Found throughout India
Medium size (14-15mm)
Strong tendency of
Swarming
Furious in temperament
5 kg (Hive bees;
can be domesticated

12. Apis mellifera
Cavity nesting and similar in
habits to Apis cerana.
builds parallel combs.
Exotic bee to India, Introduced
successfully in 1962
Medium size (14-16mm)
Swarming only in African sub
species
Gentle in temperament
15 kg honey

13. Apis florae
Open nesting, Builds single small comb fixed to branches of bushes
Found in plains up to 300 mtr above sea level. Highly migratory.
Smallest Apis bee (9- 10mm)
Swarming/ Absconding tendency Strong
Temperament Mild
500 g Average honey yield per colony/year
wild bees; cannot be domesticated

14. Site Selection for Bee Keeping
 Availability of Flower
 Availability of water
 Accessibility and topography
 Shelter or Shady area
 Proximity of human activities
 Presence of pest and use of pesticides
 Drainage

15. Swarming, Supersedure,Absconding
Nuptial or flight marriage

16. Male
(drone)
Female
(queen)
Copulation
Unfertilized egg
Larva
6 DAYS
Pupa
Adult
Male (Drone)
Fertilized egg
3 DAYS
Larva
6 DAYS
Pupa
12 DAYS
Adult
Female(worker)
Other workers
NORMAL FOOD
Sterile female workers
One female
QUEEN
ROYAL JELLY
3 DAYS
ROYAL JELLY FOR 3 DAYS

17. Three Castes of Honey Bees
.

18. Size of Cast in Hive

19. The Queen Profile
The queen is a mature, fertile
female. She lays thousands of eggs
during her life time.
A queen has the longest live span in
the colony living for years versus
months.
She is normally larger than the other
bees in the hive and has a slim torpedo
shape.

20. She does have a stinger, but uses it to kill other queens.
Only actively reproducing female
Can produce 1,500 eggs per day or more at the height of the brood
season
She develops from a fertilized egg.
She mates with many drones to produce fertilized eggs.
She is the mother of all the bees in the hive.
Her role in the hive is to produce eggs and to release pheromone
signals within the hive.

21. Worker Profile
Female but typically not
able to reproduce
A colony will have 20,000 -
60,000
Live for 4-6 weeks in
summer, 4-5 months in
winter
Develops from a fertilized
egg

22.  Worker bees are sexually underdeveloped females.
 They may number as many as 60,000 in a colony.
 They are called workers because that is what they do.
 Female worker bees under certain conditions can lay eggs but
because they are not mated, they produce eggs that only develop into
drones.
 A worker bee spends its first 20 days in the hive performing various
task – cleaning cells, feeding young larva, building wax comb, etc.

23. The Drone bee
Note the general shape of the drone.
 The head is large and the eyes predominate
the head.
 The rear-end of the drone is rounded --they
have no stinger and can not sting.
 Although they are usually considered
worthless, they contribute to the
continuation of one generation to the next
generation.
They emerge in 24 days, larger than the
female workers.

24. The drone is the male bee in the hive.
He develops from an unfertilized egg. Meaning he is
passing on genetic material from his mother only.
He provides ½ of the genetic material in worker bees.
His life span depends on the health of the colony.
During poor honey flows and honey shortages, drones
may be driven from the hive. This happens at the onset of
winter as well.

25. The process of leaving the colony by the queen with a large
group of worker bees is called swarming.
when the egg laying capacity of the old queen is lost, it
dies or new queen takes the position of the old queen.
Migration of the complete colony from one place to
another due to some unfavorable conditions.

27. Communication
When food source is
< 50 m from hive
Waggle dance When food source
is > 50 meters away
Round dance
Waggle dance used during swarming to communicate
possible nest sites

28. Two types of hives are used in indigenous method of bee keeping
e.g. wall or fixed and movable hive .
(a) WALL OR FIXED HIVE:
•It is purely natural type of comb because the bees
themselves prepare the hive at any space on the wall
or trees.
•There is an opening on one side through which bees
come out of the hive.

29. (b) MOVABLE HIVE
•It comprises of hollow wood logs, empty boxes and earthen pots etc. placed in
verandas of houses.
•There exist two holes one is for entrance and the other for exit of the bees.
•The swarmed bees usually come to the box on their own accord.
•Some bee keepers use to take the clusters of the swarms from a tree and keep them in
the hive
For honey extraction, burning fire is brought near the bee hive at the
night as a result of which bees are either killed or they escape off.
Further the hive full of honey is being removed, cut into pieces and
squeezed to get honey.
Sometimes smoking is done so that the bees may escape from their
hives.

30. An advanced method based on scientific facts
Use of Scientifically made artificial Bee hive
First artificial comb was introduced by R. L. L. Langstroth
in 1851 in America
There are 3 type of artificial Bee hive used in INDIA..
1. Jeolikot model
2. Newton model
3. Langstroth model

31. Appliances of modern method

32. A

34. Spring season Management
Cleaning
Avoid Starvation
Timely disease inspection
Re- queening
Removal of honey crop
Creating space for expansion within the hive swarm
control

35. Summer season Management
Provide shade to hives
Provide clean water
Provide sugar syrup to honey bees
Sprinkle cold water over hive
Re-queening

36. Winter season Management
Place the colony under sun rays
Plug all openings
Unite weaker colony with stronger colony
Keep the entrance gate opposite to wind

37. Off season Management
Enough honey may left in the hive to keep colony alive
Protect from rain and wind
Protect from enemies
Take care of unhygienic condition
When nectar is not available , colony should be given
300 to 500 ml warm sugar syrup in evening

39. Disease Causal
organism
Place of
Infection
Nature of Damage Stage
infected
Management
Acarine
Disease
Acarapis
woodi
Trachea
& body
Fluid
Mites pierce the
tracheal tube wall
and feed on the
hemolymph of bee
Adult
Use of resistant
hybrid bee k/n as
Buck fast bee
Cotton soaked in
Methyl salcilate
and placed under
the hive
American
Foul
Brood
Bacteria
infected
Paenibacillus
larvae spp.
Gut
Infected larvae die
after their cell is
sealed, Turn Dark
Brown later change
into sticky mass
Larvae
Use of Antibiotics
Dusting the comb
with Sulphatiazole
powder
Dipping of hive
part in NaOC@3%
Colony
collapse
disorder
(CCC)
Stresses,
Malnutrition
and GM
crops
Colony
Worker bees from a
bee hive colony
abruptly disappear
Worker
bees
Not known
Following organic
bee keeping

40. Sac
Brood
Morator
aetatulas
(Virus)
Skin
Larvae changes from
white to gray , finally
black, Retarded
Growth, Died before
Pupation
Larvae Destruction of
affective hives
Sanitation of bee
hive
Nosema
Disease
Nosema apis Stomach
Intestinal tracts of
adult bees and
causes nosemosis
and dysentery
Adult Increase Ventilation
Amoebic
disease
Malphigamo
-eba
mellifera
Malphig
-ian
tubules
Causes to dysentery
in healthy bees
Adult Sterilization of brood
box & frames with
formalin @ 40%
European
Foul
brood
Melissoccou
s plutonius,
Bacillus
pluton
Mid Gut
Affected larvae
becomes discolored
and found in coiled
position, Larvae
turns in to yellow to
brown color, Tracheal
system visible
Larvae
Use of oxy-
tetracycline
hydrochloride
Chalk
Brood
Ascosphaera
apis
Gut Fungus will consume
the body of larvae,
White and Chalky
appearance.
Larvae Increase Ventilation
Transfer of healthy
bee into another hive
during wet springs

41. Scientific name - Vespa orientalis
Nature of Damage
Prey on Bees
Wasp macerate the bees and feed
on their Larvae
Management
Destruction of wasp nests by
burning or using insecticides
1.Greater wax Moth
Scientific Name – Galleria mellonella
Nature of Damage
The caterpillar make tunnels through near
midribs of a comb during stress. Feed on
the Wax.
Management
Para dichlorobenzene
Application of the aizawai variety of Bt
Bees also kill them, cleaning is needed

42. Removal of the Moth from the colony
Scientific name - Dorylas labiatus,
componotus. Compressus
Nature of Damage - Steal to the honey and brood,
Weaken and destroy to the bee
colony.
Management - Destruction of ant nest by fumigation or by insecticides

43. Honey
Antiseptic product, increase in Hemoglobin, killed germ of
pneumonia, typhoid and use in baking industry, wine industry
Beeswax
used in a multitude of products including: beauty products
and cosmetics, soaps, shampoos, moisturizers.

44. Royal Jelly
used for a wide variety of general health conditions such as
asthma, hay fever, insomnia, stomach ulcers, skin disorders and for
boosting the immune system.
Bee pollen
consumed to boost energy, aid digestion, and reduce symptoms
caused by air-born allergens. Consider as “super food”.
Bee venom
 Given as a shot for arthritis, nerve pain

45. Benefits of Beekeeping
 Bees help in cross pollination thus they increase the productivity of
crops.
 Proper utilization of natural resources.
 Unemployed youth can start this business with minimal funds.
 73,000 man-days to manufacture appliances / equipments.
 Net income from 100 Bee colonies is around Rs. 1.70 lakhs/annum
 It helps in rural development and promotes small village industry.

46.  Infrastructure for producing genetically superior queen bees for
supply to beekeepers;
 technical knowledge for efficient management of bee colonies for
higher honey yield;
 awareness about yield increase in crops by BK through pollination;
 research for disease management & control;
 financial institutional support
 consumer awareness about honey and its products;
 Poor quality control for production of honey and De-forestation;
 Indiscriminate use of insecticides, pesticides, weedicides etc.; and
 Global warming & unforeseen changes in climatic conditions.
Constraints in Beekeeping

47. • Production of honey has been the major
aim of the industry.
• About 10,000 tons of forest honey are
produced annually.
• Trends towards industrial bee keeping
• More sustainable option.