the literature presented is geared towards the members of the public who are interested in the world of bee keeping and what it entails.

1. BEEKEEPING/APICULTURE IN SURREY
VILLAGE, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, WEST
INDIES
COURSE: AGEX 1001
DONE BY: TISSHA M. SOOGRIM

2. Objectives
 After viewing this Learning Session, farmers will be able to:
 1) List the material needed to construct a beehive.
 2) Identify the steps involved in the building and management of a beehive.
 3) Understand the various facts presented on Honey bees and Honey.
 4) Successfully set up and manage a thriving Beehive.

3. LAND FEATURES OF SURREY VILLAGE
 Sloped land located on the side of a mountainous area.
 Land is generally forested.

4. HONEY BEES
 Honey bees are the only surviving group of bees from the Apini tribe, Apis genus.
 They produce and store liquefied sugar, that is, honey.
 Honey bees are mostly docile, once they sting they die.
 There are three types of honey bees; the queen, worker bees, drones.
 There is one queen in each colony and she lays all the eggs.
 Worker bees are sterile females who do all the feeding of young, foraging, wax
production, honey production, defending and cleaning the hive.
 Male bees mate with virgin queens, once mating happens they die.

5. HONEY BEES

6. HONEY
 When a bee transports nectar back to the hive, a protein enzyme in her stomach
called invertase breaks down the sucrose present in the nectar to fructose and
glucose.
 The water present in the nectar is removed as young bees pass this nectar from
bee to bee and ‘drink’ the water out by absorbing it through their stomach wall.
 They also help evaporate water out of the nectar by vibrating their wings and flight
muscles, thus, creating heat and airflow in the hive.
 As such, with the conversion of sucrose into fructose and glucose combined with
loss of excess water, a remaining amount of 17.8% water is left. The remaining
sticky mixture is called honey .

7. HONEY

8. HONEY PRODUCED IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
 There are currently around 300 beekeepers in Trinidad and 16 beekeepers in
Tobago.
 Trinidad and Tobago beekeepers have won 58 awards at the National Honey Show
in London.
 In 1999 and 2000 Trinidad and Tobago was awarded the Hender Cup for having
the best honey in the world.
 The quality and distinct taste in Trinidad and Tobago’s honey is due to the bees
having access to feed on a multitude of plants like the hibiscus, lavender, hog plum
and others

9. MATERIALS NEEDED FOR BEEKEEPING
It is important to note the common misconception that the materials needed for a start up
in the bee keeping industry is rather expensive. However, the following prices are quoted;
A beehive has a starting price of $100.00 USD ( $675.00 TTD)
In terms of acquiring the bees for the hive, farmers of the Trinidad and Tobago Beekeeping
Association provide assistance to fellow bee keepers.
A nuc, which consists of a queen bee and a bunch of worker bees cost approximately
$1200TTD for five, with the cost of one nuc being $240TTD
The cost of the veil and hive tool starts at $80.00 USD ($540.00 TTD)
Thus, the capital needed for the start up of a beehive is $1,455.00 TTD
As of 2015 Honey produced in Trinidad and Tobago retails at $200.00 TTD per 750ml.

10. SALES PROFIT OF SELLING TRINIDADIAN HONEY AT THE
QUOTED PRICE OF $200.00 TTD PER 750ml
3 JARS
6 JARS
4 JARS
5 JARS
8 JARS
$0.00 $200.00 $400.00 $600.00 $800.00 $1,000.00 $1,200.00 $1,400.00 $1,600.00 $1,800.00
DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
DAY 4
DAY 5
PROFIT MARGIN OF HONEY SOLD FOR FIVE DAYS
Cost OF HONEY JARS SOLD AT $200.00 PER 750 ml COST OF INITIAL BEEHIVE STARTUP

11. MATERIALS USED FOR BEEKEEPING
A Bee Hive consisting of the following:
 A. Hive outer cover – for weather protection.
 B. Inner cover – prevents bee attachment to outer cover and also insulates dead air
space.
 C. Shallow honey supers – where surplus honey is stored and harvested.
 D. Queen excluder – keeps queen in the brood nest.
 E. hive body/ brood chamber – hold 10 frames of combs, bees rear brood and store
honey for their own use.
 F. Bottom board- where hive rests.
 G. Hive stand – supports hive.

12. BEEHIVE

13. MATERIALS NEEDED FOR BEEKEEPING
 2) Frames and foundation – hold sheets of beeswax.
 3) Smoker – calms bees.
 4) Hive tool – pries apart supers and frames.
 5) Veil and gloves – protects beekeeper.
 6) Feeders – sugary syrup fed to bees when nectar is not available.

14. MATERIALS NEEDED FOR BEEKEEPING

15. STEPS INVOLVED IN BEEKEEPING
STEP 1 –
Be aware of honey bees, and also your local bee association. Trinidad and Tobago has
a local group called the Trinidad and Tobago Beekeepers Association who has an
active presence that is seen in global markets as well as social media. The Association
was formed in 1924.
The Trinidad and Tobago Beekeepers Association is also see to have a strong
Facebook presence, whereby information regarding beekeeping can be found. It can
be seen also, that members of the Association share advice on beekeeping as well as
contact information on where to get equipment on their website.

16.  STEP 2 –
Set up your beehive. The following diagram shows the components needed to construct an efficient
beehive.

18.  Step 3 –
 Order honey bees, making sure to acquire a queen bee who will be responsible for laying all eggs
in the colony. In Trinidad and Tobago, local beekeepers who are members of the Trinidad and
Tobago Beekeeping Association advertise some of their colonies for sale as seen on the personal
web page of the Association.
 Step 4-
Monitor the bees periodically. Ideally, they work best during the dry season.

19. HARVESTING HONEY
 Put on the Veil and gloves.Use the smoker when removing the frames from the
beehive. This provides protection for the beekeeper.
 The following step involves coaxing the bees away from the hive. An efficient yet
affordable spray called Bee Quick can be sprayed on a fume pad and placed near
the hive. This spray should be removed within a short period of time, as bees tend
to dislike the smell and move away.
 After the bees have left, the frames are the next to be removed. Note that a frame
is ready to be harvested if it is fully capped or atleast ¾ capped already

20. REMOVAL OF FRAMES FROM BEEHIVE

21. HARVESTING HONEY
 Make sure your work station is set up with the appropriate tools and begin
removing the wax cappings from the frames. A heated electric knife works best
with removal of the cappings.
 Hold the frame vertically, and slowly move the knife from the top of the frame to
the bottom for removal of the wax. Honey flows quickly around room temperature
80-90 degrees. Honey stored under 57 degrees tend to be granulated.
 At this stage the frames can be placed in an extractor which helps to remove the
honey.
 However, the cost of an extractor is expensive and not viable for a small beehive
setup, unless, the beekeeping is at a commercial large scale.

22. REMOVAL OF WAX CAPPINGS FROM FRAME

23. HARVESTING HONEY
 A much simpler method can be applied to extraction of the honey that is
inexpensive but yields great results.
 Firstly, using a knife the honey comb can be cut out of the frames and placed in a
bowl or pan. Then, the comb is crushed by using any flattening utensil, for example,
pestle, potato masher or even a heavy wooden spoon.
 Next, the resulting mixture is strained suspended over a jar using a cheese cloth or
a strainer. Leave the mixture to slowly drain into the jar.
 Another option involves making chunky honey by placing a piece of the honey
comb into a jar and pouring the remaining honey over it. Generally, the aesthetic of
this presentation attracts persons, as it catches their attention, making them
curious about the product.

24. CRUSHING AND STRAINING OF HONEY

25. THE FINAL PRODUCT
 When the honey is filled into the jars the final step involves cleaning up the work
station and placing the frames back in the bee hive.
 Clean the bowls and utensils used by soaking them in cold water to help scrape off
the wax.
 Once the wax is gone wash the instruments in hot water.
 Finally the final product, honey, can be sold.

26. FINAL PRODUCT

27. COMMERCIAL HONEY IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

28. REFerENCES
 http://www.beesbros.com/how-to-keep-bees.html
 https://www.facebook.com/pg/TrinidadAndTobagoBeekeepersAssociation/community/?
ref=page_internal
 http://www.caribbean-beat.com/issue-136/life-sweet-trinidad-honey#axzz4yvgPKAWU
 https://dengarden.com/gardening/A-Guide-to-Beehive-Maintenance-through-the-
Seasons
 https://www.thespruce.com/beginners-guide-to-beekeeping-3016857
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSE1V2mevD4
 http://www.beeculture.com/timing-honey-harvet/
 https://dengarden.com/gardening/How-to-Extract-Honey-from-a-Beehive
 https://honeybeesuite.com/no-extractor-no-problem/