Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
These compliance rules become tougher every year and, by and large, are dictated by
the big consumer blocks, such as the EU and the USA. If you don't comply, they won't
buy. It's as simple as that.
Compliance costs vary and will depend on your status in the chain. If, for example, you
are supplying honey to a packer, then the rules will affect you less than if you decide to
pack and sell to the public yourself. The packer would pick up most of the flak. In most
states the compliance rules are enforced by inspectors who will come knocking on your
door. So, before you take the plunge, work out how you are going to comply with all the
legislation.
Producing royal jelly
Royal jelly is possibly the most valuable (in monetary terms) product of the hive, and
numerous, fabulous claims have been made about it. It is the food of queen bee larvae
and, by feeding a worker bee larva this substance, she will develop into a queen rather
than a worker. She will be a female bee that can mate - a totally different being from the
worker, despite the fact that they start out genetically the same.
How can you become involved?
There is always a market for royal jelly and, whether you are producing it for your own
use as a health supplement or you want to go into royal jelly production for sale, it is
well worthwhile adding royal jelly production to your beekeeping skills. Any beekeeper
who has reared their own queens will know how to produce it.
Royal jelly production consists of the following:
Ensuring the hives you use are bulging with bees.
Making wax queen cells or using plastic ones.
Grafting young larvae into these cells.
Letting the nurse bees fill the cells with royal jelly to feed the larvae.
Removing the royal jelly before the larvae eat too much and before the cells are
capped.
