Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
nectar and pollen and, very soon, the colony is established with the queen laying eggs,
the foragers bringing in food and the house bees maintaining the nest.
The colony grows: the bees store food beyond their immediate needs for periods of
dearth (such as winter) and, if they have chosen a good site, they will prosper until
the varroa mite causes the colony's death. This is not true of all areas of the world,
but in most areas where the western honey-bee lives, varroa will kill the colony if left
untreated. They don't intend to because, if the colony dies, so do the mites, but the
varroa mite evolved with the eastern honey-bee,
Apis cerana
which, having evolved with
it, knows how to control it and they can live together. When the western honey-bee
(which is hugely superior in honey production) was taken to the Far East and the mite
jumped species, the western bee had no defence and, apart from some bees of Russian
origin, still hasn't. So it can be seen that, in nature, until evolutionary pressures cause
natural defence mechanisms to develop, the honey-bee cannot currently survive on its
own. It needs a beekeeper.
Now that you know that the honey-bee colony is a living, dynamic entity that can be
looked upon as a unit of livestock and now that you have an understanding of what
those bees are up to and why, it is easier to see where the beekeeper comes in and exactly
what their role is when working with bees. Like any other livestock guardian - whether
a hobbyist, a research scientist or a commercial farmer - a beekeeper has a responsibility
to use their skill and knowledge to provide the bees with appropriate shelter from the
elements; to place colonies in such a position that there is plenty of forage and water for
the bees in the local area; to protect the colony from predators and disease; to feed the
colony when required; to encourage it to produce honey by providing it with storage
room; and to know how to increase the number of colonies available if required or to
prevent this happening if increase is not wanted.
There is nothing more dismal for a beekeeper than finding an apiary of neglected hives
containing dead or dying colonies that provide a reservoir of disease-bearing organisms.
