2.

0 UNIT REPORT APIARY

The unit is a place where bees are kept with the use of hives for the purpose of
bee wax, bee honey. Definition of terms:

* Apiary is a place where bees are kept

* Bee keeper is a person who raises bee

* Bee keeping is an act of raising bee

* Apiculture is the keeping of bees

* Apiarist is the bee keeper.

FACTORS TO PUT INTO CONSIDERATION BEFORE
STARTING AN APIARY
An apiary is a place where bees can be conveniently kept
and managed. Siting beehives is a decision that affects the
bees, the beekeepers and other people in the district so it
is one that needs to be made carefully. However, all sorts
of places can be used to keep bees. Bees can be kept near
the homestead or far away from people. Depending on
their species and nature, honey bee and stingless bees can
be on roofs, yards, trees, or wild and waste places. They
can utilize places that may not be useful for other crops;
This the Factors include the following;
* Availability of land:
Both bees and beekeeper need space. Beehives, especially those containing African
bees, should not be too close together or they will be difficult to work with.
Furthermore, too many hives in one place will cause unhealthy competition for
resources.

* Water:
All living things need water and bees are no exception. They need a water
source within 500 meters of the colony if they are not to cause a nuisance at public
watering points or domestic taps. If water is not available all year round then water
needs to be supplied. This does need to be large but does need refilling on a regular
basis. A container of water filled with pebbles so the bees can drink without
drowning is ideal.

* Protection:
Colonies need protection from extreme weather conditions; in particular extreme
heat. Siting colonies under trees will provide shelter from excessive heat, rain and
winds. Hives may also need protection from predatory or domestic animals or
even thieves.

 Positioning:
The position where the hive is placed will be where the colonies make their home
for a long period – until the colony dies, absconds or migrates. The bees learn
where they live (much as we do with our own homes) and will continue to return
there even if the hive is moved. This means that if a new hive or colony is moved
into the apiary it must be placed with care into the intended position as it cannot
later be moved without difficulty. Unless an area is exceptionally productive.

* Accessibility:
Beehives kept using stands need to have a relatively level site. This is helpful to the
beekeeper also to give accessible working space. Honey is heavy so thought needs
to be given to the practicality of getting the honey home.

* Material:
When setting up a top bar or frame hive, a sturdy stand or strong wires should be
used to ensure that the hives are safe and secure. Hive stands should be protected
from rot and damage by termites by using waste oil or grease on the legs. This will
also prevent entry by ants.

* Fencing:
Where bees are very defensive, planting a 2 meter high hedge around the apiary will
force the bees to fly upwards over the heads of any people passing. If the plants in
the live fence (hedge) are well chosen they can provide food for the bees over the
longest period of time which will help to reduce absconding. There is a small
fuchsia, known in Kenya as the ‘Ladies Eardrop’ that is an excellent plant for this
purpose. Planting good bee plants can provide both food and shelter for the bees
and, if carefully chosen multipurpose trees are used, can also provide useful
products for the household,

Product of the bees are: pure natural honey, bee wax, propolis, royal gel, bee bread,
stored pollen and sting or venom

Uses are divided into five (5), namely:

* Food:
Honey is by far the most important product of bees and a high-quality food. It is
produced by honey bees from flower nectar and honeydew. Other products
produced by bees include pollen, bee bread, propolis, royal jelly and beeswax.
These bee products are either used for human nutrition

* Religion:
Bee products like honey, beeswax, and pollen have been used in many religions
and traditional medicines.

* Raw materials:
Beeswax one of the products of bees is produced in the wax glands of the worker
bee. Bees use wax to make the honeycombs. In these, the bee brood is raised and
honey and pollen are stored. Humans use this bee product, among other things, to
make candles, as an ingredient in cosmetics and medicines, or in paints.

* Medicine:
The use of all honey bee products, from all honey bee species, for therapeutic
purposes is well established. The medicinal properties of unheated honey are
widely known, but propolis, royal jelly and bee venom are also frequently used
therapeutically. Beeswax has unique characteristics as an inert coating for certain
pharmaceutical preparations or as an ingredient to stabilize ointments and creams,
while pollen is used as a protein-rich nutritional supplement.

* Economic:
Apiculture provides some of the world’s poorest people with the opportunity to
enhance their income from the practical and often indigenous skills of beekeeping.
The best-known products harvested from bees are honey and beeswax and selling
honey and beeswax offers the best business opportunities for small scale
beekeepers in developing countries.

ROUTINE MANAGEMENT PRACTICE

* Lecture on bee keeping and its uses

* Clearing of the environments

* Weeding (removal of weeds) in the surrounding unit

*Fig 3 Harvest of honey from hive

2.1 PRACTICE application in Beekeeping and processing of honey

THE COLONY

The process starts with the selection of Bee species that will for the hive colony. Within
the colony, there is a queen bee. Every colony has just one queen and she is the mother of
the bees in the hive. Her primary role is to lay eggs. She is the only female in the hive
that mates.

The majority of the bees in a colony are worker bees. Worker bees are all female, but they
never mate or lay eggs. They do the majority of the work in the hive – they feed the eggs
and larvae and keep them warm; they cool down the hive when it’s hot, they produce heat
when it’s cold, they gather food, they clean the hive and they defend the hive. Almost
every job in the hive is done by a worker bee except one – the reproductive part.

This brings me to the third member of the colony – the males. Male honeybees are often
referred to as drones and they are brothers of the worker bees and sons of the queen bee.
Their job is to leave the hive and wait in drone congregating areas for a queen bee to fly
by. If he spots a queen, he tries to catch up with her and mate. When he mates, he dies. If
he does not mate, the worker bees will kick him out of the hive (and he will die shortly
thereafter) once there is a lack of flowers blooming (what we call a nectar flow ending).
This is because drones are not necessary for a hive’s survival. The queen in the hive does
not mate with the drones in her hive (her sons). Once there is a shortage of food coming
into the hive, the drones are kicked out so that the hive does not lose the precious honey
they worked so hard to gather.

TYPES OF BEEHIVES AND CONSTRUCTION OF HIVES

The hive is basically a bee’s home. It is the house they live and raise their broods, store
their food and shelter from elements of the weather and predators. Beehives can be
classified into two major types found in Nigeria including the following;

 Langstroth hive:

The Langstroth hive has been in existence since the 1800s. However, it’s use is not
widespread in Nigeria

 KTB Hives (Kenyan top-bar hives):

: Top-bar hive: The top-bar hive is the most commonly used hive in modern beekeeping
in Nigeria. Apifloral focused on this type of hive. It’s advantages over the Langstroth
includes, Improved frame hives, Ease of harvesting, Ease of inspection, Honey yield
tends to be higher than the Langstroth.

CONSTRUCTION OF BEEHIVE (KTB HIVES)

Kenya Top-Bar Hives (KTBH) are a common beehive in Nigeria. They are constructed
from wood and are horizontally formatted, with wooden bars supporting the combs.

Steps for constructing a KTB Hives

Cut and measure: Use a plan to cut the wood to the correct size and shape.

Sand: Smooth the edges of the wood to prevent splinters.

Nail and glue: Use wood glue to seal the pieces together, then nail them with 1-inch nails.

Drill entrance holes: Drill 3 x 25 mm holes in the bottom and center of one side board.
Attach the front: Nail the plywood front piece 2 cm back into the hive, leaving a small lip
at the front.

Cut an entrance: Cut an entrance in one of the ends that is no more than 8 mm high to
keep out pests.

Finally, it is mounted on a stand 3 feet from ground level to avoid pests and predator and
also for easy access to the hives during harvest

Honey is used to bait the bees by adding a small or cutout section of the honeycomb
containing honey. Honey serves as an attractant.

BEEKEEPING EQUIPMENTS

 Bee suit

 Smokers

 Bait

 Gloves

 Hive