PAU EXPERT DELIBERATES ON MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEE COLONIES DURING RAINY SEASON

LUDHIANA, JULY 27:-----



The scientific management of honey bee colonies is the key to the success of beekeeping. Proper and effective management influences colonies' performance and productivity. Weather conditions and availability of flora vary from place to place and time to time, said PAU bee-keeping expert Dr Pardeep Chhuneja, and cautioned the bee-keepers that monsoon brings, in general, the floral dearth in major parts of Punjab. Telling that many enemies including wax moths, predatory wasps, ants predatory birds, etc. invade the colonies during this season, the entomologist said that the attack of enemies, if not checked, results in heavy toll of bees.



Apprising the bee-keepers of the monsoon conditions, problems and colonies management, Dr Chhuneja referred to floral dearth and told that it results in dwindling of bee colonies sometimes, to the extent, that they are unable to exploit the ensuing flora. To tide over the dearth, preferably, colonies should be migrated to prevalent flora, advised he, saying that if migrated on khair, colonies may be fed on stored pollen collected with the help of PAU pollen trap or on PAU pollen substitute/supplement to allow the colonies to continue brood rearing. To avoid any attack of predatory wasps during migration on khair, the colonies should be moved from there by the end of July to transgenic American cotton belt as the cotton provides both nectar and pollen. Dr Chhuneja suggested that the small bee-keepers interested in migration may make truck load of colonies by united efforts to reduce the migration cost otherwise. The stationary bee-keepers need to feed the colonies on artificial diet including sugar syrup (sugar: water 1:1) and PAU pollen substitute/supplement, told he.



The bee-keeping expert said that high humidity due to frequent rainfall and standing water adversely affects foraging activity of honey bees. In case of such problem, the simplest way is to keep the bee colonies in low lying areas or near water ponds or rice cultivation. Emphasizing that the colonies must be ensured to be kept at raised place so that the colonies are more ventilated and are free of high humidity problem, Dr Chhuneja asked the bee-keepers to clean off all the unwanted vegetative/weed growth from the surroundings. Further, even ventilation slots in the crown/inner cover of the hive should not be clogged. In view of the frequent rains that cause washing away of the colonies in the case of heavy downpour, the colonies must not be kept in low lying areas prone to stagnation of water and rather be kept at upland areas, suggested the entomologist, adding that some heavy bricks may be kept on top covers to prevent their blowing away due to heavy storms.

Pointing to the menace of robbing among the bee colonies, Dr Chhuneja told the bee-keepers that the dearth of bee flora during this season triggers robbing, which is a serious menace because of scanty availability of nectar in the field. Suggesting the preventive measures, the expert stressed that the feeding should be given only late in the evening in some suitable feeders inside the hive. The feed should not be prepared in the apiary itself and care should be taken that the sugar syrup does not get split in the apiary or on any hive. In case of any spillage, the place should be thoroughly washed, told he, advising that the hive should be kept bee proof, except the main entrance, using mud, etc., so that no cracks and crevices are present in the hive to allow the robbers to intrude. The main entrance of the colony should also be narrowed down to single bee space so that only one bee enters at a time. If robbing starts in the apiary, Dr Chhuneja told that the entrance of colony being robbed be closed with wire gauge and 1% solution of carbolic acid be sprinkled around it to repel the robbers.



Dr Chhuneja said that another appropriate measure is that the robber colony should be spotted out and this can be done by dusting wheat flour or sulphur powder on the bees at the entrance of the colony being robbed. Such robbers can then locate their hives/colonies, told he, adding that as a last resort the robber colony should be removed about 3 km away from the apiary. For more information, honey bee scientists in the Department of Entomology, PAU, may be contacted at phone number 0161-2401960 extension 320.


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