Pollination Problem

[lingling]

I noticed today that although there are plenty of flowers on or mango trees, I couldn't find a single bee. Mango trees that flowered a month ago on the other hand were swarmed by bees. Not sure where the bees went, but I guess insecticides and/or burning fields after harvest may have played a role in their disappearence/demise.

Does anyone know of a place in central Thailand where I can buy a hive or two, complete with bee colonies?

[chownah]

If you had bees a month a go but none now then it might mean that there is nothing for the bees to eat around anymore so they have gone elsewhere...or the weather has changed so they are not active. In either event getting a hive of bees might not do the trick.....or then again it might. Some people suggest growing plants for the purpose of attracting bees....you might look into this strategy. I had a hive of bees once and it was fascinating so I'm not trying to dissuade you from buying a hive or too....just pointing out some other possibilities.

Chownah

[lingling]

If you had bees a month a go but none now then it might mean that there is nothing for the bees to eat around anymore so they have gone elsewhere...or the weather has changed so they are not active. In either event getting a hive of bees might not do the trick.....or then again it might. Some people suggest growing plants for the purpose of attracting bees....you might look into this strategy. I had a hive of bees once and it was fascinating so I'm not trying to dissuade you from buying a hive or too....just pointing out some other possibilities.

Chownah

There are plenty of flowers on the mango trees, so I think they are not short on food. Maybe the weather - it is getting a bit dry. Do bees here hibernate any time of the year like they do in cold climate?

Or maybe the ladybugs scared them off... Something is weird for sure.

[chownah]

I guess that if you had a number of trees blooming at the same time then it is reasonable to expect that there is enough food to attract bees. I know that some beekeepers in Thailand move their hives around...I'm wondering if your bees got shipped out....in that case getting some of your own should work just fine!! If you have the time and the inclination I do recommend keeping bees...its really fascinating...I imagine that all you would need to know would be found on the internet. Wish I knew where you could get some hives.

Chownah

[sbk]

We have masses of mango trees blooming down here as well, several months early. My father-in-law believes that while we have lots of flowers we won't have lots of fruit because it is the wrong time of year for the tree to be blooming. Since this is based on 70 years of experience on the island I can only assume he knows what he is talking about. Most likely, because it is the wrong time of year the pollinators aren't around, the weather isn't right etc etc

[pallasaide]

Bees in Thailand tend to be active all year, although their foraging activity does drop off considerably inland Thailand, during the cooler months. Along the coastal areas they stay pretty active season to season throughout the year.

If you had bees foraging in flowers around you sometime back but not now, it could be for a number of reasons: some local lad has pillaged the hive (meaning destroyed it and so they have pushed off elsewhere), or the bees have changed taste. Bees are by and large flower specific, each bee sticking to it’s own particular type of flower, and then changing to another type when that kind of flower in it’s foraging range ceases to offer a bounty.

It could also be the distance the bees from the hive that fed on your mango flowers have to fly to feed on those flowers. Nature is a clever thing and bees will not fly to flowers if the energy they have to use to get to and back from the hive exceeds the benefit those flowers offer. So they may well just have found a closer supply and are thinking “sod it, this lot’s to far from home”.

Bees in Thailand kept in hives do not produce the quantities of honey beekeepers get from hives in Europe and the USA, other than of course the giant Asian honey bee. But they cannot be kept in hives, and taking honey away from them is best left to the old hand specialists, a lot of whom get killed each year, usually falling out of high trees after been attacked. You will know a Giant Asian Honey Bee when you see it, it is enourmous, and they are far more agressive than hive bees. Be carefull, honey hunters get killed in Malaysia and Northern Thailand every year by them.

If you wish to buy a hive, they cost around B400-B500 (with bees). Your biggest risk will be black ants. God only knows who they get into hives, but they are very good at it and will destroy a hive in a few days. Get 4 large coffee tins, smear them with grease and place the hive on top of them. Make sure the grass around the hive is kept short, as it will act as a step ladder fo rthe ants to get into the hive.

If you start feeding your bees with sugar water or diluted honey over winter when there are no flowers around and it is very dry (and they will benefit from that), it is important not to withdraw that feeding suddenly come spring, but to do so gradually over a period of a couple weeks, else the hive will not be able to adjust. Like drug addicts bees become dependant when artificially supported.

Otherwise, no reason why you shouldn't. They certainly make fields of makua to grow well.

For Tim

DV

- and Tim will be back online himself later this week as soon as he ahs settle into his new ward.

[lingling]

If you wish to buy a hive, they cost around B400-B500 (with bees). Your biggest risk will be black ants. God only knows who they get into hives, but they are very good at it and will destroy a hive in a few days. Get 4 large coffee tins, smear them with grease and place the hive on top of them. Make sure the grass around the hive is kept short, as it will act as a step ladder fo rthe ants to get into the hive.

This may be what happened then. We have a lot of the big black ants (1.5-2cm long) that live underground. Maybe they killed our wild bees.

[chownah]

Since Maizefarmer mentioned the benefit of bees for makua I thought I would post this here. I have also put this in the makua growing thread:

I think it was mentioned that Karate with Zeon was being used as an insecticide on makua crops. At this site:

http://www.syngentacropprotection-us.com/p...v=environimpact

I found this:

"This product is highly toxic to bees exposed to direct treatment or residues on blooming crops or weeds. Do not apply this product or allow it to drift to blooming crops or weeds if bees are visiting the treatment area."

chownah

[pallasaide]

Mr Chownah

Go back to the other thread where you have been so eager to post your "warning", and read Tims reply, much of which is common sense, but which in event he asks me to point out to you he raised last year.

But all that aside, Tim asks, just what is the point of your comment? Ingling is growing a few Mango trees, this has nothing to do with fields of makua plants.

D.V.

For Tim

[chownah]

Pallasaide,

I think that the point of my comment is very clear. I think that it is very much on topic here. The overall topic is Pollination Problems and the original post talked about there not being any bees to do pollinating....that in itself makes my point on topic for this discussion in that it directly relates to a possible problem with pollination.....but....in addition to this the original post even mentioned the possibility of insecticides being part or all of the problem so this make my comment even more directly in answer to his original post. Then you posted comments for Maizefarmer which said that bees "certainly make fields of makua to grow well," and so this set off a little light bulb (idea) in my head....I put the original poster's concern about the possibility of insecticides together with Maizefarmer's mention of how good bees are for makua and the idea that perhaps the insecticides which people were using with makua might be harmful for bees and perhaps it would be good if people were cautioned about this. My original intent was to only put this in the makua thread but then I started thinking that perhaps someone reading this thread might benefit from this information too and that it would be timely to have it here since here is where Maizefarmer mentioned how good bees are for growing makua. It all makes perfectly good sense to me.

If Maizefarmer finds this explanation to be inadequate to answer his questions then please ask him to send further inquiries about me or my posting syle to me in a private message since it really is off topic for the forum.

Sincerely,

Chownah

[lingling]

Oh, I don't understand what you two fight about. Both of you provide excellent advice here so just get along, will you?

Anyway, what remains for me now is to find where I can buy a hive full of bees.

Another question: I have no intention to harvest honey - can I just leave them alone in their hive or will they outgrow it and migrate if I don't collect the honey? I just want them for pollination - got plenty of small trees that will soon be big.

[Somtham]

Oh, I don't understand what you two fight about. Both of you provide excellent advice here so just get along, will you?

Anyway, what remains for me now is to find where I can buy a hive full of bees.

Another question: I have no intention to harvest honey - can I just leave them alone in their hive or will they outgrow it and migrate if I don't collect the honey? I just want them for pollination - got plenty of small trees that will soon be big.

Can't help much on where to buy hives but for what it's worth I sprayed my small patch of chiles and makuas about three weeks ago with the Syngenta Karate. This past week I've been working on building a deck under the mango tree about 20m away and there were so many bees I was swatting away. Thank God it wasn't "wan pa".

rgds

[chownah]

Lingling,

My wife says that if you go to the gov't farmers coop (I think it is an amphoe office.....but if I'm wrong then it is tambon) and ask them where you can get some bees...they MIGHT know...or they might know who else you could ask....or you might try a nearby agriculture university.

I went on the internet and at this site:

http://www.fao.org/inpho/content/compend/text/Ch20sec1.htm

they said that honeybees are the most common pollinator for mangos but that mangos do not really attract them so well and getting fruit to set is a constant problem for mango growers and that keeping bees in the grove is a good idea as a general practice.....so it looks like you are on the right track....good luck in finding some.

Also, I don't know anything about how to raise bees in Thailand....in the states you need to at least check them from time to time to be sure that they're not having a problem....hybrid queens come with the added problem that if she dies her offspring often can not create a new queen so you have to keep checking to be sure she is doing well and if not then you have to buy a new queen and introduce her into the hive....which is a hassle...I don't even know if they have hybrid bees here in Thailand. If you know any families with a school age boy you might ask them if the luke sua organisation (sort of like boy scouts) might know about bee raising or where to find out....they seem to be into nature and doing nature related projects so its a long shot but might help.

Chownah

[pallasaide]

Go round to your local market with your other half. Look for the stand/stall or table that has bottles of honey on it (most markets will have a stall that has a few bottles of honey, not jars like we use in the USA, but 750ml and 1 litre bottles like you purchase alcohol in). Ask your other half to explain to the stall holder (or do it yourself if your Thai is up to scratch) that you are looking for a hive of bees and the chances are that if they don;t have their own, they will know exactly who you need to go and see, even if its a bit of a journey, because beekeeping in Thailand is not very popular.

Go and look at the hive before making any committments. Get the guy to take the lid off and have a good look at the frames. The frames are the oblong frames which the bees build the honey comb on. The Thai's build their own hives, a copy of the English Langstroth type, so it will have around 8 to 10 frames per box. You want around half the frames to be around 1/3 to 1/2 "capped" (full of honey and sealed), and the closer to the dry season the fuller the combs should be, which means the bees in that hive are a healthy bunch that have been working to save for the winter.

You want to avoid hives that have empty combs that are dark in colour and dry and brittle. That is an indicator the hive does not have a strong swarm and its been a few seasons since the swarm was strong enough or big enough to use the space they have. If the empty comb is a light colour and soft and plaible to the touch, that will be a good indicator the bees have recently built the comb i.e. it is a healthy hard working swarm. Have a look for spider webs in the corners, and dead insects lying inside on the floor of the hive. A healthy swarm throws out the rubbish.

Also a good idea to go on a warm sunny day when a healthy hive will be as "busy as a bee". If you get there and its hot as hel_l and bees are not constantly flying in and out, move on to the next hive. Be cautious about any hive the owner takes you to and wants to sell to you. If he has a load of hives the chances are you are you will be shown a hive he wont miss. Thats fine, let him do that but be cautious. You may care to point to some other hive and ask to take a look at that.

Once you have selected your hive wait til late afternoon early evening or a rainy day and then take it. Block the entrance up with some newspaper or a cloth stuffed in and load it up on the back of the pickup. Tie it down.

When you take it home palce it somewhere where the bees have clear unobstructed flght path into and out of the hive. Tim has al his facing the morning sun to encourage them to get working early, but its not such a big deal which way they face in Thailand, there is so much sun. Under a tree or some thing that can provide cover from the mid-day sun beating down on the hive roof is preferable to leaving it exposed to direct mid-day sun.

How can you garuntee you arent been offered a bad hive?

You cant truth be be told there is a ton of info on the net that will give you a lot of detail, but remembering it all and been able to apply all the detail at the time when choosing the hive is easier said than done. So keep the above in mind, and keep it simple and practical. So long as the hive looks clean inside (they're all scruffy outside), the honeycomb is not old dark and brittle, their is a fair amount of capped comb and its a warm day with bees flying in and out, the chances are you are looking at a healthy hive of bees, and you won't have to worry much further than that. The rule: use your eyes and take your time.

Will they fly away?

So long as there is sufficient food in the area (meaning pollen and nectar), no, that is unlikely. The first couple of days there will be a lot of flying around the hive with no apparent purpose as the bees re-oreintate them selves to their new surroundings, but it is quite normal and they will quickly settle in and get on with life. In about 6 weeks time all the bees that were in that hive when you purchased it will have died and have been replaced with new bees who will know no other area (except the old queen, who can live a good 10-15 years if looked after)

The only time the hive will "swarm" is if it gets too full. The bees will then breed a new queen and push off with about half the swarm one sunny day (tends to happens in summer).

Will you have to look after them?

It may be a good idea to lift the lid every few weeks during winter to see if the swarm is staying the same size or getting smaller. If it's getting smaller and smaller its an indication that there is not sufficient food in the area, and then there is a chance they will push for greener pastures. The problem can be overcome by feeding them during the winter with diluted honey, or in deed pure honey. Put some on a plate and put a clean cloth on top of the honey. Push the cloth into the honey so that it absorbs. This increases the suraface area the bees can feed off by providing them with a larger area to settle on instead of having to fight with loads of other insects around the rim of the plate, and then trying to setle on the surafce of the honey and get trapped in it.

Put the plate on an upside down coffe tin which has been smeared with grease aorund the bottom (stops ants) and place it about 30 feet away from the hive, or closer, and then every few hours move it away a futher few feet. they'll quickly find it.

So long as they have a nearby food source no matter how bad flower growth is, they are not likely to leave.

Tim adds lastly that he is not a "bee expert". The above his practical experiance in the North East of Thailand over the last 14 years during which time he has kept and mainted 3 to 5 hives at any given time. At the moment he has 3. The oldest one is 9 years old (i.e. the hive has been permanently occupied by a swarm) and has always been placed in his cane fields. The youngest one is 3 years old and the other is 6 years old. These last 2 are used to support fileds of makua. They are fed every dry season, and the years that he has not fed them over winter are the years that he lost the swarms, except for 3 occassions, twice when ants destoryed the swarm and once when some or other animal had a go at a hive.

He has got all his hives from the Thai Department of Ag.

The government has a Royal sponsored research apiary on the road that leads to the Kao Yai National park from the town of Pak Chong in Korat province. The apairy is located on the right hand side of the road heading towards the Park about 3 miles before the main gate. It is set about 50 yards back from the road on a dirst road. The hives are visable from the main road. The old guy who runs the place has done so for about 20 years. It takes some arm twisting to get him part with a hive, but if you are in the area it will pay to drop to by and see him. He speaks english pretty good and is a gold mine of usable and practical information.

For Tim

D.V.

Oh, I don't understand what you two fight about. Both of you provide excellent advice here so just get along, will you?

Anyway, what remains for me now is to find where I can buy a hive full of bees.

Another question: I have no intention to harvest honey - can I just leave them alone in their hive or will they outgrow it and migrate if I don't collect the honey? I just want them for pollination - got plenty of small trees that will soon be big.

[teletiger]

Failing all the above, you could just put some empty hives, or hivelike contraptions in your garden and wait for the local bees to move in.

My brother in law has no problems. He's got 2 hives inside the walls of his house

Regards.

[Pond Life]

Lingling, are you anywhere near Chiang Mai ?

[lingling]

Update: somehow the mango flowers got pollinated anyway (other insects, silent bees, ...).

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?ac...st&id=27320

[brahmburgers]

Keeping a healthy hive of domesticated bees sounds like quite an endeavor requiring skills and care.

At my place in northernmost Thailand, there are natural bees. They're small and feisty when disturbed and make colonies in trees branches where they hang exposed in a beautiful pattern about the size of a flattened bread loaf. In semi-tropical climate like ours, there are other insects that pollinate, namely ants.

Some of my Macadamia started flowering first time recently, and each flower stalk (abou the size of a magic marker) was riddled with ants.

Another mention of ants (off topic, sorry) - I had an infestation of orange leaf ants - which stitch leaves together to make nests about the size of a football. In order to eradicate the unwanted nuisance, I devised a lit ball of newspaper on the end of a thin bamboo pole - as a torch to burn each nest in turn. While doing so, some locals came by and told me the ant nests provide a food source (their eggs within) for people when they become bigger.

[lingling]

Another mention of ants (off topic, sorry) - I had an infestation of orange leaf ants - which stitch leaves together to make nests about the size of a football. In order to eradicate the unwanted nuisance, I devised a lit ball of newspaper on the end of a thin bamboo pole - as a torch to burn each nest in turn. While doing so, some locals came by and told me the ant nests provide a food source (their eggs within) for people when they become bigger.

Unless their nest is in a place where you will encounter then frequently (and get bitten), leave them alone. They are predators and keep fruit flies and other pests away from fruit trees. An excellent natural pesticide.

[Somtham]

Update: somehow the mango flowers got pollinated anyway (other insects, silent bees, ...).

Limgling - you're very lucky. We have a tree that we guess is 10 years old plus. Last month we had a bazillion, maybe more, flowers. Now we have a total of 3 pieces of fruit. :-(

Maybe next year it will do better after a severe pruning!!

rgds

[lingling]

Limgling - you're very lucky. We have a tree that we guess is 10 years old plus. Last month we had a bazillion, maybe more, flowers. Now we have a total of 3 pieces of fruit. :-(

Maybe next year it will do better after a severe pruning!!

rgds

Our ~30 trees are about 5 years old and it looks like we are going to get _a lot_ of mango this year.

[btate]

Update: somehow the mango flowers got pollinated anyway (other insects, silent bees, ...).

Limgling - you're very lucky. We have a tree that we guess is 10 years old plus. Last month we had a bazillion, maybe more, flowers. Now we have a total of 3 pieces of fruit. :-(

Maybe next year it will do better after a severe pruning!!

rgds

Somtham, the vagaries of mother nature continue to 'mess' with us. I have 4 HUGE mango trees on this land. Never ever been pruned that I can tell. Some of the fruit is so high you can't get at it with two bamboo poles... All the trees are loaded even though I didn't notice any flowers or bees. Maybe just paying attention...

Looks like I lost all my Makua starters this afternoon along with about 20 tomato starters that were ready to replant. Bummer, hel_l of T-storm ran through here for about an hour, flooded out all the starter trays.... oh, well got plenty of time on my hands.

bt

[Somtham]

Update: somehow the mango flowers got pollinated anyway (other insects, silent bees, ...).

Limgling - you're very lucky. We have a tree that we guess is 10 years old plus. Last month we had a bazillion, maybe more, flowers. Now we have a total of 3 pieces of fruit. :-(

Maybe next year it will do better after a severe pruning!!

rgds

Somtham, the vagaries of mother nature continue to 'mess' with us. I have 4 HUGE mango trees on this land. Never ever been pruned that I can tell. Some of the fruit is so high you can't get at it with two bamboo poles... All the trees are loaded even though I didn't notice any flowers or bees. Maybe just paying attention...

Looks like I lost all my Makua starters this afternoon along with about 20 tomato starters that were ready to replant. Bummer, hel_l of T-storm ran through here for about an hour, flooded out all the starter trays.... oh, well got plenty of time on my hands.

bt

Bummer on the storm. You must be in Isaan. It's headed our way but the wife says it will miss us to the north. I hope so. Happened to us a few weeks ago but the plants are starting to make a recovery. I spent all of today pounding stakes in, nice wood-mai makah, stringing plants and weedwacking. I figure I have another week or so to get things back into shape. Chiles are still good at B150/kg dried and we are now getting B10 for the makuas.

Do some more starts and hang on.

rgds

[btate]

Update: somehow the mango flowers got pollinated anyway (other insects, silent bees, ...).

Limgling - you're very lucky. We have a tree that we guess is 10 years old plus. Last month we had a bazillion, maybe more, flowers. Now we have a total of 3 pieces of fruit. :-(

Maybe next year it will do better after a severe pruning!!

rgds

Somtham, the vagaries of mother nature continue to 'mess' with us. I have 4 HUGE mango trees on this land. Never ever been pruned that I can tell. Some of the fruit is so high you can't get at it with two bamboo poles... All the trees are loaded even though I didn't notice any flowers or bees. Maybe just paying attention...

Looks like I lost all my Makua starters this afternoon along with about 20 tomato starters that were ready to replant. Bummer, hel_l of T-storm ran through here for about an hour, flooded out all the starter trays.... oh, well got plenty of time on my hands.

bt

Bummer on the storm. You must be in Isaan. It's headed our way but the wife says it will miss us to the north. I hope so. Happened to us a few weeks ago but the plants are starting to make a recovery. I spent all of today pounding stakes in, nice wood-mai makah, stringing plants and weedwacking. I figure I have another week or so to get things back into shape. Chiles are still good at B150/kg dried and we are now getting B10 for the makuas.

Do some more starts and hang on.

rgds

Nope, Chantaburi right in T-Storm alley it appears.. 4th or 5th in two weeks, all pretty severe but this one was a nut buster.

Will assess the totals tomorrow, maybe can salvage a few...

Got lots of cups, seeds and potting soil...

bt

[Somtham]

Nope, Chantaburi right in T-Storm alley it appears.. 4th or 5th in two weeks, all pretty severe but this one was a nut buster.

Will assess the totals tomorrow, maybe can salvage a few...

Got lots of cups, seeds and potting soil...

bt

Have you hooked up with Tim207 yet? He's also in Chantaburi and doing the same makua/chile experiment.

rgds

[btate]

Nope, Chantaburi right in T-Storm alley it appears.. 4th or 5th in two weeks, all pretty severe but this one was a nut buster.

Will assess the totals tomorrow, maybe can salvage a few...

Got lots of cups, seeds and potting soil...

bt

Have you hooked up with Tim207 yet? He's also in Chantaburi and doing the same makua/chile experiment.

rgds

We've hooked up via PM and I gave him my # as he travels within a half Km quite a bit. Haven't heard from him and he hasn't posted in some time.

Bt

[dreamtime]

Hello,

Can anyone suggest where I can buy 20-30 kilos of natural pure beeswax? I am located in Khon Kaen. I would buy it and they can ship it here. Thanks.

S

Bees in Thailand tend to be active all year, although their foraging activity does drop off considerably inland Thailand, during the cooler months. Along the coastal areas they stay pretty active season to season throughout the year.

If you had bees foraging in flowers around you sometime back but not now, it could be for a number of reasons: some local lad has pillaged the hive (meaning destroyed it and so they have pushed off elsewhere), or the bees have changed taste. Bees are by and large flower specific, each bee sticking to it's own particular type of flower, and then changing to another type when that kind of flower in it's foraging range ceases to offer a bounty.

It could also be the distance the bees from the hive that fed on your mango flowers have to fly to feed on those flowers. Nature is a clever thing and bees will not fly to flowers if the energy they have to use to get to and back from the hive exceeds the benefit those flowers offer. So they may well just have found a closer supply and are thinking "sod it, this lot's to far from home".

Bees in Thailand kept in hives do not produce the quantities of honey beekeepers get from hives in Europe and the USA, other than of course the giant Asian honey bee. But they cannot be kept in hives, and taking honey away from them is best left to the old hand specialists, a lot of whom get killed each year, usually falling out of high trees after been attacked. You will know a Giant Asian Honey Bee when you see it, it is enourmous, and they are far more agressive than hive bees. Be carefull, honey hunters get killed in Malaysia and Northern Thailand every year by them.

If you wish to buy a hive, they cost around B400-B500 (with bees). Your biggest risk will be black ants. God only knows who they get into hives, but they are very good at it and will destroy a hive in a few days. Get 4 large coffee tins, smear them with grease and place the hive on top of them. Make sure the grass around the hive is kept short, as it will act as a step ladder fo rthe ants to get into the hive.

If you start feeding your bees with sugar water or diluted honey over winter when there are no flowers around and it is very dry (and they will benefit from that), it is important not to withdraw that feeding suddenly come spring, but to do so gradually over a period of a couple weeks, else the hive will not be able to adjust. Like drug addicts bees become dependant when artificially supported.

Otherwise, no reason why you shouldn't. They certainly make fields of makua to grow well.

For Tim

DV

- and Tim will be back online himself later this week as soon as he ahs settle into his new ward.

[vipview]

Hello,

Can anyone suggest where I can buy 20-30 kilos of natural pure beeswax? I am located in Khon Kaen. I would buy it and they can ship it here. Thanks.

S

Bees in Thailand tend to be active all year, although their foraging activity does drop off considerably inland Thailand, during the cooler months. Along the coastal areas they stay pretty active season to season throughout the year.

If you had bees foraging in flowers around you sometime back but not now, it could be for a number of reasons: some local lad has pillaged the hive (meaning destroyed it and so they have pushed off elsewhere), or the bees have changed taste. Bees are by and large flower specific, each bee sticking to it's own particular type of flower, and then changing to another type when that kind of flower in it's foraging range ceases to offer a bounty.

It could also be the distance the bees from the hive that fed on your mango flowers have to fly to feed on those flowers. Nature is a clever thing and bees will not fly to flowers if the energy they have to use to get to and back from the hive exceeds the benefit those flowers offer. So they may well just have found a closer supply and are thinking "sod it, this lot's to far from home".

Bees in Thailand kept in hives do not produce the quantities of honey beekeepers get from hives in Europe and the USA, other than of course the giant Asian honey bee. But they cannot be kept in hives, and taking honey away from them is best left to the old hand specialists, a lot of whom get killed each year, usually falling out of high trees after been attacked. You will know a Giant Asian Honey Bee when you see it, it is enourmous, and they are far more agressive than hive bees. Be carefull, honey hunters get killed in Malaysia and Northern Thailand every year by them.

If you wish to buy a hive, they cost around B400-B500 (with bees). Your biggest risk will be black ants. God only knows who they get into hives, but they are very good at it and will destroy a hive in a few days. Get 4 large coffee tins, smear them with grease and place the hive on top of them. Make sure the grass around the hive is kept short, as it will act as a step ladder fo rthe ants to get into the hive.

If you start feeding your bees with sugar water or diluted honey over winter when there are no flowers around and it is very dry (and they will benefit from that), it is important not to withdraw that feeding suddenly come spring, but to do so gradually over a period of a couple weeks, else the hive will not be able to adjust. Like drug addicts bees become dependant when artificially supported.

Otherwise, no reason why you shouldn't. They certainly make fields of makua to grow well.

For Tim

DV

- and Tim will be back online himself later this week as soon as he ahs settle into his new ward.

Hi

visit at the http://www.sayanhoneyfarm.com/interest.asp

this is Thai site of apiculture,they might answer your need about, or [email protected]

Goodluck