Bee-Keeping

[Cashboy]

My father used to have 3 bee-hives at my family home in the UK and I used to help him.

I was thinking of trying bee-keeping in Thailand as a hobby and for the pollination in the village and for a bit of honey.

I have done a search on the forum and only come across these links that give much information.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/148167-bee-keeping/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/103706-pollination-problem/?pid=1110156&mode=threaded#entry1110156

Is there anything else on here?

Is farming the correct place to put this as I really think it would be relevant to farming?

[FireMedic]

I started another thread as well....it has no replies. I'd like to do it as a hobby more than for profit. I've been reading and watching videos for weeks about beekeeping, but here in BKK it is very difficult to find help with it.

[Cashboy]

I started another thread as well....it has no replies. I'd like to do it as a hobby more than for profit. I've been reading and watching videos for weeks about beekeeping, but here in BKK it is very difficult to find help with it.

Yep; There appears to be plenty on You Tube.

I have been looking at equipment available in the UK. I have come across a company called Thorne. http://www.thorne.co.uk/

I was looking at visting Thorne as they are international and buy a "National Hive" from them unassembled and bring the main components to Thailand and see if I can produce them in Thailand as there really is nothing to building a hive.

I can always bring the wax sheets in my suitcase on my visits to Thailand to get things going.

The problem would be finding a swarm or it.

[ezzra]

Best bet will be to visit villages that are producing honey and all ready established in this

business and have all the knowledge you need not to do mistakes,

of course you will need a Thai speaking person to do the talking, there are many places

in Thailand that people produces honey, find one near you area and try your luck there,

also, there is a lot of stuff about Thailand honey growing,,, Google it and it's there..

[FireMedic]

All very interesting!

I have a few questions:

In our garden we have at least four "wild" bee hives. They are absolute not aggressive. Is it possible to let them move to a self made hive? Or, if you place a bee hive with an population in it will this cause problems about territory or something?

Regards, Arjen.

I would at least try to rehome the wild ones to your hives. Easier to monitor and get. Tons of youtube videos on how to take them down and put them into your boxes.

[FireMedic]

There will be a few facebook pages about this as well as a bee farm.

https://www.facebook.../LUNGSAARD/info

This page sells bee keeping equipment. I'm sure they should be able to point you to right places where they sell bees.

https://www.facebook.../beekeepingsale

[fredge45]

Are you in the Chiang Mai area? Great little shop on Changklan Road selling beekeeping supplies as well as great honey...

Edited June 14, 2015 by fredge45

[cooked]

All very interesting!

I have a few questions:

In our garden we have at least four "wild" bee hives. They are absolute not aggressive. Is it possible to let them move to a self made hive? Or, if you place a bee hive with an population in it will this cause problems about territory or something?

Regards, Arjen.

I would at least try to rehome the wild ones to your hives. Easier to monitor and get. Tons of youtube videos on how to take them down and put them into your boxes.

I'm certainly not an expert but the wild bees we had in the roof for years (I left them alone and they left me alone) never produced much honey. There are different species of bees of course.

[FireMedic]

All very interesting!

I have a few questions:

In our garden we have at least four "wild" bee hives. They are absolute not aggressive. Is it possible to let them move to a self made hive? Or, if you place a bee hive with an population in it will this cause problems about territory or something?

Regards, Arjen.

I would at least try to rehome the wild ones to your hives. Easier to monitor and get. Tons of youtube videos on how to take them down and put them into your boxes.

I'm certainly not an expert but the wild bees we had in the roof for years (I left them alone and they left me alone) never produced much honey. There are different species of bees of course.

Yes this is true...if you don't care if the bees come or go and you aren't interested in honey, leave them alone. If I had a big enough place, I would rather capture and rehome wild bees from the local area, rather than get some shipped. If your bees have been there for years, I bet their hive is much larger than you think in your roof.

[NeverSure]

There was a thread on this not long ago. I posted from my experience with bees and it ran a while.

Bees and Honey but not much money

Not to criticize but if you do another search on YouTube, Google etc. this one was bees and I think the word is beekeeping.

Cheers

[NeverSure]

Have a pro get a wild hive or swarm. You have to have the queen for the bees to want to follow and go into the hive. You take the hive with you ready to go. You find the queen and put her in the hive with some of the bees and the others will follow their queen. You have to feed the bees a sugar/water syrup until they get going.

A good way to get a colony is have your hives at a beekeeper's place so that when some of the bees with a second queen swarm to make their own place the beekeeper can put them into your hive. Colonies divide that way and increase.

Edited June 14, 2015 by NeverSure

[Cashboy]

Have a pro get a wild hive or swarm. You have to have the queen for the bees to want to follow and go into the hive. You take the hive with you ready to go. You find the queen and put her in the hive with some of the bees and the others will follow their queen. You have to feed the bees a sugar/water syrup until they get going.

A good way to get a colony is have your hives at a beekeeper's place so that when some of the bees with a second queen swarm to make their own place the beekeeper can put them into your hive. Colonies divide that way and increase.

Collecting the swarm would be no problem; i used to do it when I was 16 for my father when he was away.

Basically a new swarm is when they are most docile.

This is because they have just left home with all their belongings.

It is like you have just left home with a ruck sack on your back with your possessions, you are hardly likely to want to pick a fit with someone.

Edited June 14, 2015 by Cashboy

[FireMedic]

I got my first batch of the small stingless bees today from Samut Songkhram. Super cool guys and really like the hobby. These little bees are 100% hobby bees and only give a small amount of honey and wax. I tried the honey today and while it is a bit thinner than regular honey, it has a small citrus kick to it. I really enjoyed it. So I brought my little guys home and have them set up out back. If I can keep these guys going, I will most likely be back to get some more.

[slapout]

mansw attempt to conrol what they regard as pests via spray is wiping out the bees around the world.it hasw become very noticable in the us, europe,etc, a real shame to loose the contribution they have made through out history

[FireMedic]

I found a few comments about a Beekeeping place in Lopburi. I took a drive up there yesterday and talked to the old lady at the shop. She said she lost 20 hives due to the pesticides on the sugarcane. Now she just places orders for people and they come from Chiang Mai.

[Cashboy]

I found a few comments about a Beekeeping place in Lopburi. I took a drive up there yesterday and talked to the old lady at the shop. She said she lost 20 hives due to the pesticides on the sugarcane. Now she just places orders for people and they come from Chiang Mai.

This is what was concerning me;

Kumpawapi (Udon Thani) is mainly sugar commercial sugar cane and there appears to be no crop rotation and so much weed killer / chemicals / fertilisers / pesticides seem to be thrown around.

Forgetting that though; is sugar cane even pollinated or of any use to bees?

[FireMedic]

I found a few comments about a Beekeeping place in Lopburi. I took a drive up there yesterday and talked to the old lady at the shop. She said she lost 20 hives due to the pesticides on the sugarcane. Now she just places orders for people and they come from Chiang Mai.

This is what was concerning me;

Kumpawapi (Udon Thani) is mainly sugar commercial sugar cane and there appears to be no crop rotation and so much weed killer / chemicals / fertilisers / pesticides seem to be thrown around.

Forgetting that though; is sugar cane even pollinated or of any use to bees?

I'm not sure. Her little farm was in the middle of a huge sugarcane place....probably not enough food for 20 hives. Monocrops are really bad for bees. You'll have to move them around from apples, almonds, citrus...etc.

[RPCVguy]

On 6/14/2015 at 9:33 AM, fredge45 said:

Are you in the Chiang Mai area? Great little shop on Changklan Road selling beekeeping supplies as well as great honey...

fredge45
Two years later, and we live 2hrs out of Chiang Mai. Can you help clarify? Where along the road did you recall this shop being? Google Map coordinates would be a great help. Thank you.

[fredge45]

On 9/2/2017 at 3:12 PM, RPCVguy said:

fredge45
Two years later, and we live 2hrs out of Chiang Mai. Can you help clarify? Where along the road did you recall this shop being? Google Map coordinates would be a great help. Thank you.

One way on Changklan Road.  Just past the temple wall on your left...  18 47 12.30N  99 00 03.28E  Sign hexagon shape like bee comb, Chiang Mai Honey shop.  Tried to make a photo from GE but that didn't work for me - and cannot use the map you attached.

[RPCVguy]

 

fredge45 => THANK YOU FOR RESPONDING!

The GPS works great! I never noticed that Bee sign up on the building before.

... and you say they have many varieties of beekeeping supplies?  On Google Maps from your GPS I accessed the following image that I've edited... with what else I found.
That said, we've found and chosen between 2 other options. Doing business in Thailand often requires both a friend locating things, and a GPS - since addresses are frequently useless for street numbers - even when streets have a name.
The next thing about business - is having a phone number that is answered by a person who is somewhat helpful and knowledgeable. On Both of those counts, my wife has now spoken with the people at "forabee" and wants us to use our limited time to go there first.

[JENJAX]

I stumbled upon this thread while searching for someone to help with taking the swarm of bees away that I have in my roof. They recently started building and I would like them to be relocated as there are kids around and that can be a problem. Anybody out there who knows a beekeeper wanting to collect this hive in Summakorn, Bangkok?

[sharpjwe]

Looking forward to start beekeeping in suphanburi 

[vagabondkiwi]

This is a useful but old thread.  I am a new hobbist bee keeper in Chiang Mai and I thought a facebook group might be useful for up to day information.  It is here https://www.facebook.com/groups/1702013669921303/