Pakistan Honey Production

[ghazi52]

Honey Production

​

What are the benefits of honey and its uses in daily life?

Ans. Honey is an important nutritive food containing various kinds of sugar, protein, free amino acids, minerals, trace elements, enzymes and vitamins with a fairly high caloric value. Its main sugars - laevulose and dextrose are absorbed directly into the blood and provide rapid energy.

How many species of honeybee are available in Pakistan?

Ans. Four species of honeybees are found in Pakistan. Three are indigenous and one is imported and established in Pakistan. These species are present in different ecological areas of the country. The indigenous species are Apis dorsata, Apis cerana, and Apis florea. The occidental species is Apis mellifera.


How to establish bee farming and what are its basic requirements?

Ans. Beekeeping is a profitable business in Pakistan. About 7,000 beekeepers are now rearing exotic species, Apis mellifera in the modern beehives. There are about 300,000 colonies producing 7,500 metric ton honey annually. Congenial climate conditions and bee flora in the country provide excellent opportunities for the expansion of beekeeping. Honeybee flora is present on vast areas in all the provinces including Northern areas, FATA and AJK and can support 1,000,000 honeybee colonies.

PARC can provide training to the individuals and groups of various organizations and also arrange special training courses on request. The investment and income is worked out for beekeepers for honey production having 5, 50,100 and 200 colonies. These colonies need to be migrated to different locations depending upon the availability of honeybee flora.


Cost/benefit beekeeping in Pakistan

Item ​ Part-time beekeeping​ Full-time beekeeping​ Number of Apis mellifera colonies 5​ 50​ 100​ 200​ Capital Expenditure Standard Langstroth bee hive (with bees) @ Rs.4500/- per hive Rs.22,500 Rs.225,000 Rs.450,000 Rs.900,000 Comb foundation press -​ -​ Rs.18,000 Rs.18,000 Honey extractor Rs.2,000 Rs.6,000 Rs.10,000 Rs.10,000 Nucleus hives @ Rs.500/- Rs.2,500 Rs.25,000 Rs.50,000 Rs.100,000 Pollen traps @ Rs.200/- Rs.200 Rs.3,000 Rs.3,000 Rs.5,000 Miscellaneous tools (bee veil, hive tool, smoker, tent etc.) Rs.500 Rs.6,000 Rs.7,000 Rs.14,000 Total Rs.27,700 Rs.265,000 Rs.538,000 Rs.1,047,000 Production Cost Nectar & pollen Free gift of nature Transportation of colonies (migration) -​ Rs.10,000 Rs.20,000 Rs.48,000 Supplemental feeding 12 kg sugar per colony@ Rs.40/- per kg Rs.2,400 Rs.24,000 Rs.48,000 Rs.96,000 Depreciation on equipment Rs.2,710 Rs.26,500 Rs.53,800 Rs.104,700 Rent of stores -​ Rs.5,000 Rs.10,000 Rs.15,000 Rent of apiary sites in the form of honey (obligatory) -​ Rs.1,000 Rs.2,000 Rs.4,000 Bee Attendants @ Rs.3000/- per month + food -​ Rs.36,000 Rs.72,000 Rs.108,000 Misc. expenses (chemicals/medicines) Rs.500​ Rs.3,000 Rs.6,000 Rs.12,000 Total Rs.5,610 Rs.105,500 Rs.211,800 Rs.375,700 Gross Income Honey 25 kg @ Rs.80/- per kg (different sources 10 kg 'ber’ @ Rs.250/- per kg Rs.6,000 Rs.185,000 Rs.370,000 Rs.740,000 Royal jelly per 50 colonies -​ Rs.10,000 Rs.20,000 Rs.40,000 Beeswax 250gm per hive @ Rs.200/- per kg Rs.250 Rs.2,500 Rs.5,000 Rs.10,000 Pollen (surplus) 250 gm per colony @ Rs.600/- per kg Rs.1,000 Rs.7,500 Rs.14,500 Rs.29,000 Nucleus hive @ Rs.1000/- Rs.1,000 Rs.15,000 Rs.30,000 Rs.60,000 Total Rs.8,250 Rs.220,000 Rs.439,500 Rs.879,000 Net Income Rs.2,640 Rs.114,500 Rs.227,700 Rs.503,300

What is the contribution of PARC in promotion of honey production in Pakistan?


Ans.

• Honeybee Research Programme (HBRP), NARC of Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) is one of the important programme for the income generation and poverty alleviation.
• Established the occidental honeybee Apis mellifera in Pakistan after more than 16 unsuccessful attempts from 1927 to 1977.
• Developed management technologies for higher honey production.
• Colony yield increased from 4 kg to 25 kg and annual honey production increased from 250 ton to more than 7,500 ton.
• Trained about 7000 beekeepers, out of these 2600 beekeepers are maintaining more than 3,00,000 honeybee colonies in modern Langstroth hives.
• Started the use of honeybees for pollination of vegetable-seed, oil-seed, fodder-seed crops and fruit trees for yield increase and quality seed.
• Organized 17 national and 72 regional beekeeping training courses.
• Strengthened Provincial beekeeping units at Faisalabad and Tarnab, Peshwar and established new units in Quetta, Hyderabad and Azad Kashmir.
• Set up beekeeping units at Gilgit and Nagar with the collaboration of Aga Khan Rural Support Programme.
• Set up beekeeping unit at University of the Punjab, Lahore for teaching, demonstration and research purposes.

What are the major economic benefits of bee farming?

Ans. The major economic benefits are:


Crop pollination:
The share of honeybees in crop pollination is 80 %. It improves the quality of fruits, vegetable and yield of seed crops.

Honey Production:

Honey production from occidental bees is upto 24 kg per colony per annum. The sidder honey fetches maximum price.

Bee hive value-added by-products:

Royal jelly, pollen and propolis are used as health food and beeswax in cosmetics. Beekeepers in Pakistan are maintaining a fairly large number of honeybee colonies and are capable of producing royal jelly, pollen propolis and beeswax. The production and value addition of by-products would supplements the income of beekeepers.

Honey Production

Pakistan Agriculture Research Council

www.parc.gov.pk

 

[ghazi52]

Species of Honey Bee

In the early 21st century, only seven species of honey bee are recognized, with a total of 44 subspecies, though historically seven to eleven species are recognized.

The Best known Honey Bee

The Western honey bee is the best known honey bee, which has been domesticated for honey production and crop pollination; modern humans also value the wax for candle making and other crafts. Honey bees represent a small fraction of the roughly 20,000 known species of bees.
Harmless / Stingless Honey bees

Some types of bees produce and store honey and have been kept by humans for that purpose, including the stingless honey bees, but only the members of the genus Apis are true honey bees.




Species of Honey Bee in Pakistan

Four species of honeybees are found in Pakistan. Three are domestic and one is imported and settled in Pakistan.The indigenous species name of honeybee is Apis dorsata, Apis cerana, and Apis florea. The occidental species is Apis mellifera. They are mostly found in the Himalaya region of Pakistan.



Apis Dorsata

Apis dorsata, is known as the giant honey bee. Apis dorsata is a honey bee of South and Southeast Asia, found mainly in forested areas. Generally, they are around 17–20 mm long. Nests are mainly built in exposed places off the ground, like on tree limbs, under cliff overhangs, and sometimes on buildings.



Apis Cerana

Apis cerana is the eastern honey bee. It is also called the Asiatic honey bee. This species of honey bee is native to southern, southeastern, and eastern Asia. Apis koschevnikovi species is the sister species of Apis cerana and both are in the same subgenus as the western honey bee.


Apis Florea

Apis florea is the dwarf honey bee, Apis florea, is one of two species of small, wild honey bees of southern and southeastern Asia. It has a much wider delivery than its sister species, Apis and reniformis.



Apis Mellifera

Honey bee Apis mellifera, is known as the European bee or in Indonesia known as superior bee. Bees are classified as benign(i.e. not easy to attack / sting). The most important thing is to master the management of the colony.

The Mellifera honey bees was first present in Indonesia and that idea get from Australia to see the Apiari Scouts in the early decades of the 1970’s. Some people were trying to farm in Central Java with the mainland of China.

In spite of it all is to be noted and it plays an important role in the development of this bee species in Indonesia are Apiari Scouts, Department of Forestry, and BPPT.Mellifera honey bees at this point is easily found in Central Java (Pati, Jepara, Batang, Boyolali, Semarang, Waterford), in East Java (Malang, Pasuruan, Probolinggo, Banyuwangi, Kediri), in West Java (Sukabumi), in Yogyakarta , in Papua (Wamena)..

 

[Goenitz]

shared before...
easy extraction
energy saver
bee saver
cheap and easy to operate.
need no wax

 

[ghazi52]

What is honeybee?

A honey bee is a flying insect within the genus Apis of the bee clade. They are close relatives of wasps and ants.They are known for construction of perennial, colonial nests from wax, for the large size of their colonies, and for their surplus production and storage of honey, distinguishing their hives as a prized foraging target of many animals, including honey badgers, bears and human hunter-gatherers


About Bees

Queen Bee

The largest bee in the colony is the Queen bee. The wings of the queen bee is the half way down her abdomen.She is the only queen in a colony of honey bees that may number 60,000 or more.

Drone Bee

Drone is a male bee. They don't like the female worker bees.They do not have stingers and neither they can collect a nectar nor pollen. A primary role of drone is to mate with an unfertilized queen.

Worker Bee

A worker bee is just a bee that works. Dependents on her age she has a different roles in hives.When she is young her role is nurse bee.Her work is to take care of the larvae Bee.



Pollination For Beekeeping

For the pollination of plants bees are required because bees can makes the indispensable pollinators ecosystems. The flowering plant species population is 369,000 and 90% of them are dependent on insect pollination.

Usually honeybee can visit 50-1000 flowers in one trip if bee takes ten trips a day, a colony with 25,000 forager bees can pollinate 250 million flowers in a day.

The researchers estimate that almost one-third of the human food supply has to rely on insect pollination. Most of the ancient plants were pollinated by wind. Conifers, grasses, and many other trees are still wind-pollinated.

Most flowering plants, however, use living organisms to aid in this transfer. Bats and birds can pollinate just a limited number of plants, but the vast majority of plants are pollinated by insects.Some butterflies, ants, flies, beetles, wasp and moths pollinate the various flowers, but bees are responsible for the vast majority of pollination. Since all types of honey bees live on nectar and pollen, thus pollination would be difficult and time consuming without honey bees.


Threats to Bee Species

• Widespread use of pesticides, neonicotinoids and GMOs
• Climate change
• Loss of habitat, including land use changes, habitat fragmentation, loss of bio-diversity
• Bees forced into service monoculture
• Pests, diseases, viruses, and mold

 

[ghazi52]

Beekeeping Workers Works

The honey bees perform pollination because they live on nectar and pollen. Since many important crops are pollinated by honey bees.So, the one -third of human food supply, would be very difficult without bees.


Learn About Honey

Pollination

Pollination is the act of transferring pollen grains from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma.

Beehive


A beehive is an enclosed, man-made structure in which some honey bee species of the sub genus Apis live.

Nectar

Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries, which attracts pollinating animals.

Beekeeping Farms

Beekeeping provide a unique services and offers how can you become a successful beekeeper.

Flowers

Flowers and their aroma influences the flavor and quality of our honey like Lambertia formosa, Giant etc.

Bee

We take care of our bees to ensure that they work properly for the best honey that are to be used by our customer.

 

[ghazi52]

ISLAMABAD: National Agriculture Research Center's (NARC) Honey Bee Research Institute, Senior Scientific officer Dr. Rashid Hussain has said that Pakistan was producing prime quality of honey in the world

Talking to APP Dr. Rashid Hussain said that despite the fact Pakistan has great potential to get itself listed in the major honey producers in the world, the country still falls at number 20th in terms of production.

Dr. Rashid Hussain said Pakistan producing 298,000 metric tons annually, while China is the largest exporter of honey in the world, he added.

He said that the quality which makes Pakistani honey so special was that this type of honey was made of the nectar by the honeybees extracted from the flowers of berry tree (Ziziphus) and fortunately berry trees are grown in abundance in the Potohar region.

In Chakwal, Mianwali, Kark and Bannu districts, these trees can be seen on the boundary line of every chunk of land. Unlike many other trees, berry blossoms from mid-September to mid-October and this is the period when honeybees do wonders in their hives by the nectar extracted from the flowers, he said.

He said that the researchers have proved that honey made of the nectar of berry trees has higher medicinal value compared to honeys made of other flowers' nectars.

When September approaches, the beekeepers from different areas of the country rush towards the Potohar region and establish their colonies at deserted places besides roads.

"The fields of Chakwal have abundant of berry trees and the atmosphere of the area is also very ideal," a honey beekeeper Abdul Khaliq who set up his honybee colony at Lohi Bheer area told APP.

It takes honeybees at least one month to give final shape to their product. After harvesting honey, the beekeepers take it to Tarnab, the hub of honey trade in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, from where it is sold to traders who export it to Arab countries, he said.

Naeem Qasmi , the president of Pakistan Beekeepers Association (PBA) told APP that he was worried about the cutting of berry trees.

"The cutting of berry trees is going on without any check and if it is not stopped, the business of honey would be badly affected," he said.

Qasmi said that there were about 35,000 beekeeping farms in Pakistan but only 10,000 of them were registered with the PBA. He said that the beekeepers find themselves in trouble whenever their bees are attacked by termites. And in such a situation, they cannot find anti-termite medicines at reasonable prices, Qasmi said.

Currently, he said, Pakistan produces 10,000 tons of honey annually but due to lack of proper rules and regulations the state and the beekeepers are not getting the full advantages of this product. According to a report, 20 per cent of honey is lost every year due to untrained beekeepers.

Ghulam Sarwar, Scientific officer at Honeybee Research Institute, said Pakistan is producing best quality honey despite the fact that beekeeping industry is facing a number of problems.

"Honey extracted from the tree of berry and from plant of Kalonji is the best but pathetically the trees of berry are being cut down in Chakwal district which is a very discouraging sign for the industry," he said.

"The beekeeping colonies are feared to be washed away by the current floods and beekeepers could face heavy loss and government in this connection should make arrangements to rehabilitate them," he added.

"We are trying our best despite limited resources to improve the industry. We are training many beekeepers and also researching on the topic extensively," Qasmi said.

He further said that demand of honey in international market particularly in Gulf is manifold higher than the present supply.

For increase in the production, he called for the plantation of berry plants in open places to provide feeding for the bees.

In this connection, he especially stressed the active role of forest and agriculture departments.

APP ,

 

[ghazi52]

Pakistan Establishes First-Ever Honeybee Research Laboratory

Pakistan has collaborated with #Turkey to develop the country’s first Honey Bee Research Laboratory in order to strengthen the production of quality honey in the country.

The laboratory was inaugurated by the Chairman of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), Dr. Muhammad Azeem Khan, along with the Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan, Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul, at the National Agriculture Research Center in Islamabad on Wednesday.

The Turkish ambassador highlighted the importance of strengthening bilateral relations in various fields, adding that Pakistan and Turkey can cooperate to ensure food security and nutrition for all.

The Chairman PARC expressed his gratitude for Turkey’s assistance in the establishment of the Honeybee Research Laboratory, and said while Pakistan is already producing quality honey, the establishment of the laboratory will boost its quality in accordance with modern standards.

He added, “We can get a better price of our honey in the world market by acquiring the international certification

 

[khail007]

How to produce 'Queen Bee' needs knowledge, practice and psychology of bees. One master these skills, could successfully attain 70-80% of result and it means 70-80 new bee hives (colonies).
Now it is up to one how much time he could invest, how quick he learns. IMO, just in one year, one could feel his learning curve that how well he is doing and also the economic/financial results.

 

[Hareeb]

Thanks for the post. I am planning to start honey production and fish farming through biofloc system and was about to make a feasibility report. Beside other sources, this will also help.

 

[TheSnakeEatingMarkhur]

Honey Production

​

What are the benefits of honey and its uses in daily life?

Ans. Honey is an important nutritive food containing various kinds of sugar, protein, free amino acids, minerals, trace elements, enzymes and vitamins with a fairly high caloric value. Its main sugars - laevulose and dextrose are absorbed directly into the blood and provide rapid energy.

How many species of honeybee are available in Pakistan?

Ans. Four species of honeybees are found in Pakistan. Three are indigenous and one is imported and established in Pakistan. These species are present in different ecological areas of the country. The indigenous species are Apis dorsata, Apis cerana, and Apis florea. The occidental species is Apis mellifera.


How to establish bee farming and what are its basic requirements?

Ans. Beekeeping is a profitable business in Pakistan. About 7,000 beekeepers are now rearing exotic species, Apis mellifera in the modern beehives. There are about 300,000 colonies producing 7,500 metric ton honey annually. Congenial climate conditions and bee flora in the country provide excellent opportunities for the expansion of beekeeping. Honeybee flora is present on vast areas in all the provinces including Northern areas, FATA and AJK and can support 1,000,000 honeybee colonies.

PARC can provide training to the individuals and groups of various organizations and also arrange special training courses on request. The investment and income is worked out for beekeepers for honey production having 5, 50,100 and 200 colonies. These colonies need to be migrated to different locations depending upon the availability of honeybee flora.


Cost/benefit beekeeping in Pakistan

Item​ Part-time beekeeping​ Full-time beekeeping​ Number of Apis mellifera colonies 5​ 50​ 100​ 200​ Capital Expenditure Standard Langstroth bee hive (with bees) @ Rs.4500/- per hive Rs.22,500 Rs.225,000 Rs.450,000 Rs.900,000 Comb foundation press -​ -​ Rs.18,000 Rs.18,000 Honey extractor Rs.2,000 Rs.6,000 Rs.10,000 Rs.10,000 Nucleus hives @ Rs.500/- Rs.2,500 Rs.25,000 Rs.50,000 Rs.100,000 Pollen traps @ Rs.200/- Rs.200 Rs.3,000 Rs.3,000 Rs.5,000 Miscellaneous tools (bee veil, hive tool, smoker, tent etc.) Rs.500 Rs.6,000 Rs.7,000 Rs.14,000 Total Rs.27,700 Rs.265,000 Rs.538,000 Rs.1,047,000 Production Cost Nectar & pollen Free gift of nature Transportation of colonies (migration) -​ Rs.10,000 Rs.20,000 Rs.48,000 Supplemental feeding 12 kg sugar per colony@ Rs.40/- per kg Rs.2,400 Rs.24,000 Rs.48,000 Rs.96,000 Depreciation on equipment Rs.2,710 Rs.26,500 Rs.53,800 Rs.104,700 Rent of stores -​ Rs.5,000 Rs.10,000 Rs.15,000 Rent of apiary sites in the form of honey (obligatory) -​ Rs.1,000 Rs.2,000 Rs.4,000 Bee Attendants @ Rs.3000/- per month + food -​ Rs.36,000 Rs.72,000 Rs.108,000 Misc. expenses (chemicals/medicines) Rs.500​ Rs.3,000 Rs.6,000 Rs.12,000 Total Rs.5,610 Rs.105,500 Rs.211,800 Rs.375,700 Gross Income Honey 25 kg @ Rs.80/- per kg (different sources 10 kg 'ber’ @ Rs.250/- per kg Rs.6,000 Rs.185,000 Rs.370,000 Rs.740,000 Royal jelly per 50 colonies -​ Rs.10,000 Rs.20,000 Rs.40,000 Beeswax 250gm per hive @ Rs.200/- per kg Rs.250 Rs.2,500 Rs.5,000 Rs.10,000 Pollen (surplus) 250 gm per colony @ Rs.600/- per kg Rs.1,000 Rs.7,500 Rs.14,500 Rs.29,000 Nucleus hive @ Rs.1000/- Rs.1,000 Rs.15,000 Rs.30,000 Rs.60,000 Total Rs.8,250 Rs.220,000 Rs.439,500 Rs.879,000 Net Income Rs.2,640 Rs.114,500 Rs.227,700 Rs.503,300

What is the contribution of PARC in promotion of honey production in Pakistan?


Ans.

• Honeybee Research Programme (HBRP), NARC of Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) is one of the important programme for the income generation and poverty alleviation.
• Established the occidental honeybee Apis mellifera in Pakistan after more than 16 unsuccessful attempts from 1927 to 1977.
• Developed management technologies for higher honey production.
• Colony yield increased from 4 kg to 25 kg and annual honey production increased from 250 ton to more than 7,500 ton.
• Trained about 7000 beekeepers, out of these 2600 beekeepers are maintaining more than 3,00,000 honeybee colonies in modern Langstroth hives.
• Started the use of honeybees for pollination of vegetable-seed, oil-seed, fodder-seed crops and fruit trees for yield increase and quality seed.
• Organized 17 national and 72 regional beekeeping training courses.
• Strengthened Provincial beekeeping units at Faisalabad and Tarnab, Peshwar and established new units in Quetta, Hyderabad and Azad Kashmir.
• Set up beekeeping units at Gilgit and Nagar with the collaboration of Aga Khan Rural Support Programme.
• Set up beekeeping unit at University of the Punjab, Lahore for teaching, demonstration and research purposes.

What are the major economic benefits of bee farming?

Ans. The major economic benefits are:


Crop pollination:
The share of honeybees in crop pollination is 80 %. It improves the quality of fruits, vegetable and yield of seed crops.

Honey Production:

Honey production from occidental bees is upto 24 kg per colony per annum. The sidder honey fetches maximum price.

Bee hive value-added by-products:

Royal jelly, pollen and propolis are used as health food and beeswax in cosmetics. Beekeepers in Pakistan are maintaining a fairly large number of honeybee colonies and are capable of producing royal jelly, pollen propolis and beeswax. The production and value addition of by-products would supplements the income of beekeepers.

Honey Production

Pakistan Agriculture Research Council

www.parc.gov.pk

Might set one up with incorporated tech..

shared before...
easy extraction
energy saver
bee saver
cheap and easy to operate.
need no wax

This is what I was thinking... you can easily use 3D printer to make these instead of paying 3 lakh for this hive..

 

[ghazi52]

Thanks for the post. I am planning to start honey production and fish farming through biofloc system and was about to make a feasibility report. Beside other sources, this will also help.

Fish farming
May be helpful...

Fish farming in Pakistan

Fish farming in Pakistan National Aquaculture Sector Overview Catla catla ), rohu (Labeo rohita ), mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala ) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio ). More recently, two fast growing species, the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus ) and silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix )...

defence.pk

 

[ghazi52]

TİKA established Advanced Queen Bee Research Laboratory in collaboration with Honeybee Research Institute (HBRI) in Islamabad.

Quality control will be ensured by using the latest technology in the sophisticated laboratory

50 Turkish-style bee hives donated for the research

 

[khail007]

Thanks for the post. I am planning to start honey production and fish farming through biofloc system and was about to make a feasibility report. Beside other sources, this will also help.

Dear, set your goals/targets and start from small scale, hone your knowledge and skills - then take another step towards your goals/targets - in this way the confidence you will build will take you to long way - Insha-Allah.
Note: For biofloc go for solar for aeration purpose and not for grid electricity. It will be also a very important aspect and add to your experience and minimise the production cost which will be inversely proportion to your profit margin.

 

[Khalidr]

Thanks for the post. I am planning to start honey production and fish farming through biofloc system and was about to make a feasibility report. Beside other sources, this will also help.

let me know if I can invest and together if we can find mutual grounds for investments..

 

[Hareeb]

Note: For biofloc go for solar for aeration purpose and not for grid electricity. It will be also a very important aspect and add to your experience and minimise the production cost which will be inversely proportion to your profit margin.

Thank you. I am done with R&D and yes, solar is the best bet.

let me know if I can invest and together if we can find mutual grounds for investments..

All right, I will let you know.