Beekeeping a thriving livelihood in Bicol

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — Bicolandia is buzzing with bees.

And the good news is that this busy creature of the wild, which has been essential to man’s existence since time immemorial, continues to generate livelihood opportunities for Bicolanos through the honey they produce.

Name the bee species and Region 5 has the most if not all of them:

• Giant honeybee, commonly known as pukyutan and scientifically named Apis dorsata.

• Asian honeybee, locally named liguan with the scientific name Apis cerena.

• Stingless bee, called by Bicolanos as lukot (Trigona biroi).

• Another stingless bee species, also called lukot but with the scientific name Melipona sp.

• European honeybee (Apis mellifera).

Beekeeping is an emerging agriculture-based industry that promises additional incomes and nutritious products in Region 5, reported researchers of the Camarines Sur State Agricultural College (CSSAC) in Pili, Camarines Sur.

To improve current bee production and management practices, the CSSAC researchers studied the region’s native bee species, their location, and distribution of their feral colonies.

They also assessed the existing apiaries in Camarines and Albay to determine the number of colonies, method of beekeeping, and problems encountered by the beekeepers, the factors affecting their growth and development, as well as the pests and diseases associated with them.

They found that Apis cerana and Trigona biroi are now commercially grown in apiaries in Guinobatan and Ligao City, both in Albay.

European honeybees, on the other hand, are reared in three apiaries in Camarines and Albay.

Feral colonies of A. Cerana, T. biroi and A. dorsata have also been sited in the following places: Bacacay, Camalig, Daraga, Guinobatan, Ligao, Malilipot, Oas, Tabaco, all in Albay; Daet, Merceds, Talisay, Vinzons, all in Camarines Norte; Baao, Del Gallego, Goa, Libmanan, Pili, Sipocot, Tigaon, Naga City, all in Camarines Sur; Casiguran, Irosin, Juban, and Sorsogon City, all in Sorsogon.

The CSSAC researchers also noted that colonies of Apis dorsata thrived in Matnog (Sorsogon) while Melipona sp. was found only in Guinobatan and Goa.

The beekeepers have been trained on basic apiculture, according to the study, which was monitored by the Los Baños-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD).

They searched for colonies for their stocks and hived the bees in boxes and coconut shells, reported PCARRD’s Ma. Rowena Baltazar.

They harvest honey and pollen every three months depending on the availability of these bee products. Honey extracted manually or with an improvised extractor.

Propolis is not harvested owing to lack of information on the possible benefits to be derived from it. Propolis is a brownish resinous material of waxy consistency collected by bees from the buds of trees.

The CSSAC researchers also observed that environmental factors such as availability of nectar and pollen sources, pesticidal spraying, and improper cultural management of colonies, and occurrence of pests and diseases affected the growth and development of native bees in Bicol.

Native bees in the apiaries and in the wild were also infested by mites, predatory bugs, wasps, wax moths and dipterans. They were preyed upon by birds, chickens, lizards, and frogs.

The researchers stressed the need to disseminate results of the study through training programs, seminars and scientific forums, and production technology guides and other extension modalities.

They further recommended that conservation efforts be intensified and that marketing strategies and linkages be established to support the growing beekeeping industry.   – Rudy A. Fernandez