Beekeeping for non Ag.

students (PP 201)

Jordan University of Science and Technology

Faculty of Agriculture
Department of Plant Production

Instructor: Prof. Dr. A. Al-Ghzawi

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

- Beekeeping terminology
Apiculture: The management and maintenance of bee especially honey
bees for the recreation and economic benefit for human being
Apidology: The science of studying of honey bee.
Apiarist: The man who deals with bees
Apiary: A place where you keep several hives in one location
Hive: The box where you keep the colony of bees
Colony: Family of bees living together
Comb: A frame with the completely build foundation
Comb wax foundation: A sheet of pure bee wax embossed on both sides
with the base and the beginning of the cell walls of the comb of the honey
bee

-
- Significance of beekeeping
• From socio-economic point that:
• 1- It creates part- or full-time rural employment and increase rural income,
• 2- Minimal investment and imported equipment are required.
• 3- It has a complementary rather than competitive work.
• 4- Products of beekeeping are highly valued.
• 5- Stimulates community spirit and social contact and helps rural people to
become self-reliant.

• From ecological view,

• 6- It does not occupy land even require ownership of land.
• 7- Bees contribute to the conservation of the natural environment and
increases agricultural production by crop pollination.

• From a health point of view,

• 8- It provides valuable food and raises the nutritional levels.
• 9- It provides bee products for use in traditional medicine.
 History of Beekeeping

We can divide the history of HB keeping into

three main periods:
• 1-Beekeeping up to 1500.
• 2- Beekeeping from 1500 to 1851.
• 3- Beekeeping from 1851 and after
• Bee keeping up to 1500:
• - At that period of time HB were confined in the old world
Asia Africa and Europe.
- Honeybees distributed long before man appeared on the
earth.
• - Primitive man learned to collect honey by hunting from
natural colonies in hollow trees and rocks cervices.
• - A painting made in the Rock Mountains of Spain in
Mesolithic time's probably about 7000 BC show us how this
was done.
- Honey hunting is still used now by many countries.
• - After that several hives came to be used as substitutes for
natural dwellings of bees. For safety hives were collected in an
apiary.
- Hives were made from several materials collected from the
nature as mud, wood straw and any other available
substance.
 Beekeeping between 1500-1851:

• With the beginning of the sixteenth century three main

events happened which lead to the progress of HB keeping
after word these are:

1- Development in Beekeeping methods which gave beekeeper

more control over his bees.
2-Scientific and technical developments make it easier to
understand more about the biology and life cycle of bees.
3-The HB spread over the two new continents from those
continents greatest advance in HB keeping occurred.
 Beekeeping from 1851 and after

• Most Famous Scientist:

• Franz Huber 1750: Hive with one frame
• Langstroth 1850: Bee space
• Mehring 1853: Comb foundation
• Rhuska 1858: Honey extractor
• Karl von Fresh 1972: Nobel prize
Development of Beekeeping in Jordan
- Traditional beekeeping methods till 1975.
- 1976 the introduction of modern beekeeping
Year 1975 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

No. of Primitive hives 30000 5000 1500 1500 1000 1000 500

Modern hives 0 2000 17000 20000 30000 30000 30000

Average Prod. In ton 45 100 150 120 170 180 150

Consumption 200 400 600 600 600 600 600

Ratio P/C% 23 25 25 20 28 30 25
 Honey bee Biology

- Casts: Drone Queen Workers

- Function: Mating lay eggs, Harmony, pheromone Out & inside activity
HONEY BEE QUEEN

The mother of the colony and the only well

developed female in the hive
Length: 20-25 mm, Weight: 0.23 mg,
Age: Lives for 2-5years.

Developmental stages:
Egg----Larvae----Pupae----Adult-----virgin queen -----laying queen
3 days 5 d. 8 d. 16 d. 5 d. 5 days

Each queen surrounded by a group of workers called the court, their

duties are:
1- Cleaning the queen
2- Feeding
3- Surrounded the queen during egg laying
What are the functions of the queen?
1- Egg laying
2- Management the colony
3- Queen Pheromone production

The queen feed on royal jelly and can feed on honey, she has
a sting apparatus

If the colony lost the queen, the workers start to wail until a
new queen is reared.
After a new queen is emerged in the queenless colony,
wailing is converted to dancing.
 WORKERS

They are not full developed female in the hive.

Length: 12-14 mm
Weight: 0.14 gm
Age: It depends on the type of the worker bees
Developmental stages:
Egg ----- Larvae------ Pupae------- Adult------- Nurse bees or
Field bees
3 days 8 d. 10 d. 21 d. 45 days or 6 months

Types of Bees:
Summer bees: Appear between January and July in Jordan, they live
few weeks only ( 3 weeks).
Winter bees: Appear between August and November and they live up
to 6 months under Jordanian conditions.
What are the functions of the workers?
They perform all internal and external activities of the
colonies.
The workers feed on honey, pollen grain and bee bread
They have a sting apparatus and a rudimentary
reproductive system.

If the colony lost the queen, the workers could lay

eggs at that time they called laying workers
 DRONES

They are full developed Male in the hive.

Length: 15-17 mm, Weight: 0.196 gm,
Age: 30-40 days

Developmental stages:
Egg----------- Larvae------ Pupae------ Adult------- Full mature male
3 days 8 d. 13 d. 24 d. 14 days

They are larger than worker bees and distinguished by large

compound eyes and a dumpy (stout) shape.

The drones feed on honey, pollen grain and bee bread.

They are needed as fathers but they have no fathers of their own.
What are the functions of the drones?
1- To mate with virgin queens
2- Warming the brood
3- Maturing honey

Drones gather them selves in a special place called congregation

area which is the same place every year, its diameter about 500m .

Mating takes place in this area and the drones give not only sperms
but their life for the continuance of the species.

If the colony has shortage of food, the drones may be killed drone
massacre (Butcher, slaughter, mass murder….)
 Egg (From Queen)

Fertilized Unfertilized

Male

Fed Royal jelly Fed Bee Bread

Queen Worker