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FAO :

In nearly all countries of the world bees and their products are not only well known and have wide consumer preference, but provide sustainable livelihoods to many small-scale farmers and other rural and non-rural people. Bees offer a large potential with minimal investments. As an agricultural enterprise beekeeping does not require land ownership or rental, it can be started with equipment and tools that can be sourced locally and in many instances skills and knowledge required for such an enterprise are found within local traditions. As a business enterprise it offers not only diverse products, for example honey and wax among others, which can be sold in local markets and become an important source of regular income for farm families, but can also provide complementary services, such as crop pollination. Moreover bee products improve farm family nutrition and can provide for traditional health care remedies.



  1. Key Resource 1984-08-01 Several types of hives and their construction will be described but it must always be kept in mind that availability of materials is of extreme importance. There are places where lumber is readily available at reasonable prices and, certainly, if it is termite-proof or termite-proofed it is the...
  2. 2021-03-01 Stingless Beekeeping, or Meliponiculture, is the keeping of bees from the tribe Meliponini. Stingless bees comprise hundreds of species with there being a possible 89 confirmed species in Subtropical/Tropical Asia and Australia alone (Rasmussen, 2008); and, while many are able to produce honey,...
  3. Rearing of honey bees is called Apiculture. Keeping bees at a large scale for commercial purposes as a business is increasing in this fast growing world. Apiculture is related to agriculture or is a part of agriculture. Apiculture or bee keeping business need less investment of money and...
  4. 1982-05-19 It is possible that the water repellent just described would be especially helpful for treating wood that is to be used in constructing bee hives. But be careful if you add toxic chemicals to turn it into a water-repellent preservative.
  5. 1988-01-01 This is a practical book, designed both for small-scale beekeepers and for those engaged in the honey industry, to explain the principles that can be applied to determine a honey's origin. Such investigations involve the microscopic examination of pollen and other particles in a honey which...
  6. 2016-11-29 The first simple step toward protecting our pollinators is to provide the flowers they need, using no pesticides. With abundant native wildflowers, your task is even simpler: don't mow them down! This field guide identifies the plants that honey bees and native bees- as well as butterflies,...
  7. 2012-08-31 175 pp : ill. 2 copies "Natural hive management for honey, beeswax, and pollination" Beekeepers continue to face tremendous challenges, from pests, diseases, pollution, climate change, and, in recent years, from the mysterious and devastating phenomenon knows as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)....
  8. 2019-09-13 Pragmatic and whimsical, Dancing with Bees is the provocative memoir of one wildlife gardener rekindling her relationship with nature by getting to know some extraordinary, magical, little beings. Brigit Strawbridge Howard was shocked the day she realised she knew more about the French Revolution...
  9. 2019-02-14 Session: This workshop seeks to draw together people involved in or interested in top-bar beekeeping. Drawing from our experience of starting beekeeper groups in rural villages in the Mwanza region, we will discuss challenges faced, lessons learned and also the potential for the future of...
  10. Phil Chandler - the Barefoot Beekeeper has some videos on building and maintaining top bar hives.
  11. Abstract, 2018, Journal of Economic Entomology Numerous papers have shown that propolis contributes favorably to worker honey bee (Apis melliferaL.) immune response and colony social immunity. Moreover, resin-foraging specialists are more sensitive than pollen foragers to tactile information in...
  12. 2015-07-14 In northern Thailand, widespread mono-cropping has led to environmental changes which have affected the natural habitat of bees, resulting in diminishing numbers and reduced honey production. As ECHO Asia already has a variety of different flower species, trialing honey production seemed like a...
  13. 2013-02-20
  14. 2016-03-02 Session: The presentation details how African Beekeepers can use The Hive Business Model to build and sustain profitable beekeeping businesses using The Hive Beekeepers Starter Kit comprising of the CAB Hive uniquely made to meet the demands of the African bee and how this model completes the...
  15. 2014-10-20
  16. 2014-10-28 Benefits of Beekeeping 1. Bees pollinate crops hence boosting crop yields and household incomes. 2. Honey and other products generate income. People everywhere like honey. Beekeeping is an ideal small scale income generating activity, and there is a ready market for products, both locally and...
  17. 2015-03-26 Apiculture, the scientific management of bees in special enclosures in order to increase yield of hive products and gain pollination benefit, has a great future in Ghana if it is properly harnessed. Traditional method of honey production which is common in many parts of Ghana especially the...
  18. Founded in 1993,Bees for Developmentwas the first organisation to articulate the reasons why beekeeping is such a useful tool for alleviating poverty while helping to retain biodiversity. We focus on simple methods of sustainable beekeeping, always using local bees and local materials. We have...
  19. Determining the Impacts of Pesticide and Nutrition-Induced Stress on Honey Bee Colony Growth and Survival Understanding Honey Bee Microbiota to Improve Bee Nutrition and Colony Health
  20. 2016-01-01 Apis mellifera, or European Honey Bee is only able to take food from250-300 plants in any given location, Grenada is no different. Thismanual is to help with plant identification, advice on planningpropagation and if the plant is a nectar, pollen, or propolis bearing. Megan Wannarka served in...
  21. Key Resource 2000-03-01 Beekeeping provides rural people in developing countries with sources of income and nutrition. It is a sustainable form of agriculture, which isbeneficial to the environment and provides economic reasons for theretention of native habitats and potentially both increased yield from food and...
  22. Key Resource 1982-01-01 This is a manual for getting started with small scale beekeeping development projects. The intention is to provide an overview of beekeeping and its possibilities as a tool for development. No attempt is made to duplicate technical information given in other readily available resources on...
  23. Key Resource 2005-01-20 Keeping bees can be an interesting hobby or a source of income. This booklet provides information on keeping honey bees, Apis mellifera. It discusses the composition and daily life of a colony, the main principles of bee-keeping, the equipment required and the collection of honey and pollen. In...
  24. 1976-01-01 First Lessons in Beekeepingintroduces the prospective beekeeper to the basics of beekeeping through easy-to-understand text and numerous color photos on honey bee biology, beekeeping equipment, management, honey production and processing, as well as disease diagnosis and treatment. In the preface...
  25. APISERVICES has been active in all aspects of beekeeping for the last thirty years! More than 200 missions in 131 countries Website in English, French, Spanish, German
  26. Access Agriculture Training Video Traditionally, honey was sold in the comb, but nowadays most consumers prefer honey that is extracted from the comb. This processed honey is clean and ready to use, and can be stored over a longer period of time. To ensure that honey keeps its quality, you have...
  27. 2019-02-14 Session: Pollinators are a key component of global biodiversity, providing vital ecosystem services to crops and wild plants. There is clear evidence of recent declines in both wild and domesticated pollinators, and parallel declines in the plants that rely upon them. Here we describe the nature...
  28. This beekeeping dictionary contains terms frequently used by beekeepers and melittologists. The words are taken from various disciplines including beekeeping, entomology, environmental science, biology, chemistry, and botany. Use the comment section below if you would like to add another word.
  29. Beekeeping or apiculture is a long practiced activity in many parts of the world. Bees are a vital part of the ecosystem - one third of the food we eat would not be available were it not for bees' pollination activities. Beekeeping is often done with very simple equipment. Approaches vary in...
  30. The Kenyan Top Bar Hive isn’t mobile. So, this hive is of little interest to commercial beekeepers renting out their bees for pollination. But, the KTBH is an extremely popular design among commercial beekeepers exclusively engaged in honey production as well as with amateur beekeepers interested...
  31. Welcome to the Honey Bee Research Centre's online beekeeping video series! Our goal was to provide new and advanced beekeepers with demonstrations by our staff on a variety of topics ranging from how to open a hive to queen rearing.
  32. Access Agriculture Training Video In traditional hives, the bees make their own wax combs that are often attached to each other, so harvesting the honey is difficult. Honey can be extracted only two or three times a year from a traditional beehive. A modern beehive produces double to triple the...
  33. Frontiers in Bee Science is a new and interdisciplinary open access journal going beyond the generally accepted research in bee biology. It will embrace novel concepts and present new information on all aspects of the biology of all species of bees worldwide (hence the emphasis on “Frontiers”)....
  34. 2003-01-20 Why do people keep honey bees? The simple answer is that honey bees produce honey and wax and improve the value of crops by pollinating flowers. The wax and honey may be consumed in the home or sold on the open market for cash. Keeping honey bees is the only type of farming that can be done...
  35. 2003-01-01 82 pages, illustrated Why do people keep honey bees? The simple answer is that honey bees produce honey and wax and improve the value of crops by pollinating flowers. The wax and honey may be consumed in the home or sold on the open market for cash. Keeping honey bees is the only type of farming...
  36. 2020-01-01 *Available as Download Only This is a practical tool to help beekeepers, veterinarians and beekeeping advisory services to properly identify main honeybee diseases and to take the most appropriate actions in the apiary to control and/or prevent disease outbreaks. This publication follows the TECA...
  37. 2021-01-01 *Available as Download Only Bees provide a critical link in the maintenance of ecosystems, pollination. They play a major role in maintaining biodiversity, ensuring the survival of many plants, enhancing forest regeneration, providing sustainability and adaptation to climate change and improving...
  38. 2001-01-01 Small-scale beekeeping is an attractive cash crop option for resource-poor farmers in the tropics. It demands little in the way of time, finances or natural resources, and the honey and beeswax harvested can be processed in the home and sold locally. At the same time, pollination by honeybees...
  39. 1993-03-19 Livestock issue Mushrooming income for women Beekeeping Chiapas sheep Crossbreeding Soil classification Improved cultivars
  40. 1988-01-01 You can keep bees as an interesting hobby or as a source of income. This booklet provides you with information on how to work with honey bees. In most regions of the world this will be the European bee Apis mellifera, although in large parts of (sub)tropical Asia the rather similar species Apis...
  41. 2022-01-20 Submitted by the author for publication on ECHOcommunity : 2022 Yusuf Olufade No book on beekeeping can cover everything about such a vast subject, and so a decision was taken to steer the reader towards the practical rather than the theoretical side of the subject. It is hoped that, by doing so,...