DEVELOPMENT OF
BEEKEEPING IN LAOS
Various strategic choices
Apimondia – 18/09/2009
• A context favourable to beekeeping
• Current apiarian practices
• Various strategic choices
AM
AC
AD
AF
Ecosystem / Agro-ecosystem
• Remarkable flora
• Abundance of forests
(Dipterocarpacea,
Malvacea…)
• Source of NTFP
including honey
• Large diversity
of plant-pollinator
interactions
Fallow land
• Slash and burn systems
• Long fallow
cycles
• Rice and
multiple crops
Industrial crops – Fruit crops
• Hevea / Eucalyptus / Teak
• Oil crops: +7 % per year (1989–1999)
• Fruit crops: +4,3 % per year (1989–1999)
Products with high value by unit of weight and volume
Traditional beekeeping
• Small-scale beekeeping
Diversification
• Traditional hives:
- hollow tree trunks
- sealed at the two ends
- populated with A. cerana
• No major inputs:
- hollow trunk
- no treatment
- no feeding
Working time: 38 days available per month
Hive transportation
Harvest
Extraction - sale
Swarm capturation
Faculty of agriculture – Laos - 2003
Constraints of beekeeping practices
• Desertion of bees due to:
- Destructive harvest
- Lack of predators control
• Low quality
- Extraction / filtration
- Conditionning
What strategy
for the development of a
sustainable beekeeping
in Laos ?
First strategy:
Introduction of Apis mellifera
A risky solution:
• Risk to modify the balance of species
• Pathological risks
• Economic risks
• Genetic risks
• Food competition
Main risk: modification of the balance of species
Number of Apis cerana colonies decreases following the
introduction of Apis mellifera as described in litterature:
- Nepal
- India
- China
- Japan
Explanations:
- Disorder of the mating of Apis cerana
when Apis mellifera are numerous
- Interspecific hybrids are not viable
Pathological risks
Introduction of Apis mellifera introduces:
1) Introduction of diseases
and parasites on Apis cerana:
- Sac Brood: China, India
- EFB: China, Thailand, Nepal
2) Introduction of diseases
and parasites on Apis dorsata:
- EFB: Nepal
Economic risks
Initial investments require:
• genetic material (colonies, queens)
• standardized hives
• equipment for extraction, packaging
• means of transportation
Regular inputs:
• treatments
• sugar
Other risks
• Any introduction of
genetic material
unexpected effects ?
• Food competition
between Apis mellifera
and Apis cerana
• Apis mellifera is
defenceless against
some predators
Second strategy:
Development of beekeeping
with Apis cerana
• A solution having several advantages;
• Which requires an accompaniment of the farmers:
- introduction of technical innovation
- improvement of the practices
- training and extension
Existence of a know-how
• Farmers have knowledge on bees
• They know how to:
- harvest honey
- capture swarms
- protect the colonies against
predators
• But they have to face multiple
constraints
Introduction of innovations
Top bar hives
• observe combs
• improve management of colonies
• harvest only sealed combs
Introduction of innovations
Shelters
• fight againt
predators
• protect hives
againts climatic
disturbances
• operate in better
conditions
Introduction of innovations
Hand made smokers & protective clothes
Improvement of practices for colony management
• Measure the potential
of the environement
• Control of swarming
Improvement of practices for honey collection
Selective harvest
Improvement of practices for honey collection
Filtration and conditioning
Actions conducted within
different projects in Laos
• Faculty of agriculture of Nabong:
- implementation of educational apiary;
- syllabus on beekeeping.
• Conservation of Biodiversity
Project in Oudomxay:
- identification of beekeeping limiting factors;
- introduction of top bar hives;
- technical trainings.
• Development Project of the District of Phongsaly:
- introduction of top bar hives;
- improvement of beekeeping practices.
To develop a successful beekeeping
with Apis cerana at the scale of Laos
would imply:
• to widen extension actions to all districts with apiarian
potential;
and, in the mean time,
• to begin a selection of colonies having a lesser
inclination to abscond and swarm.
The next step in Laos:
Different organizations have an increasing interest for
beekeeping, Apis cerana, pollinators…
Meeting on beekeeping situation in Laos
planned for January 2010 could be the starting point of a
networking process.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.
More details on:
In english:
http://www.beesfordevelopment.org/info/bm~doc/develo
pment-of-beekeeping.pdf
In french:
http://www.apiservices.com/articles/fr/apiculture_laos_2.
htm