How to Raise Dwarf Honey Bees? Breeding Methods and Technical Key Points

The dwarf honey bee is a small insect of the genus Apis, often nesting in grass or bushes, and is also a variety of bee kept in artificial beekeeping, so how do you raise dwarf honey bees? Let's take a look!

I. Basic Introduction to the Dwarf Honey Bee

The dwarf honey bee is an insect of the family Apidae, genus Apis, with a relatively small body size, also called the little hanging bee, little grass bee, little mugwort bee, etc. Its main distribution areas are Nepal, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, etc., and it is also kept in some regions of our country.

The dwarf honey bee lives below 1,900 m in altitude, in areas with an annual average temperature of 15-22°C. It often builds its nest in grass or bushes, in very concealed environments.

In southern Yunnan, the colony usually begins laying eggs and reproducing in February, reaching a peak in April-May, when the brood comb area can reach 600cm2 and the colony strength can reach tens of thousands of bees. From June to August, temperatures are high and nectar sources are scarce, so the queen lays very few eggs. September to November is the second reproductive period. From December to January of the following year, reproduction stops when temperatures are low. At the end of February and the beginning of March, drones begin to be reared, and at most they can account for 1/4 of the brood-rearing area.

II. How Do You Raise Dwarf Honey Bees?

First, you need to choose a site for keeping them far from factories, roads and residential areas, and the keeping site must also have an abundance of flowering plants. Then choose a suitable beehive, introduce high-quality bee stock resources, and then build them up into colonies. During the keeping period, you should also pay attention to supplemental feeding for the bees; you can artificially feed them sugar water and pollen in the evening, which can increase honey production.

At present, there are two main types of bees kept in larger numbers: one is the Chinese honey bee, commonly known as the Chinese bee; the main product of this bee is honey, with very few other types of bee products, but it is relatively easy to keep in ordinary mountainous areas. The other type is the Italian bee, commonly known as the Italian bee; this type of bee can be divided into several kinds, such as sugar-type bees, royal jelly-type bees, and sugar-royal jelly dual-purpose bees. Everyone can choose the type of bee to keep according to the local climate environment and their own needs.