How promising are the profits from beekeeping in woodlands? An analysis of under-forest economy development models
On April 18, the Council of Agriculture officially released application programs for economic undertakings such as under-forest economy, among which the opening of woodland beekeeping has made many people eager to try it out, and quite a few people asked the Forestry Bureau about the relevant regulations within 2 months. However, the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute reminds that in addition to considering whether nectar-source plants are sufficient, woodland beekeeping also requires special attention to the harassment of 6 species of hornets in mountainous areas, especially the larger Chinese giant hornet, which is not easily seen on flat land, so before getting involved, basic surveys and production planning should be done first.
Woodland beekeeping collects forest honey and has the advantages of reducing agricultural residues in honey and making bees less vulnerable to pesticide harassment. It has been practiced abroad for many years, but for a distinctive industry to take shape domestically, many problems still need to be overcome. Ge Zhaonian, head of the Forest Protection Division of the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, said that first, when choosing sites for placing beehives, it is necessary to consider whether the nectar and pollen source tree species are diverse and sufficient in number, such as Ehretia resinosa, Dimocarpus longan var. echinatus, Ehretia dicksonii, Sapindus mukorossi, Aralia decaisneana, Castanopsis indica, Pasania uraiana, Rhus javanica var. roxburghiana, and Triadica sebifera, to reduce the uncertainty caused by a single tree species flowering late due to climate.
In addition, compared with beekeeping on flat land, which needs to consider the impact of agricultural land pollution on bees and honey quality, mountainous areas need to prevent attacks on beehives by hornets that feed on bees. Ge Zhaonian said that the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute had previously recorded in a mountain village beekeeping community that 6 species of hornets attack hives, with one hive box facing attacks from 10 to 20 hornets per day on average. Among them, the Chinese giant hornet, which is rarely seen on flat land, requires the most guard against; they usually first bite to death the guard bees outside the sealed box, invade the beehive to feed on honey, and then take bee larvae back to their own hornet nest to feed their young. Just 20 Chinese giant hornets can break through a bee colony of 30000 bees within 3 hours. Therefore, some beekeepers, after placing beehives each July, have staff stationed there at 6 in the morning every day to manually drive away hornets and reduce the chance of losses.
So can woodland beekeeping make money? Beekeepers cooperating in trials with the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute said that if nectar sources are sufficient, the net profit per beehive can reach 35700 yuan, but when nectar sources are scarce, the net profit is only 1300 yuan, and the yield difference within 3 years can be as much as 4 times. Therefore, Ge Zhaonian suggests that beekeepers who want to take on the challenge of woodland beekeeping need to come prepared with professional skills, such as the knowledge to choose suitable sites and the physical strength to battle hornets every day. Only by doing production planning in advance can they earn the forest's wealth.
