Expert consultation on Beekeeping with Apis mellifera in tropical and subtropical Asia, Bangkok, 9-14 April, 1984 The purpose of the Beekeeping Consultation recently held in Thailand was to discuss the potential of beekeeping with European races of A. mellifera in tropical and subtropical Asia. The Consultation was organized and funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in co-operation with the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok. Delegates from 13 Asian countries attended the Consultation, and these were joined by FAO Beekeeping Consultants from throughout the world, and Nicola Bradbear represented IBRA at the Consultation. The Consultation was held in Thailand because the last ten years have seen the introduction of A. mellifera into the country, and some 30 000 colonies are now established. Commercial beekeepers are creating wealth and employment by producing honey for the local market (where it fetches a good price), and honey and royal jelly for export; the Thai beekeeping industry is now worth $15M annually. Two days of the consultation were spent visiting apiaries near Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand, which is the centre of the main beekeeping area.
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Psy Experts examine combs of Apis mellifera
The Asiatic hive bee, A. cerana is kept throughout the country, mainly in log hives in the North and in movable-frame hives in the South of Thailand. There is an
abundance of bee forage (although not in the area immediately surrounding Bangkok), and major nectar sources in Thailand are Longan (Nephalium longan) and Lychee (Nephalium luchi) which require insect cross-pollination for fruit production. Only in the last few years has it been known that fruit production by the Longan tree benefits from insect cross-pollination, and the presence of A. mellifera beekeeping in the Chiang Mai area has increased longan fruit production by 30% (production of the fruit is worth some $23M annually). Migratory beekeeping is practised, and it is the wealth of available nectar sources,
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and the possibility for commercial beekeepers to be mobile, which has allowed a rapid expansion of the beekeeping industry in the last ten years. The development of the industry has also
Colonies of Apis mellifera beneath Longan tree
depended on research carried out at scientific establishments in Thailand, the availability of beekeeping training courses at several centres, and the beekeeping associations which have been established. The Thar beekeeping industry is now almost self-sufficient, with all equipment being manufactured within the country.
