Study on apiculture in Southern Thailand and its biological problems
1985
Surakrai Phoemkham | Anuchit Chinachariyawong | Suraphong Saibun (Prince of Songkla Univ., Songkhla (Thailand). Faculty of Natural Resources. Dept. of Pest Management)
Eastern honeybee : Apis cerana Fabr. (Apidae : Hymenoptera) is originated in Southeast Asia. In southern Thailand, A. cerana population is high and it can be established as apiary very easily. Nowadays, farmers who work as apiarists have developed apiculture as their minor job. The total number of bee hives is 6,276 collected from 59 districts of 15 provinces. The most important of apiary area in the South is Samui island of Surat Thani province compricing 2,370 hives or 37.7629 %. There are 2 types of popular hive, one is oblong-cuboidal shape which size is 9x9x19 inches for the conventional method and the other one is similar shape which size 12x12x17 inches for developed method and frames are neccessarily used. Farmers are usually set their open areas around the houses as apiaries. In the South where plantations of coconut (with plenty of nectar and pollen sources) it is common. The main natural food supply plays an important role in the rearing of A.cerana. The study shows 53 kinds of plants as other sources of food supply. Honeybee and beewax production is average 5.544 cc. and 1.7744 kg/hive/year respectively and an evaluation of the cost is 905.40 Baht/hive/year. A tropical wasp (Vespa affinis), tailor ant (Oecophylla smaragdina), greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) and some types of beemites, amphibians and reptiles are resulted as A. cerana's natural enemies.
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