Basic beekeeping training conducted at RDC Jakar

08 Apr 2018

The training imparted the scientific beekeeping knowledge to the farmers to help them improve the rural livelihoods by rearing honey bees. It included some theoretical knowledge with more emphasis on practical covering the topics such as introduction to beekeeping, importance, present status, problems, Bee species, life cycle and work division of bees, demonstration on modern hives sets plus equipment and good aspects of Apiary location. Participants also learnt colony management and how to handle bees, swarming and its control, honey flow management and harvesting, preparing and feeding of sugar syrup to bees. The training was well received by participants

The modern Beekeeping was started in Bhutan in 1986 through the Helvetas project. The Beekeepers’ Association of Bhutan was formed among the beekeepers to support each other and get a better bargain for their products. The BeCoB has over 55 members with numbers being increasing every year. They produce more than 15 tonnes of natural honey annually and yet they are not able to meet the national demand for honey.

Being a focal agency for Apiculture research and development in the country, RDC Jakar plans to conduct basic and advanced level training for bee keeping enthusiasts on a yearly basis to build the farmers’ technical capacity.