CasCTUASCIENCS

ICAR

University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore

All India Coordinated Research Project on
Honey Bees & Pollinators
Department of Apiculture, UAS, GKVK, Bengaluru - 560 065

URBAN
BEEKEEPING
PRACTICES

K. T. VIJAYAKUMAR
MOHANINAIK
T. N. RAKSHITHA
H. L. NITHIN KUMAR

Directorate of Research
University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore
September, 2023
 URBAN BEEKEEPING PRACTICES
Introduction
he honey bee population in urban areas is decliningat an alarming
rate and bees play a vital role in conserving ecosystems hence, they
needtobe protected. Itis necessary to popular beckeeping among people
ofcities, Uitban beekeeping is in an urban environment such as, in apark,
kitechen garden, on roof, terrace, balcony or parapet of buildings and
vacant sites. Urban beekeeping is asolution to fillthegap between rural
producers and urban consumers for honey and exploit bees for
pollinating urban grown plants. However, bees need a place where they
aren't disturbed by people and enough space to have aclear flight path.
Urban and suburban beckeepers could also promote the importance of
pollinators in urban ecosystems and cducate the public to support
pollinators by planting pollinator-supportive plants.
Urban beekeeping has become popular in cities such as New York.
London, and the practice has been made legal in many American cities,
including New York. Slowly urban beekeeping is becoming popular in
cosmopolitan city of India like Bengaluru where a few people maintain
one or two colonies in their kitchen gardens, roofs and terraces. As
Bangalore is said to be a garden city, diversified bee flora is available
where honey bees can work efficiently on such flowers and play vital role
in pollination of various plant species. Abee colony would yield 5-6 kgs
honey per year depending on available flora around. Pure honey for
home consumption and for selling would be available through
beekeeping in the city. Some people may like to practice beekeeping as
hobby which gives enjoyment that is beyond measurement.
Basic knowiedge on handling of honey bee colony and the
availability of flora in and around the locality are the important factors
which would decide the success of beekeeping. In this context, AICRP
on Honey bees and Pollinators and Department of Apiculture,University
ofAgricultural Sciences, Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra is popularizing
the two domesticated species ofhoney bees in Bangalore region.

Honey bee species: Suitable for Urban beekeeping

" Indian Honey bee: Apis cerana Fab.
" Stingless bee: Tetragonula iridipennis
Apis cerana Fab.: The natural colonies ofA. cerana construct many
parallel semicircular Combs in hollow of trees, old buildings/walls, rock
cavities,termite mounds, undisturbed dark places and hollow poles etc.
The honey yield varies 6-8 kg per year per colony.
Tetragonula iridipennis: Stingless bees are small in size when
compared to Indian honey bee; normally build its nests in cracks of walls,
hollow of trees/logs, banmboo stems and cracks in a rock etc. The combs
are made ofa dark material, called 'cerumen' which is amixture of wax,
earth and resin. The honey yield per year per colony is about 250-300 g.
The absence of sting makes easy to handle stingless bee colony, besides
its poor migration nature, less absconding, high sustainability and high
medicinal quality of honey would make it popular among beekeepers in
urban areas. Tetragonula is a suitable pollinator for pollination both in
enclosures and outside.
 Indian honey bee, Apis cerana Fab.

Stingless bee, Tetragonula iridipennis

Tips for beginners of Urban beekeeping

The relatively smallscale ofbee colonies makes urban beekeeping
an ideal back-to-nature project for city dwellers. Ensure the face of the
bee hive entrance away from day to day activity area. Keep space to work
comfortably behind and side of the hive. Positioning the hive so that the
night light is not visible from the entrance.
a. Ideal place to keep hive
The beekeeping area should have enough flora with abundant
nectar and pollen. Kitchen gardens, building saja, balcony and terrace
may be used for placing the colonies. Houses located beside a public
park, lake or pond, huge campus area of an institution, IT- BT Campuses,
military campuses where plenty of flora is available would be a suitable
areas for beekeeping. One can place bee hive box preferably in the
ground or firstor second floor of building or apartments; not beyond that
height,since bees would find difficult to navigate. The place should be
colony,
away from heavy traffics, powerful lights falling on the
chimneys, pet animals and kids.
 b. Small bee hives
bees to build their
Thesole purpose of a hive is to ecourage the
them. Different
nests in such away that it is casy to manage and maintain
In recent
bechive types are used for maintaining the honeybees in India.
hives for
years, ISI8A type hives (8 frames) are being used as standardframe hives are
rearing ofA.cerana in Southem India, In urban arcas, six
optionsin
moresuitable and also five frame hives would be the better
availability and these
terms of the honey yield with the limited bee floral
activities for the
hives are cficientin reducing energy requirement in be chosen
construction of comb in the colony. The type of hive must
based on the flora available for beckeeping in urban area.
c.Availability of Beeflora
benefit from all
Bees have an amazing capacity to discover and the hive. Itis
around in
sorts of floral resources and do so in awide radius
pollen. Even
common for bees to travel 2-5 miles for locating nectar and
well within that area.
in the most densely populated cities the resources
commonly
The diversity of nectariferous and polleniferous flora were Ber,
Coconut, Guava,
found in urban areas of Bangalore includes
Jacquemontia,
Banana, Mango, Leucas (Tumbe), Holy basil, Mint,
Peltophorum,
Golden rod, Cuphea, Cosmos, Fire bush, Eucalyptus, Karanj,
Portulaca, Button roses,Chrysanthemum, Marigold, Tabebuia,
jacaranda,
Cassia, Pongamia, Antigonon, Singapore cherry, Neem, Blue Sandal.,
Jagalaganti, Pride of ndia, Rain tree, Tamarind , Royal palm,
Flowering vegetable
Whip tree, other avenue and ornamental trees.
vacant
plants of kilchen garden and weed plants widely grown in parks,
sites and road sides were served as additional bee flora.

eping
of the
owork
hat the

undant
terrace
public
npuses,
suitable
y in the
ondthat
1ouldbe
colony,
Foraging activity of honey bees on flowers
 Benefits of Urban Beekeeping
It would be great pleasure to consume oWn harvested honey.
Generally, it would be natural and authenticity forthe purity of honey.It
is also plecasure to watch honey bees working for entire day and gives
thrill toteach children about many amazing facts about honey bees, Wax
is additional product one would get from the bee colony. Honeybees, as
an indicator species, are an excellent sOurce of data on both pollinator
and environmental health, Urban beekeeping thelps toirmprovetheyields
of urban farms, gardens through pollination in addition to extraction of
pure honey. Honey bces have long been associated with thegoodness of
nature. Urban beehives are visible symbols of nature in thecity and
Tèconnect residents and workers with their natural environment.
Keeping bees is an casy way to demonstrate a commitment to
sustainability, enhancing brand image for hotels, restaurants, and
property managers.
Importance of honey: Honey is anatural food, in addition to its use as
a natural sweetener, honey is used as an anti-inflammatory. antioxidant
and antibacterial agent. Honey is used orallyto treat coughs, topically to
treat bums and promote wound healing. It is mainly composed or
Complex mixture of carbohydrates and other minor substances, such as
organic acids, amino acids, proteins, minerals, vitamins, enzymes ana
Iipids, It is produced by honey bees by conversion nectar collected of
blossoms using specific enzymes.

Examination of honey bee colonies

Bee colony management practices
1. Dearth period: There is a possibility of shortage of pollen or nectar
in the colony during some parts of the year. In such situations, the
colony may be provided with sugar syrup prepared using equal
volume of sugar and water and pollen supplements with soya flour
dough prepared using honey or sugar syrup. Avoid harvesting honey
from the brood chamber.

2. Honey flow season: Provide super chamber fitted with comb

foundation sheets placed over brood chamber when bee population in
the brood chamber is full.
3. Swarming:1 Itis anatural division of colony dueto overcrowdingof
cells are the
bees, Production of drones and construction of thetqucenqueen cells.
notColcoeabl
ny e symptoms
Under such condition remove the
SWarmingand
extra

colonies dicanvisbeioneoobtainedfor own se or for sale.

is an ideal remedy to prevent
4. Arificial feeding: Whenever there is adearth of nectar and pollen
in nature, fed the colonies with sugar syrupand pollensupplements.
The dearth periods vary from region to region. If the bees are not fed
during dearth period. they start starving. dwindling. develop wander
lhoney
ust andandultimately substitute of
a cheap
different abscond. haveis been
Sugar syrup
pollen substitutes tried and found
150-
uscful.Sugarhot syrup
200 ml of and by
prepared
water,' isboiled dissolving
cooled.
100 goff sugarin
It is offerediin 400 ml bowl.
Thes syrup bowl is placedin the super chamber. Thecolonies should be
fed on alternate days in the
evening.
5. Pest moths, mites, ants are the important
tmanagement:
pests. wasps,the wax
Sanitation, cleaning bottom boardiofhive and removing the
empty combs from the hive helps to reducethe wax moth infestation.
Mites can be controlled by dusting with sulphur powder on the
frames. Ants can be controlled by using ant wells at the hive stand.
Wasps problem may be reduced by destroying the wasp's nest or
killing ofinvading wasps.
6. Disease management: European foul brood(Bacterial), Thai sac
Drood virus diseases are major ones. The bacterial disease can be
controlled by using antibiotics and viral infection by using Zovirax
tablets. In case of dificultyconsult beekeeping specialists for suitable
managenment practices.
Availability of bee colonies and Equipments
Department ofApiculture, UAS, GKVK, Bangalore
Department ofHorticulture, Govt of Karnataka
Beekeepers Co-operative societies in Karnataka
" Private traders

Economics of Urban Beekeeping

Rate Total
Expenditure Quantity (Rs/unit) (1 year) 2" year
onwards
Colony 2000 4000
Hive 2 2000 4000
Stand 2 650 1300
Bee smoker 1 400 400
Bee veil 350 350
Comb foundation sheet 8 50 400 400
Sugar &Miscellaneous 200 200
Honey Extractor (Two frame) 1 3000 3000
Total 13650 600
Income
Honey 10 600 6000 6000
Colony Multiplication 4 2000 8000 8000
Total 14000 14000
Profit (Income-Expenditure) 350 13400
Further Information
KIVJAYAKUMAR, Scientist and Head, AlCRP on Honey Bees and Pollinators, Dept. of
AS, GKVK, Bengaluru -560 065 Ph: Office: 080-23636766, e-mail: vijayakumarktaanaomal o
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