BEEKEEPING IN LAOS

BEE RAISING SUB PROJECTS MONITORING

March 20 to april 4 2017

Final Report

Jérôme Vandamejerome.vandame@wanadoo.frApril 2017

April 24, 2017

Content1. BACKGROUND................................................................................................................................. 4

Executive Summary - Promotion of Beekeeping in Chomphet and Nam Bak districts (LPG).......6

2. Promotion of Beekeeping in Chomphet and Nam Bak districts................................................... 11

2.1 Chomphet district.......................................................................................................................... 11

2.1.1 TBH used more or less efficiently......................................................................................... 11

2.1.2 Monitoring the colonies......................................................................................................... 12

2.1.3 Protective equipment............................................................................................................. 13

2.1.4 Honey harvest........................................................................................................................ 14

2.1.5 Fighting againt predators....................................................................................................... 15

2.1.6 Division and queen rearing.................................................................................................... 16

2.2 Nam Bak district........................................................................................................................... 16

2.2.1 A situation similar to Chomphet............................................................................................ 16

2.2.2 Advanced training.................................................................................................................. 17

2.2.3 Sales of Honey....................................................................................................................... 18

2.2.4 Concentration of hives........................................................................................................... 18

2.2.5 The risk of pesticides............................................................................................................. 18

Promotion of Beekeeping in Pek, Phoukoud and Khoune districts - Executive Summary...........23

3. Beekeeping promotion in Pek, Phoukoud and Khoune districts.................................................. 25

3.1 Objectives and activities............................................................................................................... 25

3.2 Monitoring of the beekeeping activity in the target area.............................................................. 25

3.2.1 Dimensions of hives and bars................................................................................................ 25

3.2.2 Hives concentration and food ressources............................................................................... 28

3.2.3 Colony monitoring................................................................................................................. 28

3.2.4 Prevention of absconding....................................................................................................... 29

3.2.5 Honey extraction.................................................................................................................... 29

3.2.6 Sales of Honey ...................................................................................................................... 30

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3.2.7 Honey Processing Unit.......................................................................................................... 30

4. Promising apicultural projects, to be strengthened ...................................................................... 33

ANNEX 1 - Minutes of beekeepers interviews - Province of Luang Prabang................................. 34

March 21 to 22, 2017 - Nam Bak District......................................................................................... 34

March 23 to 25, 2017 - Chomphet District........................................................................................ 41

ANNEX 2 - Minutes of beekeepers interviews - Xiengkhouang province....................................... 55

March 27, 2017 - Phoukoud District................................................................................................. 55

March 28, 2017 - Pek District............................................................................................................ 62

March 29, 2017 - Khoune District..................................................................................................... 69

ANNEX 3 - Minutes of interviews with extensionists of AESBO - Oudomxay province...............74

April 3 and 4, 2017 - Oudomxay....................................................................................................... 74

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1. BACKGROUNDDue to a fovourable agro-ecological context, honeybees are numerous in Laos. Besides the giant bee Apis dorsata which build a single comb hung on the branches of trees such as “May Sapoum” or on steep cliffs, and the dwarf bee Apis florea colonizing shrubs, the species Apis cerana is present in all provinces of Laos. These three species give place to the picking of the honey that generally involves the destruction of the colonies. In some place, farmers are trying to keep bees in traditional hives made up of hollow tree trunks, sealed at the two ends and populated with colonies of Apis cerana bees.However these beekeeping practices are rare, empirical and lead to the production of small amounts of fragile and variable honeys.

Aware of this situation and of the advantage that can represent beekeeping to protect and promote agricultural biodiversity in Laos, TABI supports since 2011 different sub-projects aimed either to strengthen beekeeping in areas where it is traditionally practiced or to encourage villagers to move from wild honey gathering to beekeeping.

In December 2012, an evaluation process permitted to evaluate and verify the results obtainedby the 3 sub-projects in Peak District (Xiengkhuang Province), ViengXay district (HuaphaneProvince) and Chomphet district (Luang Prabang Province) and to seek advice on how toimprove the results and conduct the sub-projects.

Later on the sub-projects where extended to many more villages of Phoukoud, Pek andKhoune districts (Xieng Khouang Province) and Nam Bak district (Luang Prabang Province).New subProjects are now under way in Houaphane and Phongsali

Significant quantities of honey have been produced and marketed in Province of origin, withXKH honeys also sent to mini-marts in Vientiane.

Following this experience, TABI organized a short term conultancy between the 20th of march 2017 and the 4thof april 2017 in order to:

• understand the reasons for project success and failures that have been recorded,• measure several quality criterias of the honeys collected and to identify solutions

permitting to improve these quality criteria (moisture, cristallization),• compare the chosen methods and actions and results obtained with those of

neighboring projects.

In the next pages, the visited sub-projects will be described. The results will be presented taking into account the objectives set initially. Moreover, these visits will allow to issue a technical opinion and suggestion for improvement.

All over this process of projects monitoring, a particular attention will be paid to the following points:

- Quality of the honey obtained. A specific assessment of beekeeping methods,harvesting and packaging techniques will be made with a focus on their impact on themoisture content and on relevant practices to improve this parameter.- Comparison of quality criteria of honeys obtained in Laos with those of internationalstandards and in particular those of European honeys (specified in Council Directive2001/110/EC).

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PROMOTION OF BEEKEEPING IN CHOMPHET

AND NAM BAK DISTRICTS

Province of Luang Prabang

Executive Summary - Promotion of Beekeeping in Chomphet andNam Bak districts (LPG)

A first sub-project to promote of beekeeping activities was implemented in 2012 in the district ofChomphet. The evaluation process organised at the end of the year 2012 permitted to highlight theachieved outputs and to issue advices for improvements that are summarized in Figure 1.

Later on the sub-project extended in 6 villages of the district of Nam Bak, that were already practicingbeekeeping with log hives.Focused on technical beekeeping aspects and on quality criterias of the honeys collected, the missionof march 2017 permitted to perform a SWOT analysis resumed in figure 2.

To take into account this analysis and achieve the expected outputs, different advices are summarizedin Figure 3.

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Figure 2: SWOT - Promotion of Beekeeping in Chomphet district

Figure 1: Objectives, 2012 outputs and advices

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Figure 3: Observations of practices and advices (priorities highlighted in yellow)

2. Promotion of Beekeeping in Chomphet and Nam Bak districtsLocated in Luang Prabang Province, Chomphet and Nam Bak districts are on the north bank of theMekong river. Due to the proximity of Luang Prabang, the villagers of the target area have an easy access to theprovincial capital markets.

Even if land use were largely modified in the last decade, the forests are still occupying a largepercentage of the area and play an important role in the local economy, with many families stillcollecting NTFP and some of them practicing shifting cultivation.

Besides these traditional cropping systems and lowland rice cultivation, new form of land useappeared in the last years with large areas of teck, bananas, rubber plantations as well as industrialcrops such as Bananas or watermelon, using large mounts of inputs,such as pesticides that may havean impact on the overall biodiversity and precisely on beekeeping.

In this context, the project aims to increase the villagers’ awareness on biodiversity, the methodspermitting to protect and manage natural resources. The sub project focuses on the honeybee that isfound in surroundings forests and that permits the villagers to collect wild honey. The objective is tosupport the transition from traditional honey gathering or beekeeping to new beekeeping method basedon the Top Bar Hives in order to increase the beekeeping activity, its outputs in term of quantity andquality.

2.1 Chomphet district

The target area of the sub-project in Chomphet district consists of 6 villages: Houaytam, Naxay,Nakham, Houay Mieng, Boumsieng, Nong Chong. When the subproject started in 2012, there were nobeekeepers in these villages and 81 families were involved in this new activity which implicated tobuild hives and to populate them.

In the following years, a majority of hte beneficiaries of the first training stopped beekeeping acivities,mainly because they observed that beekeeping was not only to introduce bees in a hive and to collecthoney and that it implicated to acquire new knowledge and know-how. In 2017, only 17 families ofthese villages were still keeping bees.

Between the 23 and the 25th of march, 8 beekeepers of these villages were interviewed, allowing toassess beekeeping practices and to point out the main difficulties encountered. In the following pages,the main issues will be summarized and possible solutions will be suggested. Finally, the details of theinterviews conducted will appear in the annex 1.

2.1.1 TBH used more or less efficiently

The beekeepers are using only Top Bar Hives. In fact, they never used any other type of hives, aspreviously to the sub-project they were not keeping bees. At first, they were trained to transfer feralcolonies in these TBH they built. From the beekeepers interviewed it seems that some of them are stillpracticing this way. As indicated in 2012, this method of tranfering a feral colony in a TBH should bepracticed with caution to ensure that the colonies that have been transferred are not destroyed orweakened, which is often the case if the colony is installed in a narrow cavity in which it is difficult torecover the combs without damaging the brood.

To prevent from this pressure, it is propose to decrease as much as possible the introduction of feralcolonies in hive and to favor the natural population of hives with swarms in the forest. In order toenhance the attractiveness of empty hives placed in the forest, the walls of the hive can be rubbed withwax and possibly fragrant plants such as melissa.

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-> Variable dimensions of hives

In most of the villages visited in march and april 2017, it was observed that the dimensions of the TBHbuild were variable for two main raisons.The first one, is linked to the Sub-project that at first proposed a layout based on a length of 40 cmand a width of 30 cm. Later on, advices on the size of hives have evolved and beekeepers are nowbeing asked to construct 22 * 24 cm hives to take account of the cold months of December andJanuary.The second reason is related to the material available to build these hives.

This is a limit to the development of apiaries. Indeed, the practices of transfer of combs from one hiveto another allowing for example the reinforcement of colonies (by addition of brood), division or evenrearing of queens is limited.

The standardization of hives should be thought and defined at least at the level of the beekeeper andmaybe even at the level of the Sub-projects in order to permit the exchange of hives, colonies betweenthe beekeepers and later on to permit them to be able to adopt advanced beekeeping practices

-> Dimensions of bars

Bars width is also one of the bottleneck that may limit the practice of advanced beekeeping. In most ofthe villages that were visited, it was observed that the width of the bars were higher than suggested(2,8 cm). The consequences is that often more than one comb hangs on bar, which on one hand doesnot permit fast checking of the colony and on the other hands does allow to observ all the sides ofcombs.

This point of the bar whidth should be taken as a priority in the sub-project, as this is the main facteurlimitant (bottleneck) to the practice of beekeeping with top bar hive. It is therefore necessary toremember to all the beekeepers the correc width of a bar. This information could be transmittedthrough a short technical document in which would be indicated the different dimensions of hives andbars. The technical team could also take advantage of this tehnical document to explain the utility of astarter (in wood or in was) positionned at the middle of the bar, on which the bees will usually start tobuild a comb.

2.1.2 Monitoring the colonies

Most of the beekeepers do not visit their colonies, (se contentant) to only control the activity in frontof the hive, taking car of predators and waiting for honey combs collection. To become an efficientbeekeeper implies to go beyond these activities. It is to monitor the population of adult bees, of broodand to permit their development in order to have an optimum at the time of the honey flow. It meansalso to take care of the colonies, to prevent them from diseases and predators and to control theirstores of food (honey and pollen) are suffisient. Monitoring these parameters implies necessary to visitthe colony and to look comb after comb.

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Figure 4: Bar wider than natural comb

Obviously practices suche as the monitoring of the bees and brood population, the food ressourcesand storage in the hives should be demonstrated by the technical team. It means that as much aspossible the technicians should visit hives with beekeepers giving indications on the method to visit ahive, to hold and scan (observ) a comb, to look for the queen and if possible to memorize (or write)these information, to estimate the amount of pollen and honey stored in the hive and, if necessary,supplementary honey feeding of the colonies, to check the availabilifty of free cells for egg laying...

2.1.3 Protective equipment

Several beekeepers from Chomphet and Nam Bak districts do not have adequate equipment to visit thecolonies. Thus, for example, a beekeeper has shown us a veil that has been given to him and which isof a white color, making it impossible to make accurate observations. Another beekeeper said hevisited his hives with a motorcycle helmet.

Quality protection equipment is essential to be able to make good observations in hives and to be ableto intervene at any time, whatever the level of aggressiveness of the colony.The verification that all beekeepers have the necessary protective equipment to visit a colony (at leasta veil and gloves of good quality) and if necessary equip them should be taken as a priority in the sub-project.

2.1.4 Honey harvest

Harvesting time shoud be considered as a crucial step. In case it is umproperly done, it will drive tothe absconding of the colony and the harvest of a honey will unsatisfying quality criterias.

-> At harvest time, removing brood ?A part of the beekeepers of Chomphet district are harvesting all the combs, being them capped or not,fill with honey or brood. Taking in account that in the following months the hornets will eat bees andbroods, they prefer to harvest and benefite from the total production (honey, wax, pollen, larvae,pupae), even if they have to repopulate the hives after absconding.

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Figure 5: An inappropriate veil forbeekeeping

If possible at harvest time, all the brood should remain in the colony, as well as uncapped combs ofhoney, permitting to avoid the colony to abscond, and to let honey in uncapped combs to rippen. Thismethod should also permit to harvest a second time in the following weeks. Besides the extension of these more acurate harvesting methods, the technical team should also informthe beekeepers on the possibility to keep a part of the honey collected to feed the colony during thedearth period.

-> Pressing, draining, settling?Once the combs are collected, the honey has to be extracted. Up to now the beekeepers of Chomphetdistrict were pressing honey in a tissue then sieved and bottled it. Most of the time after bottleing, thepollen decants and appears at the top of the bottle.To avoid this problem, the technical team extended another method consisting in cutting the combsand let it drain. This method has the potential to increase the humidity moisture level of honey asfirstly honey is an hygroscopic product and secondly, as harvest occurs between april and june, duringwhich the atmosphere is wet. The extraction of honey should be done in a dry area to prevent toincrease the moisture level of honey.

An alternative could be to separate pollen and honey combs, press honey combs, sieved and storehoney in settling containers that have to be hermetically sealed. After a settling duration to determinatetaking in account the quantity of pollen mixed with honey (# 1 to 2 weeks), the first layer includingpollen and impurities is removed and honey can be bottled. This method should permits to avoid i) thepollen to decant at the top of the bottle and ii) to increase humidity of honey (which is a deteriorationof honey).

2.1.5 Fighting againt predatorsA colony is always attracting numerous animal, some of them being only trying to benefite from thestores of pollen and honey (ants, mouse, scarabée ...) but other are behaving as predators (red ants,hornets). The predation exerted by a little yellowhornet is really huge during the months of july,august. To limit the damage of this predators, most of the beekeepers are reducing the entrance toavoid the hornet to penetrate teh colony, otherwise there is a high probability for absconding. Somebeekeepers are also hooking a filet (acrochent un filet, permettant de tenir le frelons à distance).Another beekeeper also imagine a longer entrance, permitting the bees to see the hornet from insidethe hive, avoiding then to get out and to be caught.

These different methods should be tested and extended to all the beekeepers in order to decrease thepressure exerted by the hornets and to prevent from absconding.It should be also suggested to the techical team to test the feasibility to trap hornets during the periodwhen colonies are weaker (after harvest) and hornets are numerous (july, august). Simple selectivetraps could be created with used plastic bottle in which an attractive product (to test honey + sugar,

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Figure 6: Honey press and settling tank

beer ...) will be added and a hole permitting little hornet to be trapped, but not the other insects withhigher or lower dimension (black hornet).

2.1.6 Division and queen rearingThree beekeepers explained they tried to divide colonies and one of them succeeded. In other case, itpartly failed. From their explanation, it appears that the division was not really prepared, they justremoved one half of the comb and introduced them in a new hive without controlling the state of tecombs (presence of young larvae, eggs), which can explains the failures.

A training on queen rearing has been facilitated by the team of Dr. Pitchai (Chiang May University). Ifteh beekeepers understood the overall process, moste of tehm did not understood that the queen has tobe removed from the cell builder colony, which tehy cannot do at the moment.

It seems that, up to now, the beekeepers of Chomphet district are not ready to divide colonies and rearqueens. There uis up to know a lack of knowledge (cycle of the colony, the worker, the queen) andknow how (monitoring the combs, looking for eggs and young larvae, search and locate the queen).These new knowledge and know-how could be extended by the technical team, directly when visitinghives with the beekeepers and also by distributing technical leaflets on the division and queen rearingdetailing the steps and mistakes to avoid.

2.2 Nam Bak district

The target area of the sub-project in Nam Bak district consists of 6 villages: Houayhit, Bom, Nala,Phonxay, Li, Khong that were already keeping bees in Log Hives (LH) prior to the support by TABI.Right now 52 families are involved in beekeeping and produced in 2016 nearly 1800 kg of honeymainly sold in the neigbouring markets.

The projecct staff extended the method to build and populate Top Bar Hives (TBH) and besides the270 LH, there are now 174 TBH.

Between the 21 and 22nd of march 2017, 5 beekeepers were interviewed and a collective assessmentof beekeeping practices was carried out, making it possible to highlight the following points.

2.2.1 A situation similar to Chomphet

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Figure 7: Example of a homemade hornet(Vespa velutina) trap

If the number of beneficiaries and the production of honey are higher, similar observations were maderegarding the dimensions of hives and bars, the practices of honey harvest and the absence of colonymonitoring.On the other side, it was noticeable that different beekeepers were very rigorous in the management oftheir apiary, keeping hives in good shapes, protecting them from predators. These beekeepers whohave a long experience with bees should receive advanced training enabling them to increase theirapiary, their production and maybe to start bee strain selection programs.

2.2.2 Advanced trainingDuring beekeepers visits organized in march 2017, it was obvious that the practices of populatingbeehives and harvesting honey have been practiced since several generations. In this context, thesupport of the sub-project has enabled beekeepers to adopt TBHs and selective harvesting techniquesvery quickly and to improve the quantity and quality of honey produced.It has also been found that some beekeepers are expressed a strong motivation for beekeeping and arewaiting to learn new practices enabling them to become more efficient .

Nevertheless, it should be noted that while queen rearing training has been of interest to beekeepers,most say they are unable to undertake queen rearing at the scale of their apiary.

It is probable that advanced training on the division of colonies and queens rearing is quite justified inthis context of Nam Bak, but several conditions must be met in order that such training may enablebeekeepers to adopt these new practices: 1) Verify that all beekeepers have the necessary protective equipment to visit a colony (at least a veiland gloves of good quality) and if necessary equip them. 2) Organize beforehand training on the prerequisites that are:- the cycle of the colonies, the worker, the queen- observation in the colony of eggs, young larvae and more generally brood- learn to search and locate the queen

From then on a formation on the division of a colony or the breeding of queen must have:i) a theoretical content- which colony to choose to make a division, a rearing of queen- How to orphan a colony to undertake a rearing of queen- which colony to choose for the larvae of future queens- what steps and timetable to undertake a division, a queen farmii) a practical content:- realization of the division- orphan the breeding colony- manufacture of royal cell- graft larvae- introducing grafted lecells into the breeding colony

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Figure 8: From egg to emergence, the cycle of a bee

Following the training, the beekeepers with 'advance knowledge' and ready to divide colonies and rearqueens should strongly supported by the technical team in order to:- prepare the process of division and queen rearing- define a calendar for the whole process- exchange on the different steps- realize the division and queen rearing- follow the results

2.2.3 Sales of HoneyHoney production being higher, some beekeepers are used to sell a part of their honey in theneigbhoring villages, or even sometimes in Luang Phabang.Taking in account the importance of beekeeping practices in these villages in the Nam Bak district andthe presence of beekeepers with an advanced level of practice, it is likely that honey production willincrease in the coming years.

It is therefore crucial to support beekeepers more closely in improving honey quality criteria in orderto better respond to consumer demands. It would also be wise to support the beekeepers in the searchfor new markets. It is clear that the Luang Phabang market is an opportunity for the beekeepers ofNam Bak district. Nevertheless, other actors are also positioned in this market, such as Thaibeekeepers.

Thus, the study of 25 outlets in the city of Luang Phabang (markets, supermarket and mini-market), 7proposed honey. In five cases, the honey offered was of Thai origin and in only two cases, it was ahoney produced in Laos.

2.2.4 Concentration of hivesThe total number of colony in the 6 villages concerned by the sub-project is large. According to countsmade, there would be 270 LH and 174 TBH. Most of these colonies are placed in the gardenssurrounding the houses, directly within the village and sometimes in gardens at a distance from thehouse.It is questionable whether the hives are not too concentrated in the villages, which can have an impacton the available resources and therefore on the colonies' food supply, on the risk of asconding in caseof food shortage and on the quantity of honey that the beekeepers can harvest.

This aspect of the concentration of hives is a point to monitor. Several actions could be undertaken bythe technical team:- Simply map apiaries, number of colonies and food resources and areas with a scarcity of foodressources, such as teck plantations under which the soil is nacked.- Measure the quantities of honey obtained in the various apiaries in order to check if there is acorrelation between the concentration of the colonies and the quantity of honey produced.- Measure the rates of desertion by apiary during the dearth period to check if there is a correlationbetween the concentration and the rate of desertion.

2.2.5 The risk of pesticidesIn the beekeeping environment of the Nam Bak district, many intensive crops are present:- production of bananas, - hevea,- watermelon

For these different intensive crops, there are many inputs and in particular the use of pesticides.Several people interviewed told us that during the first years of implantation of hevea crops, the use ofpesticides was important and caused the pollution of the rivers and wetlands leading to the reductionof the populations of insects, birds and aquatic animals.

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In the district, there are also maize crops, which may also involve the use of pesticides, such asherbicides to control adventitious plants, fungicides or insecticides to control the many insect peststhat attack this crop. It should also be noted that for several years systemic insecticides (neonitotinoidand pyrethroids families) have emerged. Some consider that these new insecticides may partly explainCCD cases in Europe and USA. It should also be noted that in many countries GMO seeds of maizeare authorized. Most of the time, these genetically modified plants contain a gene encoding for theproduction of Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacteria that destroys the larvae of some of the corn's predatotssusch as the western corn root worm (Diabrotica virgifera) or the corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis). Upto now the impact of such BT on bees' larvae and pupae is not well understood and some researchersconsidered that i t may alos be one of the factors explaining CCD

Regarding these industrial crops, it is suggested:- to better know the cropping systems (corn, watermelon, hevea, banana) it means to have informationabout the technical itineraries of these crops including inputs used, spraying periods and potentialimpacts on biodiversity;- to facilitate discussions between the various actors at the district level (villagers, beekeepers, farmers, responsibles for industrial agricultural production units, and of course the authorities) in order to findpoints of convergence and eventually to change agricultural practices so that, they are more respectfulof biodiversity and in particular of beekeeping.Such developments have been observed in the province of Ouomxay where farmers of severalvillages, where beekeeping is practiced, have stopped the use of pesticides. This is the result ofexchange between villagers, beekeepers, farmers and district and provincial authorities (see § 3.3 .....)

In the district of Nam Bak, different beekeepers explained they already used carbamate (Carbamatepesticides affect the nervous system by disrupting an enzyme that regulates acetylcholine, aneurotransmitter) in order to fight against the ants that are parasitizing the colonies.This point has to be taken in account by the technical team in order to find solution avoidingpesticides. It is important to avoid that the usage of pesticides become systematic when practicingbeekeeping.

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Figure 9: Around Nam Bak many industrial crops such as banana plantation

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PROMOTION OF BEEKEEPING AND HONEY MARKETING

IN PEK, PHOUKOUD AND KHOUNE DISTRICTS

Province of Xiengkhouang

Promotion of Beekeeping in Pek, Phoukoud and Khoune districts -Executive Summary

In the province of Xiengkhouang, the first Sub-Project Agreement was signed in January 2012 andactivities were implemented between February and November 2012. An evaluation process wasorganized at the end of the year 2012, highlighting the achieved outputs and issuing advices forimprovements that are summarized in Figure 10.

In the years that followed, the villages of Phon and Phosi, supported by LFP, were replaced by threeother villages where beekeeping has also been practiced for several years. TABI also defined 2 othersectors of intervention in the districts of Phoukoud (4 villages) and most recently in that of Khoune (2villages).

Focused on technical beekeeping aspects and on quality criterias of the honeys collected, the missionof march 2017 permitted to perform a SWOT analysis resumed in figure 11.

To take into account this analysis and achieve the expected outputs, different advices are summarizedin figure 12.

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Figure 10: Objectives, 2012 outputs and advices

Figure 11: SWOT analysis - Promotion of beekeeping inPek, Phoukoud and Khoune districts

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Figure 12: Observations of practices and advices (priorities highlighted in yellow)

3. Beekeeping promotion in Pek, Phoukoud and Khoune districtsBeekeeping has been practiced for years in the province of Xiengkhouang. In the villages wherebeekeeping is practices, the technical itineraries are closely linked to season’s cycle. In October, thebeekeepers prepare the hives (horizontal or vertical log hives) and place them in the forest betweenNovember and March, during swarming periods. Once populated, the hives are moved to the village inorder to ensure a minimal protection against predators. Then, before the rainy season, villagers harvestthe wax combs containing honey and larvae. This operation causes the departure of bees and thequeen. The empty hives will be reused during next season to try to capture new swarms. This technicalitinerary allows the production of variable quality honeys in small quantities that are generally self-consumed or sold in local markets.

Given the growing demand for good quality honey coming from the ‘forest’ or ‘wild areas’, theproject brought from 2012 new practices to increase the size of apiaries and enhance the quantity andquality of honey produced.

At first, the target area of the sub-project consists of 3 villages of Pek District: Phosy, Phon and Lao inwhich between 10 and 30 familiers benefited from the project. Later on the villages of Phon and Phosi,supported by LFP, were replaced by three other villages where beekeeping has also been practiced forseveral years. In addition, TABI defined 2 other sectors of intervention in the districts of Phoukoud (4villages) and most recently in that of Khoune (2 villages). In 2016, a total of 133 families were involved in beekeeping in these villages and produced around2.000 kg of honey.

3.1 Objectives and activitiesThe main objectives of the sub-projects in Xiengkhouang are: i) Sustainably increase the income ofbeekeepers; ii) rise the ability to produce quality honey and iii) increase the number of Top Bar Hives.

The first sub-project started in January 2012. After a meeting setting up the sub-project orientation anda study visit of the beekeepers of the sub-project of Viengxay distric (Huaphan), a group of beekeeperswas established (16 beekeepers in Ban Lao, 17 in Ban Phosi and 27 in Ban Phon).

In February, two technicians from Huaphan facilitated a training session in the 3 villages. During fourdays, the technicians extended the practices of colonies division in a frame hive and queen rearing.Each beekeeper group was supplied with a frame hive populated with the sub-species selected inBDRC (Hanoi - Vietnam), and the equipment permitting to extract honey and rear queen. During thetraining, the technicians supported the building of frame hive and a honey dryer.

During the next months, the villagers built frame hives and started to transfer colonies from log hive toframe hive. Later on a demonstration of harvesting honey, drying it has been organized in the 3villages. In 2013, after modifying the target area, the extension team focused on training thebeekeepers to build and use Top Bar Hives, to collect, extract and store honey in order to increase thequantity and quality of honey products. The team was also mobilized to allow beekeepers to plant fruittrees and meliferous plants in order to increase food resources.

3.2 Monitoring of the beekeeping activity in the target areaBetween the 26 and the 30th of march 2017, 8 beekeepers of the targeted villages were interviewed,allowing to assess beekeeping practices and to point out the main difficulties encountered. In the pagesthat follow the key points will be presented and possible solutions will be suggested. Finally, thedetails of the interviews conducted will appear in the annex 2.

3.2.1 Dimensions of hives and barsAs already observed in Luang Prabang Province, one of the main factors limiting the development ofbeekeeping in the target villages is the fact that the dimensions of hives (TBH) and bars vary.Beekeepers produce beehives with available pieces of wood and do not try to have standard

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dimensions, which means that within most apiaries there can be hives of varied dimensions. It istherefore not possible to transfer a colony that has already built combs on bars from one hive toanother. It is not possible to strengthen a colony by adding a comb of honey or brood from anotherhive. Finally it is not possible to proceed to a division by inserting combs on bars in a new hive.However, these practices are essential to move to an advanced apiculture level.

During the visits of the 3 districts, it was also observed that the bars were often oversized, sometimesreaching 3.5 or 4 cm, whereas on average the space between the combs built by Apis cerana is 2.8 cm.This over-sizing often results in the fact that several combs of waxes can be hung on a bar andsometimes a comb can be hung on different bars.As a result, it is often complicated to visit a colony.

It should also be noted that the combs are often constructed perpendicular to the bars. This situationmakes it impossible to observe them, monitor the populations of adults bees or brood and cause moretedious work during the harvest because it is necessary to cut and attach the brood combs on new barsto be able to replace them in the hive.

To avoid these situations which prevent the beekeeper from visiting his colony and make the honeyharvest more complex, it is suggested :i) to facilitate a discussion about the dimensions of hives. The main objective would be to highlight thefact that only one hive model should be chosen at the level of the apiary in order to be able to transfera colony or a comb from one hive to the other;ii) to reduce the bar's width to 2.8 cm and to use a starter of wax or wood. This is a piece of wood thatwill be nailed or of wax stuck to the center of the bar on which the bees will attach the comb.

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Figure 13: Hives with variable dimensions

Figure 14: Combs attached on multiple bars (left) and perpendicularly to the bars (right)

Figure 15: Examples of starter in wax(up) and wood (down)

3.2.2 Hives concentration and food ressourcesIn the three districts, beekeeping is a traditional activity and many villagers were already keeping beesin Log Hives prior to the project. The promotion of this activity and the extension of the methods to bemore efficient have resulted in a development of this activity and the number of hives in the villages.Thus, in the village of Phosy, Mr. Khambay indicated that there were more than 300 beehivesdistributed in and around the village.This is a high concentration of beehives, especially consideringthat bees of the species Apis cerana forage within a radius of 500 to 1000 m around the hive.

In order to limit the risk of food competition, attention must be paid to food resources within thisperimeter. It means to monitor flowering periods, to qualify resources (nectar, pollen), and then todefine food scarcity periods. Later on, solutions will have to be considered for these periods ofscarcity :

Supplementary honey-based feedings; Strengthening of food resources by supporting the planting of honey plants adapted to the

context of the villages.

Regarding this last point, it should be noted that the project has already provided fruit trees in thetarget villages of the districts of Phoukoud and Pek, but on the one hand the quantity was of lowamplitude (510 fruit trees) and on the other hand, nearly a third of the fruit-trees died.

This activity should be significantly strengthened and extended to the third district, verifying that thefruit trees supplied are adapted to the pedo-climatic context of the target villages

3.2.3 Colony monitoringSimilar to what has been observed in Luang Prabang province, beekeepers from the three districts ofPek, Phoukoud and Khoune do not visit their colonies outside the harvest period.

If they monitor the colonies by observing movements at the entrance of the hive and protect theircolonies from predators and exposure to climatic hazards (rain, sun, wind, frost), they do not open thecolonies to check if the brood and the bees are healthy, being afraid that the colonies abscond.

This situation also seems to be identical in the villages of Phosy and Phonsay, where beekeepers havebenefited in 2012 from a training course on queen breeding, which theoretically involves being able toknow the condition of the brood and being able to observ eggs and young larvae in brood combs.

Given these observations, it seems clear that beekeepers do not yet see the value of carrying out aregular monitoring of the colonies. The extension of methods permitting to visit the colonies should beset as one of the priority actions to be undertaken. This inevitably implies that the technicians supportthe beekeepers to carry out these visits.

At the same time, it seems essential to organize a training on the biology of the colony in order toexplain the cycle of a colony during the year, the reasons for swarming and absconding, and of coursethe different stages of a bee, from the egg to the foraging stage through the emergence of young bees.

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Figure 16: Colonies seldom monitored

As long as this knowledge on the biology of the colony and the know-how relating to the inspection ofthe colonies make it possible to identify the strength of the colony, the importance of the brood, thedistinction between the different brood categories (...) are not acquired, it seems fruitless to undertakeadvanced training such as division of the colony or queen rearing, which besides have already beenorganized in 2012 in the villages of Phosy and Phon. And however, to date, these techniques are notpracticed in either of these villages.

3.2.4 Prevention of abscondingThe absconding rate in the three districts seems particularly high and appears to be strongly correlatedwith the level of predation by hornets. It appears that between August and September, this predation isparticularly high, probably due to the fact that many villagers raise hornets whose larvae are wellvalued in local markets.

Once, a beekeeper said that his son was raising hornets and that between december and may, the focuswas on beekeeping and that between june and december, hornet activity was a priority.

Limiting the absconding rate means that colonies should be better protected against hornet predation.For this purpose, the current methods should be listed (use of grids or veils againt hornets to preventthem from entering the hive / making a long entrance of the hive allowing the bee to locate the hornetbefore going out...). This information could be disseminated through leaflets, for example, so thatthese methods are used more widely.

A discussion could also be held on the subject of mechanical trapping of hornets which is widelypracticed in different countries of the world (Europe / Vespa velutina - Lebanon and Iraq / Vespaorientalis).

3.2.5 Honey extractionDuring the harvest, several beekeepers indicated that they harvested all the combs, whether theycontain honey or brood. It seems that the reason for this choice is linked to the high absconding ratesobserved.

In order to limit this absconding rate, in addition to prevention against predators, it is a priority forbeekeepers to be aware that during the harvest it is preferable to leave the brood combs in the hive.

Up to now, most of the beekeepers are separating capped and uncapped combs and press them. Thehoney from capped combs is sold to TABI, and that coming from uncapped combs is own consumedor sold in neighbouring markets.

In order to improve the quality of the honeys obtained it could be envisaged to allow the honey tosettle into hermetic settling tanks for one to two weeks before removing the upper layer (with

April 24, 2017

Figure 17: Return the brood to the hive after harvest

impurities: wax, pollen, wood...) and sieving. This method would in particular remove some of thepollen that often appears at the top of the honey cans.

It could also be propose to collectively establish a payment grid for honeys that would favor honeyswith top quality criteria (humidity, crystallization).

3.2.6 Sales of Honey Given that in the coming years it is likely that honey production will increase in the target villages ofthe three districts, in addition to this effort to improve the quality criteria for honeys, it is also essentialto emphasize on the honey market.

While most beekeepers sell their honey to TABI, some said they sold to tourists or buyers fromVietnam. This opportunity represented by the important Vietnamese market should be studied in orderto understand how the honey of Lao origin is perceived and to know the conditions of access to thismarket.

3.2.7 Honey Processing UnitThere was a discussion about the project of honey processing unit.3 layouts have been presented by Mr. Sengphanh.

3 comments have been done :

i) The first plan with a dimension of 2,5 * 10 m, is too narrow. It is important to keep space aroundthe equipment (extractor, settling tank) for proper operation.

ii) It is necessary to take in account the humidity of the processing unit as it is known that honey is anhygroscopic product. Thus, to prevent from a phenomenon of humidification of honeys, it is suggestedeither to separate the "washing place" by a waterproof separation, or to add in this extraction room apowerful dehumidifier.

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iii) It has to be possible to control the temperature of the "storage place" in order to avoidcrystallization of honeys during the cold season and the production of HMF during the hot season. Itcould be envisaged to insulate this part or at least to protect it from the rays of the sun by a tree hedge.

Independently of these technical aspects related to the adaptation of this tool to the specific aspects ofbeekeeping in Xiengkhouang province, the priority now is to define an economic model for thistransformation unit. In particular, it is necessary to calculate the amounts of investments forconstruction and equipment, their depreciation and operating costs and to verify that these costs arebearable and acceptable to beekeepers.

It is also important to have a clear idea of how such a tool works. Who will be the operator, what willbe the procedures for collecting the raw material, what will be the procedure of extraction, sieving,settling, storage, packaging. What will become of the finished products. What will be the profitabilityof such an installation?

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4. Promising apicultural projects, to be strengthened

Five years ago, TABI started a project to keep bees in the district of Chomphet were the villagers wereonly used to gather honey from feral colonies in forested areas. During the following years, theorganisation introduced Top Bar Hives in Nam Bak, Pek, Phoukoud and Khoune districts werebeekeeping with Log Hive was already practiced for years. Nowadays, in these five districts of LuangPrabang and Xiengkhouang Provinces, beekeeping with Top Bar Hives is practiced by numerousvillagers and the production of Honey is not far from 4.000 kg and keeps increasing. This is apromising results.

However, many questions arise. Issues related to advanced colonies management practices aboutmarket of honey. Issues related to harvesting techniques and quality of honeys, quality of theenvironment and of food resources.

In order to answer these questions and prevent them from becoming bottlenecks, it is important thatduring the following years, the sub-projects find solution to strengthen beekeeping practices to limitabsconding, predators and pesticides pressures, to increase honey quality and sale and to initiate aprocess to define a selection scheme with the objective to obtain lines of local bees that produce honeyand do not abscond.

Obtaining these results necessarily implies a great involvement of the sub-projects' technicians whowill have to support the beekeepers in learning new skills and know-how. This also implies that thesetechnicians exchange information with their peers on practices and results. Thus, it would beinteresting for TABI to encourage technicians to meet regularly and to encourage them to observeactions in other contexts, such as, for instance, what has been done in Oudomxay province in theframework of the Association AESBO (annex 3).

April 24, 2017

ANNEX 1 - Minutes of beekeepers interviews - Province of LuangPrabang

March 21 to 22, 2017 - Nam Bak DistrictParticipation to the training with Dr. Pichay Kongpitak of Chiang May Unversitya, and twobeekeepers of Chiang May: Ms Nualcham Gregory and Mr Manop SrimoonThe objective was to meet the trainers and discuss with them on the context they had observed duringthe 3 first days of the training of which 2 were organized in Chomphet and the next two in Nambak.They explained taht they observed that there were no more eggs and lavae were at a stage that did notpermitting to start a rearing process.

From the discussion, it appears that the beekeepers of NamBak and Chomphet are not yet at a level ofexperience permitting to rear queens. In Nam Bak, most of the hives are logged hives, which limit thepossibility to rear queen. The method of transferring logged hive to TBH has been introduce recently,one bekkeeper of Phonsaat as one comingfrom the DAFO and manufacured two TBH. However, thewidth of the bar was around 4,5 cm, which is not appropriate with Apis cerana (width between 2,6 and3 cm).

Visit with Mr. Apisit of 2 beekeepers of the group of Ban Phonsay

TBH

They started to manufacture TBH Last year. Previously the technician of the project explained theinterests of this hive , but the beekeepers saw it for the first time last year.Mr. Xingdeng as aroud 10 hives, only log hivesMr. Xiengdao as more than 10 hives, of which at least 3 are TBH. He also manufactured around 4TBH with improper bar width.

Honey harvest April 24, 2017

In may, the comb coming from log hive are harvested and placed in a blue tulle bag permitting to letthe honey drain. The bag is hanged in the house and honey fill a plastic drum. During the night the tullbag is covered with a tissu to prevent againt animals and insects. After the tulle bag is pressed andadditionnal honey is kept for own consumption.

Following them the moisture level of the honey harvested is between 25 and 28 %.

With the TBH, their process will change as they will be able to control if comb are capped or not andto choose to harvest only capped one. Morevover the colonies will not abscond after harvest, which isthe case now.

Experience with a TBH

Mr. Xiengdao has a TBH on two level. The first level is fulled with bee, the second should permit tocollect honey, like super in the case of Dadant and Langstroth hives.The bees are in this double hive for the second season. The honey found in the hive envolved 16 % ofmoisture.

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Another TBH manufactured by Mr. Xiengdao has improper bar sizes. An observation permitted to seethat they were two combs attached to the first bar. Inside this hive, there was unripe honey at 26 %humidity.

Participation to the training with Mr. Pichay in Ban KongParticipated beekeepers from Ban Kong, Ban Li and Ban Houay Hui.

2 hives were visited, the second one had eggs and young larvae and one comb was selected forgrafting demonstration.In the hives honey moisture level was 26,5 % in the cell of a new comb and 23 in those of an oldcomb.

Mr. Xiengwan had extracted 5 days ago one liter of honey whose moiture was 21,5 %

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Sample n°1

The comb chosen contained capped brood + few young larvae + eggs. The brood was showingunsealed pupae that were observed. One varroa mite was visible on a drone larva.

A demonstration was organized to transfer a young larvae on a cell cup. First the group produced cellcups, then the trainers explained and show the transfer process.

Khong VillageMr. XiengVan He had 13 populated hives last year, of which 3 TBH.He has a garden with a multiplicity of fruit plant, vegetables but also forest, he has no idea if theconcentration of hives is to high.

->This is a point to monitor.

He produced 35 bottles of honey (660 ml).This year he has 24 hives of which 1 TBHEven if the environment is rather rich, in the vilage there are at least 3 other beekeepers having theirbees in the villge, because it is easier to follow them.He is keeping bees for 5 years and work with TABI for 3 years.He sold the honey, easily, between 50.000 and 80.0000 kip per kg and plan to sell it 100.000 kip perkg. The honey is sold to te visitor, direct in the village.

other activites :

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He rent his land for rice production

problems :In order to populate his hives, he has to go far, which is a tedious activity.He observed high habsconding level, probably due to the fact that he harvested everything, includinglarvae. Last year, for the 3 TBH he returned the larvae and the colony did not abscond.

Futur :He wants to keep log hives for swarm catchingHe wants to increase the number of colonies, using the method of bee rearing. He understand theprinciples of the method and he has the relevant equipment for this having already 3 populated TBHand 11 others TBH to populate.However, he does not fully understand the method. Today, for the first he learnt about the colonycycle (egg larvae, pupae ...)

-> this point should be taken in account by the project otherwise, the beekeeper may havedifficulties to rear queens and even to improve their beekeeping abilities.

Division : he never practiced it as all the hives have different form and dimension.Moreover, up to now he never heard of it. This is a new subject.

-> this is a point to focus on : standardisation of the equipemnt permitting to divide a colony, totransfer a comb from one hive to the other.

Observation of the colonies :He already observed difference of production level. What he noticed is the fact that the colony wereproducing more honey were also more agressive. Such observation ability is important in a process ofselective breeding that will be permitted by queen rearing.

Swarm catching : he is catching swarms where he growes rice because there, there are less predators.

Other problems :He observed that weak colonies die during the cold weatherHe has important predation by ants and fight against them by spraying a pesticide (carbamate)

-> this point has to be taken in account by the TABI in order to find solution avoiding pesticides.It is important to avoid that the usage of pesticides become systematic

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Harvest practiceLast year, he pressed the combs. This year, he will use the technic of honey draining with a blue tulletissu. However, up to know he did not know that he had to protect against moisture with a plastic bag.Last week he pressed combs. All of them were note totally capped.

Mr. Maypeh is beekeeper for 3 years. With 2 TBH he produced 12 bottles.

Visit of an apiaryThe apiary is in a garden with mutiple fruit trees (rambutan, manguo, coffee), near the forest. We openone hive and could observ large stocks of pollen.

Collective assessment of beekeeping practices 3 beekeepers of Ban Li, 2 from Ban Hoauy Huin and 4 from ban Khong

Againt Ants, 4 are using carbamate, 3 use old oil and 2 are burning ants.

Againt the Hornet, this is more difficult to fight. They are not using poison and are not trapping them.They just kill then when they can.-> It could be interesting to facilitate de discussion on this point in order to decrease the pressure ofthis huge predator.

No observation of any diseases apart from the mite varroa. In the same time, they have, in most of thecases, not the possibility to observe the combs as most of the hives are log hives. One of the beekeeperobserved the mite varroa on the thorax of drones.

They think that industrial crops around (bananas, hevea, watermelon) have an impact on the health ofthe bees, as the DAFO told them, but they never observed any weakening linked to these crops.

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Discussion with Mr. May Li - Ban Houay Hui10 logged hive, 1 TBH with no bees for 3 years

His main activity is Hevea : he has a plantation with 500 trees and he is hiring himself to work in otherplantations.He also grow rice.He stopped livestock 10 years ago, mainly due to the dammage to Hevea.

Last year he had 8 colonies and produced 30 bottles.This year he has 7 colonies.

HarvestHe harvests everything and bees abscond.He usew the technique of honey draining with the blue tulle tissu before to store in bottle.

Training on bee rearingHe heard of the method.Now with the practice, he knows how to do and would like to practice.If he could explain the overall process, he was unable to explain how to orphan a colony.

-> This is a point to highlight : they probably understand the method but they have not theequipment permitting to rear queens such as TBH, queen excluder

Discussion with Mr. Samchan - Ban LiLast years he had 8 log hives and produced 10 bottlesHis main activity is rice roduction. This year he produced 6-7 tons of paddy rice. He has 2,5 ha of riceand have employees during transplanting and harvest of rice.He also produces vegetables.

He sells the bottle around 60.000 kip to his family and neigbour.

He wants to build TBH, but he is afraid that bees do not populate them. He understands the advantagesof this hive type : possibility to tie the brood, possibility to observe the combs and decide which one toextract.

Up to know after harvest, the bees are absconding as there is no more brood.

TrainingHe understands the overall process and observe that it was necessary to have TBH to rear queen.In order to find the queen, it should be possible even if he never did it.

PredatorsAgaint ants, he uses carbamate

Beekeeping equipment He has no equipment except a pairs of gloves for honey pression. For visiting the colonies, he uses amotorbike cask !

March 23 to 25, 2017 - Chomphet District

5 villages of this district were already visited in 2012.

Naxay Chaleun

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In the Village of Naxay Chaleun, a group apraisal done in 2012 highlighted the following points :Group11 beekeepers in the group18 at first. 7 stopped!The head of the village has now 5 empty TBH. The other members have 1.One TBH in the meeting place: the size of the Top Bar varies from 3 to 3,5 cm, which isprobably to large for Apis cerana. In Ay Lao booklet, it is indicated 2,8 cm

Motivation:One of the villagers attending the meeting says that he collected honey in the forest. But thequantity is not enough. Last time, he did not collected honey. So he would like to be able toproduce in the village to increase the honey available.

None of the member of the group is beekeeper. Only one observed beekeeping in Oudomxai.

Seeds:Seeds of small corn were supplied by the project.In the village there are lot of fruit trees and additional flowers (vegetable)

Training:During phase 1, one training was organized in this villageDuring phase 2, a second training was organized here.The participants say that the trainer is OK.

The 23/3/17 a discussion with Mr. Thonvanh Tchitpavong permitted to understand the following :In this village, only 3 beekeepers are now practicing, himself with 2 TBH and 6 LH, another oldbeekeeper having only LH and a younger beekeeper having 7 TBH. He explained that the others were not following the indications, so they were unable to keep bees andto populate hive. For instance, one of them cut a tree with a colony inside, bring it back at home whereit absconded.

Number of hive and production 6 LH2 TBHOne TBH is actually populated and produced 7 kg 2 years ago, 5 kg last year and is in a good shapethis year

Observation of the TBHThere is an alternance of bars and pieces of wood. So it seems that the combs are note tied to one baronly, which implicate that it is probably not easy to control the state of the combs, the brood and lookafter the queen.

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Honey sale and consumptionOne kg is for own consumptionThe rest is sold at a price of 80.000 kip /l

Honey collectionHe removes all bars except two with brood that are placed back in the hive.Honey is separated from brood. The brood is eaten and the combs of honey are pressed with a whitetissue. Up to now, they did not received the blue tulle tissue, but he will use this new technique ofhoney draining this year.

He collects honey in may.Press it in a bassin, without filtration and leave it for the night, thinking that it will evaporate. He justcover honey with a tissu to protect it againt insects. The day after he bottles the honey.

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Training on queen rearingHe understands the overall process, can even explain the different steps but he never observed themethod in a practical way.So he is not completely sure to be able to practice alone.The advantage of the method is to permit to increase the number of hives, like in Thailand where theycan have tousands of hives ! (effect of the team of Thailand. that shows beekeeping with Apismellifera !!!)It means that now, they have to practice and they should be supported for it. Moreover, it is probablyimportant to show them how to find the queen and to orphan the colony as none of the beekeepers metup to now have observe a queen except in the book !

TBH dimension of barsThe dimension of the bars are larger that what they should be, some of them are larger than 4 cm.Morevover this beekeeper is adding between bars a stick of wood such as it seems impossible toobserv a comb seldom.

PredatorsHornest : He kills themAnts : he uses used oil to put on the support of the hive.

EnvironmentAround the village no industrial crop. So it seems that up to now there is no risk of intoxication.However Around the village are observed lots of forest of teck. If these trees are note a threat in termsof pesticides, they are a threat in terms of food providing as, under tecks the soil is naked.

April 24, 2017

Ban Houay ThanIn 2012, it was observed the following :

The village counts 60 families.14 families are practicing beekeeping – 11 at first.A total of 44 hives were built, of which 17 in phase 1 and 27 in phase 2.4 hives were populated with feral colonies during the training of phase 1 (February or March)

The project provided:- tools: hammer, saw, nail- 1 veil / beekeeper - 1 water sprayer / group

3 new beekeepers: Reasons to join the group: they already collected honey from the forestThey are interested to keep bees because they think that it does not take too much time and itdoes not cost too much.

Honey from the forest is sold at a good price 50.000 kip/kg in the village

They are interested with this good price and want to produce honey directly in the village.

The beekeepers of the group would like to have at least 3 hives / familyThey test first and if it works well, they will build more hives during phase 2, they introduced9 feral colonies in hives, but then the hives absconded.The first training was on beekeeping theory. Then they practiced in the village. In the future they want to have both theory and practice, but they prefer to do, to practice!

Ban Houay ThanInterview of Mr. HoumphengLike in the case of Naxay Chaleun many beekeepers leave the group as Mr. Houmpeng that weinterviewed is now the only beekeeper of the village.

HivesHe has now 7 TBH in the garden and 13 around.This year only 3 are populated, whereas, last year 10 were.Most of the colonies leave in november december.

-> this point of absconding in nov/Dec has to be monitor. Isn't it a key issue in order to developthe apiaries ? Wouldn't it be only a problem of food scarcity that could be suppressed bycolonies feeding ?

M. Houmpheng explained that he observed that there was no food and he give them around 300 gsugar mix with twice the quantity of water, twice. It was is own initative. But before, he didn't know itwas possible to feed the bees.

Some of the TBH have bars with a correct dimension. Other have bar of which the width is > 4cm.-> the correct dimension of bars and the standardization of hives are probably one of the urgentaction to organize.

HoneyHe started to keep bees in 2012 and he has the same TBH populated since 2013. In 2016, he collectedon this colony 4 kg in april and 3 kg in JuneThe total production in 2016 was 15 kg.

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HarvestHe first observes if cells are sealed and harvest the afternoon. He leaves a part of the honey and broodin the hive.He has several hives with frame. In this cas the harvest is easier as he can collect only a part of thecomb.He selects the combs (sealed) and press the honey before bottling it.He sells the honey 60.000 kip per bottle and 35000 kip for one jars (500 ml).The resealer are buying the honey directly in the village.

Queen rearingThe TBH that was observed have bars with a correct dimension.The training was interesting and instructive. But they did not practice. He knows to produce a cellcups, but he doesn't know to graft it.It seems he didn't know that the colony should be orphan in order to rear queen. He never had theopportunity to see a queen.

DivisionThe beekeeper explained that he already divided the TBH populated since 2013, leaving 50 % ofcombs in the former colony that was moved to around 2 km and put the other combs in a new hive thatwas placed on the place of the former TBH. One week later he brought back the colony.

PracticeWe proposed him to observe the colony and try to find the queen and show him the method.He accepted. We visited a TBH observing all the combs one by one and one side after the other. Wewere not able to see the queen, probably hinding in a place were there was no bar but a part of theroof.During the visit we could observe drone and worker brood. In the drone brood a varroa mite wasobserved.

-> Such visit including the beekeeper and an experienced beekeeper should be favored by theproject

April 24, 2017

Ban Na

Mr. Somsi

(Honey sample n°2 - pressed in may, 20 % humidity)

The village integrated the project 3 years ago with 7/8 families at first.Only 2 are now practicing beekeepingHe has 2 TBH and 2 LH.Last year only the 2 TBH were populated. This year only one was populated and absconded.The high level of absconding may also in this cas due to a food scarcity.

Up to last year he was using bars. Following the training of the technicians of the DAFO and theiradvices, he started to use frame.-> This point has to be clarified. Why using frame ? It seems that the reason i that sometimes thecombs is attached to the wall of the hive. Wouldn't it be easier to enlarge the hive ?

TBHHe knows perfectly the size of a bar and explained how to build a bar permitting to the bees to rise in asecond hive on the top of the other (a kind of super).

HarvestPress and after the night he removes impurities and bottles.

DifficultiesPredators : hornest (scratch them) and ants (use a tissu with old oil attached to the support of the hive)Absconding.However he remains with motivation as he likes to work with the bees and he observes that theactivity can be profitable.

Queen rearingHe learned to prepare cell cups, to graft, even if they didn't graft a lot and information on the biologyof the colony-> there is a need regarding the biology of the colony (cycle, the casts of broods, the length of thelarval and pupal stage ...)

He never observed the queen and he thinks he can manage to see it.-> During the training it is important to favor the practice. After 3 years of beekeeping, the beekeepersof Luang Prabang did not see a queen, which is probably a necessity for every beekeeper that want toincrease its activity.

Ban Houay Mieng

April 24, 2017

In 2012, a group interview permitted to obtain the following information:Lots of motivation and determinationThe villagers refuse the proposal (obligation) to grow rubber Protection of the area and even of bee trees (Apis dorsata Trees – see photo)

Village:82 familiesThe families grow upland and lowland riceThere are numerous fruit trees in the village

Beekeeping:13 beekeepers14 hives build in phase 113 hives build in phase 2They attended the first training in phase 1They had no practical training during phase 2, as they were unable to find bees.

Regulation: The group decided the rules. The villagers agree.

Experience in beekeeping:2 hives have been populated recentlyIn the introduction of a feral colony, the beekeeper took all the bees. He is unable to recognizethe queen.No previous experience in beekeeping, just the experience to collect natural honey from theforest.It is something completely new. Some of them are afraid with the bees.

Motivation for beekeeping:TABI proposed them to support them. Why not!They do not want to spend to much time on this activityHoney collection in the forest is difficult and many people are collecting natural honey. Sothis is a good idea to produce honey in hives, to facilitate the harvestThe objective is that each beekeeper has a colony

Threats:The district proposed to grow rubber trees in the framework of a concession given to aChinese company. The villagers refused to give the land for a long-term contract. As therewas a pressure to accept, they argued that if rubber was grown, they would cut everything!

Opportunity:The participants to the meeting are aware of the quality of their environment. They want toprotect it. For instance, 2 trees (May Sapoum and Tone Xieng) with bee colonies (Apisdorsata) are identified and protected. These trees belong to the village. The product from thebees is shared between the inhabitants.

Mr Bouloth and Mr Xieng Si Phong(Honey sample n°3 - collection of pieces of combs sealed 18,5 % moisture and unsealed 20 %moisture)We had a discussion in the apiary with these two beekeepers, the only one that are still keeping bees

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Mr. Bouloth Mr. Xieng Si PhonhNumber of LH 1 0Number of TBH 8 7Number of populated TBH 4 3Nb of TBH harvested 5 5Quantity 26 cans of 500 ml 35 cans of 500 ml

The honey was sold 45.000 kip to the projectThis year they had an offer to 50.000 kip after the honey was sold to the projectThey can sell a 500 ml can to 30.000 kipSometimes they are selling to Chomphet market at the price of 30.000 kip for 500 mlOne of them had a command for 7 cans in Luang Prabang.Besides these local possibilities, vietnamese middlemen for large honey quantity (50 to 100 kg at50.000 kip per kg)

EnvironmentAs indicated in 2012, the quality of the environment is very favourable to beekeeping. The proximityof forest permits the bees to have regular food ressources.

PracticesUsually M. Bounloth leaves a space between the bars to avoid that combs be sticked one to the other.Last year he added a hive on the top of the other, transfer a comb full of honey in it, which permittedthe bees to build and fill new combs such as both hives were full. On this hive 5 kg of honey wereharvested in june.After harvest, the colonies abscond. The explanation he gives is the fact that he collected the totality ofhoney + larvae. Up to now he always practice this way and did not know it was not suggested.

April 24, 2017

HarvestBoth beekeepers are harvesting the totality of honey and brood.They separate capped and uncapped combsIn 2016, Mr. Bounloth removed the larvae one by one as they were few.Nearly no brood at the time of harvest ... -> This point is questionning. Isn't there a egg laying blocage due to the absence of available cellsfor egg laying? In similar case, shouldn't it be suggested to harvest a part of combs earlier,permitting to add free bars on which the worker could build new combs for egg laying ?After harvest, they filter twice.This year they will use the new technique of honey draining, knowing that they have to protect thehoney with a plastic bag.

FeedingMr. Bouloth plans to feed with a syrup 1 kg sugar / 1 l of water during period of food scarcity.

Visit of a TBHA strong TBH was visitedFirst observation : irregularity of bars size varrying from 1 to 4 cmSo combs were often hung to several bars which made the visit difficultMost of the combs were full of honey and there were only few brood cells among honey. One comb with brood was stuck to the bottom of the hive it was unstuck and attached to a bar.It was suggested to insert a bar without combs in between this comb of brood and honey to permit thebees to build a comb for egg laying, but it was not possible to do it as the size of bars were irregular.-> such visit in pairs between a beekeeper and a technician should be favored to allow theexchange of information and the technical progress of the two parties

PredatorsHornet : They observed a big and black hornet that do not attack bees and a yellow little hornet that isagressive and exert a high pressure on colonies. They smach them one by one.Ants: they think that the ants are not a problem with strong colonies.

DivisionLast year in june or july, Mr. Bouloth and Mr. Xieng Si Phon practiced a division following themethod of Mr. Ay Lao. None of the two colonies absconded.

MoistureThe moisture of a sample of honey from capped comb was measured : 18,5 %Uncapped cells : 20 %they never have seen a refractometer.

Ban Nongchong

April 24, 2017

In 2012, were observed the following aspects :Large villageMotivated groupOverall environment favourable but threats due to rubber plantation and chemicals employed

Village:236 Families / Kmu105, Hmong 86 / Lao 4550 % of the families are growing upland riceThe other are practicing lowland cultivation + small businesses.

Beekeeping:Group of 19 beekeepers48 hives were built, 29 in phase 1 and 19 in phase 25 hives have been populated with feral colonies during phase 1 but bees absconded.1 hive was populated recently, during phase 2 but the colony was destroyed by ants.

Why are they interested with beekeeping?Value of the bees: Source of food Medicines Some of the beekeepers see a way to change of agricultural system: from upland

cultivation to beekeeping (Is it their idea? the willingness of authorities?) Some thinks that the eldest people should keep bees and the youngest should grow rice.

They indeed think that it is an easier work than, for instance, upland rice cultivation.

Seeds:Only yellow corn for: i) Bee food ii) Animal food

The objective of beekeeping is to change the work. First, it means to get experience

Group:Objective to provide information to the beekeepersHelp beekeepers having problemsDefine regulation. The group, the village and the PAFO agree with the regulation and thefines.The information regarding the regulation has been transmitted to the village of the district

Some of them have seen beekeepers in Oudomxay.

Threats:Rubber concessions. In the village 300 to 400 ha are part of a concession given by the district(government) to a Chinese company for 50 years with the objective to grow rubber treesOne of the problems is the fact that the company uses chemicals coming from China.Following a participant to the meeting, it impacts the biodiversity.The district asked to stop the utilisation of chemicals, but the Chinese company stays on itsposition, arguing that it has a long-term contract. None of the participant to the meeting hasseen the contract.The concession spreads on 4 to 5 villages.

April 24, 2017

Other threats: the Slash and Burn system is still existing in the village and practices by around50 % of the families.

Introduction of a feral colony in a top bar hive- Difficulty to find the queen. The beekeepers will have to find it next evening - See process on the film- A surgery!- High risk that the colony absconds after the difficult introduction!

In 2017, only few beekeepers have still hives populated.Among them, we had a discussion with Mr. LèThis year, he has only one TBH populated. In another one a colony came and absconded in october ornovember, leaving empty combs-> Food scarcity ?

Last year he had 5 hives with colonies.

The remaining colony is here since 3 years and he added a second hive on the top of the other.

Division

A technician of Xiengkhouang came to divide colonies and from what he heard, it often did notworked. In the case of Mr. Lè, the division was done with two brood combs in one hive and one in theother. The division did not work.Even After this failure, he wants to continue.He thinks he lacks technique.He is also afraid that his bees will abscond and therefore will not visit the hives.

Harvestthe TBH produced 11 kg.The previous year it produced 9 kg.And the previous it did not produce honey as there was the division.As soons as the pollen is red (!) he collects. Following it is capped at this time.The uncapped combs and brood remain in the hive. He presses smoothly to avoid pollen to go through the tissu.

April 24, 2017

Remaining from pression/draining is heated to collect wax.Then he filters twice or three times and bottles immediatly to prevent from moisture.-> It should be checked if after 3 filtration there is no remaining impurities (such as pollen) that willrise in the following days.

The moisture of the Remaining honey of last year was 24 %

SalesHe sales 500 ml cans at the price of 50.000 kip to neighbouring peoples.

DivisionHe understands the method but he said :- it is difficult to graft- he has not the proper equipment to graft- he never observed the queenHe will probably prefers to rear queen simply by division of a colony and collect royal cells.

PredatorsNumerous hornets in june july. He scratches them but do not use chemicals.

EnvironmentAround the TBH, following him the environment is OK with different trees (such à Mae Pao) andother that he cannot named but give flowers. The hevea plantation is now giving rubber and there isprobably no more pesticides sprayed over them. However, it was observed a decrease of insects andanimals in rivers and a decrease o the number of aquatic plants.

Next harvest should be around the 15/4. After the honey is bitter due to a liane species that givesflowers.

We removed the roof of the double body hive and observed that bees were only in the first body andthat the disposition of the bars in the second body was perpendicular to those of the first one.It was adviced to modify the second hive in order to have the possibility to hang the bars in the secondhive and to transfer one or two bars with combs in this second hive in order to facilitate the bees tocome up.

April 24, 2017

ANNEX 2 - Minutes of beekeepers interviews - Xiengkhouangprovince

Discussion with Mr. Sengphanh and Mr. Malayphet

In Pek District, the project is working with 4 villages Phonsay, Khong, Van Pha and Van Na. Ontuesday 3 villages will be visited : Phosy that is not among the beneficiaries villages, Phonsay andKhong.These 4 villages have a beekeeping tradition. TABI is supporting them to start working with Top BarHives. There is also a support to plant fruit trees for income and bee food ressources.

In Phoukoud District, TABI is working with Bong, LaeThong, Choy and Hoauthan. Bong andLaethong will be visited the 27/3.These 4 villages have also a beekeeping tradition. TABI is supporting them to start working with TopBar Hives. There is also a support to plant fruit trees for income and bee food ressources.

In Khoune district, TABI is working with the villages of Nahou and Nabong, that will be visited the29/3.The support of these villages by TABI is new (2015) and is characterized by a support to use Top BarHives.In the village of Nahou, there are coffee plants. It is interesting to have a view about the possibility toproduce honey from coffee flower.

Mr. Malayphet is the SPA manager in the 3 districts. There is a technician from DAFO in Khoune andin Phoukoud districts.In each village of the sub-projects, there is between 1 and 2 visits per month in order to work with thegroup of beekeepers on specific points.

March 27, 2017 - Phoukoud DistrictBan BongMr. Sovanh

In the village, 3 other beekeepers like him with many hives. Other beekeepers have rather 6/7 hives.

Activities

Beekeeping is a complementary activity beside rice production, livestock farming and woodworking.He has now 12 logged hives of which 9 are populated and 20 TBH of which 18 are populated.

April 24, 2017

Early 2017, he sold 16 hives to a mining company of Saysomboun Province.

He builds the TBH himself as he has the equipment for woodwroking. He chooses now to use 3 cmthick wood for the walls of the hive in order to better prevent against cold weather.He also manufactures bars of 3,5 cm width, which is higher than what suggest TABI (2,5 ro 3) because he says that otherwise bees are producing combs that are stick one to the other.Howeveer, we observes in hive that :i) it is higher from the spaces of natural swars :

April 24, 2017

Production

He started beekeeping in 2013 and produced a little quantity of honey 3 years ago, 10 kg 2 years agoand 80 kg last year..

He keeps logged hive to catch swarm that he transfer in TBH.

He built a special roof for transfering from LH to TBH

April 24, 2017

SalesA part of the production (30-40 kg) is sold to TABI as the Humidity level was below 22 %, at the priceof 50.000 kip/kg. The sold is sold to vietnamees at the price of 30 to 40.000 kips/ kg

HarvestHe harvests between 1 and 10 of may.He separates white capped honey (recently caps with humidity higher than 20 %), colored cappedhoney (older so less ripened) and uncapped.The combs are transported to the group of beekeepers for draining during 2 days then pression. Thehoney is draining in open contener.Moisture is measuredAfter sieving twice, he bottles.

After harvesting the combs, he leaves the brood and honey. He has no absconding on 12 TBH.

DivisionHe already organized division but, it is note well working. He usullay divides colony only if they havemore than 6 combs. He says he looks for brood and eggs in all both part of the division.

DifficultiesAnts: he used used motor oilHornets : he reduces the entrance in order to avoid hornets to enter the colonies, otherwise it absconds.Colony death due to cold weather : he built new hives with 3 cm width wood.

Monitoring of the coloniesHe only follow the colonies from exterior signs. He only opens the hive once every two monthsbecause he is afraid of absconding. He knows that some colonies are more prone to abscond thanothers.

Visit of a hiveDimension : 30*40 * Height 25. It was the size advices by the project at first.Bars 3,5 in order to prevent the combs stick one to the other.We observed together that one bar was supporting two combs, which do not permit a proper visit.

Fruit treesOnly 5 trees were given. He would need 20 times more !

Ban Bon - Mr. Bounthan

11 TBH of which 7 with a colony and 2 LHHe produced 40 kg sold to the project.

April 24, 2017

We visited a colony : bars + large bars (10 cm large). He uses large bars because he thinks it is betteragainst cold weather

Ban Laethong - Mr. Thongsy13 logged hives of Which 7 with colony14 TBH of which 4 with a colony.He produced 32 kg of honey sold to the project as it ws > 21 %

Harvest He harvest near 6 pm. He takes honey and leave the brood.He select only sealed combs, put them in a jar and press it. After measurement of moisture level, hefilters twice and bottles.After harvest he often observes absconding.

DivisionWhen he sees drones in front of the hive, this is the right time.He divides 50/50 and leave the new hive at the palce of the former one and transport the former one todistance.He practices 4 times and succeed twice

PredatorsMAny hornets.He protects the colonies, in order to avoid the hornet to enter in the colony, otherwise it absconds.

Other paracticesNo feedingNo monitoring of the stocks of honey

Observation of a TBHHe decides to harvest just by the observation of the TBH, when bees stays outside, there is not morepalce in the hive, this is the time to harvest.We opten the hives and observed the combs were build perpendiculary to the bars.

April 24, 2017

He decides to extract, remove everything, brood included, except two brood combs that were tie to abar.

Aspects to memorize :He is efficient in his practice. Just one observation, he left only two broods combs whereas they werearound 4 or 5.MAny absconding after harvest

March 28, 2017 - Pek District

Ban Phosi - In the project until 2013 then worked with LFPMr. Khambay19 bekeepers in the village, whcih means near 300 hivesMr. Khambay has 30 TBH nd 14 LHUsually he catchs the swarms in the LH and transfer them in TBHHe can also catch swarms in TBH in which case he closed he entrance and leave the hole at the middleof the front wall open

April 24, 2017

DimensionsHive : Dimensions given by TABI : 40 * 30 and now he modified to 35 * 50 cmBars : 2,5In fact, we observed that bars are irregular.During the winter, the bee population decrease but he does not put any partition. He just protect themagainst cold weather, wind.

PredatorsDuring the cold season, the hornet arrive (nov/dec). He notices that the TBH are less prone toabsconding due to hornet and he thinks that it can be explain by the tickness of the wall.!againt these predators, he protects the hive, gathering them in one place to monitor and ward offhornets. He also reduces the entrance of the hive to avoid the hornet to enter in which case, there willbe absconding.By the way he is also raising hornets. He sold the nest à 150.000 kip / kg

HarvestHe prefers to harvest in april so that there is a lower rate of absconding as the bees can still findflowers in the environment. In this case he sometimes can also harvest in june.Last year he produced 250 kg of honey with 25 hives.When he harvests, he leave the brood but take all combs of honey sealed or not.He presses all the combs with a tissue and filter immedialtly and store honey in a can sold to LFP.The price is 32.000 kip/kg for all type of honey untill a high level of moisture. His honey was 23 %.Some merchants are buying honey at 35.000 kip/kg.

AbscondingAmong his 25 hives, 7 absconded (4 TBH and 3 LH)Absconding occurs mainly in august, september and it is linked to the hornet and to food scarcity

April 24, 2017

FeedingHe never fed the bees up to now but he may try.

Visit of the hiveWhen the population is not important, he visits to check if there is no predators (spiders, blats). Helooks 2 to 3 combs but do not control the state of the brood.

DivisionHe divides when there is more than 5 combs, introduce 3 combs in a second hive that is transported ata distance and leave 2 combs in the former hive.He is dividing during the night to avoid the bees to leave the combs and come back to the mother hive.But he prefers to leave the colonies to swarm.

Queen rearingThere was a training in 2012. LAter on they did not practice as they have enough colonies

Expert from VietnamHe asked information about the flower in the environmentalHe observed a hive, but it was full ofhoney so could not visit it.He spoke of different technics that were already presented by TABI.He showed a new technics with frame and wire

Frame hiveMr. Khambay presented the Newton hive that was brought by the NGO Samdara which is workingwith LFP.

To remember : the apiary is in a good shapeThis is a vigilant beekeeper Interested to test a new form of hiveHowever, he is mainly keeping bees and do not optimize his apiary. For instance the bars are irregular,which probably do not permit to follow the colony regularly. He is not organizing himself to be a"apicultor" as he is not really trying to rise his apiary through division our queen rearing.He is not use to observ the colonies of bees, monitoring the state of the brood, looking for the queen.He is intersted to feed the bees but never practiced it.Malayphet understands the beekeeper that want to leave the colony to swarm and catch the swarminstead of dividing, rearing queen. This two last implicate technicity and equipment. Mr. Malayphetthinks that it is important to leave colony to manage the problems they have. If Hornest, we just followthe hives, reduce the entrance and colony shoud manage. Food scarcity, the population decrease andmanage to survive.-> It would be interesting to communicate on what is a bar, what is the good size, whart the advantageto use a correct bars-> It would be interesting that Mr. Malayphet has a discussion with other bee-extensionists in order toshare practices and information about monitoring a colony, divisio, queen rearing.

Ban Phonsay

April 24, 2017

The beekeeper has 24 TBH and 10 LH, all with bees inside.He is a beekeeper for a long time and used to have only LH.He started to use TBH 3 years ago.He prefers the TBH as the harvest is easier, it permits to better protect the bees againt sun and rain, itis easier to clean the hive.The main difficulty is with termitesHe has some large LH permitting large harvest. The swarms settle directly there, without interventionof the beekeeper

Hives cleaningExplain how he cleans the hives, removing the used raysIf the bees build the combs in a wrong direction, he leave them until they are harvested and thenreposition them correctly

DimensionsThe dimension of bars are between 2,5 and 3He is not using a starter of wax on the bars.STARTER

April 24, 2017

ProductionLast year he produced 100 kg with 10 hivesThe previous year he produced 10 kg with 3 hives

SalesAll the honey was sold to the project as the mositure was 21 %

HarvestHe follows the method of the project.He collects only sealed combs

Absconding6 hives among 10 absconded, mainly due to the hornet.

PredatorsHornets are a major problem, as much as some villagers are reasing hornetsHe explains that a well done hive permits to decrease the problems with hornetsThe beekeeper, made a special entrance to the hive in order to permit the bee to see the hornet frominside the hive

Hives buildingHe build hives himself and use the model of the TABI.He knows that the length of the bars should be the same in order to be able to transfer a bar from ahive to another

SwarmingIt occurs in november - december

DivisionHe prefers to wait for swarms instad of dividing the colonies.He already practiced the division but it did not work, probably because he did not transport one of thetwo hive at distance.Communication about the division (objective, method)

Food ressourcesLots of flowers in may, juneNo flower in november, december.Up to now he never fed his coloniessupplemental feeding

April 24, 2017

The beekeeper tried to build different tools, one to catch the swarm, another one permitting to mix aLH and a TBH !

Other activitiesRice, livestock, piment

Ban KhongMr. SiengkhamsayHe has been keeping bees for a long time.He started to use TBH with TABI, 4 years ago.He has now 13 TBH of which 10 have bees insideand 35 LH of which 13 have bees insideLast year he produced 40 kg of honey.

Dimenion25 * 30 cmThis is the dimension given by the project

He says that at harvest time the combs are tied on the wall(25*30 cm correct dimension ?)

Dimensions of the bars : 2 fingers ! in fact it varries from 3,2 to 4 cmUncorrect dimension of the bars

VisitHe is not visiting the colonies.

April 24, 2017

He just harvest and catch the swarms.

Harvest He harvests between may and June between 10 and 18 hHe is collecting everything, even the brood !collecting brood

SalesHe sales the honey to the project and to vietnamees consumers (10 pespy bottle at 45000 kip/bottle).He aslo sold 2 TBH (250000 kip) and 7 LH (200000) to the mining company of Sysomboun

AbscondingIt occurs in august/september, mainly due to hornet, not due to food ressources

Food ressourcesDuring auguts and september there is no flowerBut he dose not feed the bees

PredatorsThere is a huge pressure of hornet, however, he does not protect colonies againts it.In fact his son his reasing hornets !The son is reasing hornet between june and decemberMr. Siengkhamsay is reasing bees from november to may

SwarmingWhen he observs a swarms, he kills the queen in the swarm so the bees are coming back.

To remember :Even if he has TBH, he keeps the same practices as with LH, do not visit colonies, do not protectthem, do not retunr the brood after harvest.He is not taking care of his apiary that is not in a good shape.

communicate on what is beekeeping

March 29, 2017 - Khoune District

Ban Nabong - 17 beekeepersBan Nahou - 30 beekeepers.

April 24, 2017

Training have been organized by Mr. Malyphet on the follwoing subjects : Build a TBH Swarm catching Looking for the queen Division Harvest

TABI distributed : 5 TBH per village the first year and 15 TBH per village the third year . Protective clothes Gloves Harvest cans

Ban NabongMr. DuangChoy

He is the vice-presient of the beekeepers groupMr. Mi was also present, he is a member of the group

Mr. Duanchoy is a beekeeper since the age of 19. He is now 55. He started to use TBH, 3 years ago.He has now 7 LH and 10 TBHLast year he produced only 16 kg of honey as many hives die due to the cold weather. He alsoharvested 80 kg of Honey from Apis dorsata.He shows us combs of honey coming from the forest, that was in the fridge. The moisture was 21 %.

April 24, 2017

Mr Mi started beekeeping last year. He has now 6 TBH but did not extracted honey last year. Heharvested 20 kg of honey from Apis dorsata.

Sales :Mr. Duangchoy sold his honey (from AC) to TABI at the price of 45.000 kip / kg as the moisture was<= 21 %Both beekeepers sold their AD honey at the price of 50.000 kip, which is easy to sold. The buyersthinks this honey has medicinal properties.Up to now, for them, they have no solution to sell AC honey despite TABI.Wax is sold to Vietnamees buyers at the price of 50.000 kip.

Harvest They cut the combsLeave the broodSeparate sealed honey -> TABIand unsealed honey -> own consumptionHoney is pressed and filtered and packages in cans.

Absconding3/10 TBH absconded at the end of september/october because of a lack of flower and ressources forbees.

SwarmingIt occurs in nov/dec. So he places LH in the forest and around his house to collect swarms.In january, they collect colonies in he soil and transfer them in TBH. Leave the TBH during 3 days onthe original place and bring it back home.

FeedingHe is not feeding his colonies. However, in september-october, he notices there is no food ressourcesfor the bees.He may feed in the future, above all if TABI support them to do it.

PredatorsHornets are present but their pressure is not high. He just redce the entrance of the hive to prevent thehornest to enter, otherwise, the colony absconds.Their presence is higher in may and june.

Other problemThe colony are suffering of the cold weather. In 2015/6, 7 among 10 colonies died. In 2016/7, 2colonies died.In fact, the weaker colonies are concerned.To prevent agiant the cold time, he put blanket on the hives.

DimensionThe hive given by the project has the following dimension 22 * 24 * (H) 24.H built with higher dimension (height)The bars should be between 2,6 and 3 cm.

EquipementTABI gave a veil but in fact he is using the quipement he has for Apis dorsata

April 24, 2017

VisitsHe visits hives 2 to 3 times a month.He checks the combs is lying down; If this is the case, he add a second hive under the former.He is not checking the brood and never observed the queen.

DivisionHe never practices it

General observationHis garden is nice, with many plants among them coffee.

He is taking care of the hives : there is a shelter to protect them against sun and rain.There is a carton around a hive to protect it againt the low morning temperatures.A willing to understand, to go further with technics of beekeeping.

We observed a neighbouring apiary with the hive of the project on 2 levels (2 hives, one on the other).Different other hives in this apiary. One of them with a lower dimension (#20*20). In fact, based onthe available wood.The bars have a dimension of 3 cm.The apiary is also very nice with fruit trees, shelter.

At 9 km, ban Keosseine were there is lots of coffee tree.The café from Xiengkhoug would have a similar quality as cafe from Bollovens, so the production isincreasing.

April 24, 2017

Ban NahouMr. Khamtong

In fact the village is ban Kwa. where the project started befor moving to ban NahouHe has been keeping in LH for a long time and started to build and use TBH three years ago.He has now 15 TBH and 20 LHOf which 5 and 13 have bees inside.He is producing coffee, having trees in the garden he already harvested twice, sell the cherry the firstyear and tried to prepare them the second year but he could not sell them.Before he already had coffee for the leaves that are eaten with lap.

Honey productionLast year he produced 120 kg of honey with 20 hives (4 TBH and 16 LH)

AbscondingBefore harvest 3 LH absconded. He thinks this is due to a late harvest.He observs higher rate of absconding in july-August, due to the presence of hornets

PredatorsThe hornets are a problem in july august.He try to decrease the pressure of the hornet by a reduction of the entrance and a "filet" to prevent thehornet to enter the colony.However, he observs that when hornets are around the hives, bees do ot get out and later on whenhornets leave the hives, the bees abscond.In the Village, 5 personns are reasing hornets

SalesAll the honey is sold to TABI . The honey having a moisture between 18 and 22 %.He brought a sample of honey was moisture leve is 22 % -Sample n°6 check the presence of coffeeand litchee pollen

April 24, 2017

ANNEX 3 - Minutes of interviews with extensionists of AESBO -Oudomxay province

April 3 and 4, 2017 - Oudomxay

Meeting with the staff of AESBOAssociation for Sustainble Beekeeping Oudomxay

Mrs. Chamsouk Douangvialy, CoordinatorAnd the team of 7 extensionists

The different key issues highlighted during the monitoring mission in Luang Prabang andXiengkhouang provinces were discussed with the team.

April 24, 2017

MoistureIt doesn't seem to be a problem in Oudomxay.According to the interlocutors, if the collection of combs of honey is done at the right time then, thehumidity of atmosphere will not be too high and will not damage honey.There is no process to decrease the moisture level of honey.Usually honey is collected in april, when humidity is not high and june.

CrystallizationLike in Xiengkhouang, they observe that honey crystallize and the consumers think that it isadulterated honey

Harvest The comb are collected in april and june and capped and uncapped are separated.Usually, they let the combs draining, for the night, without protection againt humidity. As soon as thedraining process ends, they close the can.

MarketA part of the honey is bought by the association at the price of 50.000 kip/kg.For the last 4/5 years, there was no market problems. There is even a lack of honey. All the productionof honey is sold localy.There is no need, up to now, to sell in LPG or VTE.

DimensionsThe size of the hives are variables, depending on the available materials.Most of the bars are at the width of 2,8 cm. This is the job of the technicians to remember to thevillagers.

ProblemsThe main problem is Hornets. Usually the beekeepers are scratching the hornets they saw. No othermethod.Regarding the ants, this is not really a problem.They observe from time to time a brood disease but are not able to identify it. They will, in the future,take photos, in order to exchange information.They know the mite varroa but are not afraid by this mite which is not as serious as for Apis mellifera.The pesticides are a problem. They already observed intoxicated bees and a decrease of the amount ofcolonies. They train beekeepers on the effects of pesticides, so that they do not use them in their fields.This information is also transmitted to the administration, particularly through the annual meeting ofthe association to which participate PAFO and DAFO.

Monitoring of the colonies. It is important to follow them regularly, and not only for harvest. Itpermits to know if the queen lays eggs, if she is weak, if the brood is OK, if there is a signs of disease,if there is enough stocks of honey and pollen ...

Division and Queen rearingTheyre are not practising neither of these technics. In fact, they explain that the beekeepers have otheracitvities besides beekeeping and so they do no take time to practice these sophisticated technics.Moreover, they explain that if they divide a colony, it will produce less honey.

Visit the apiary of Mr. Ay Lao

April 24, 2017

Mr Aylao has 50 hives (TBH) of which 20 have bees.Two colonies where visited. In the second one, a comb was broken and was tied to a bar.Mr. Ay Lao tied the comb with a cotton twine.

The honey in sealed cells was near 18 % humidity.Sample of honey n° 7 was bought.

Visit of the apiary of Mr. MayPhouMr. Mayphouh has 80 TBH of which more than 40 are populated.He also considers that there are no problems to visit a colony The hives are around a little lake.

He had an absconding in the previous days, because of ants. However, the colony went in anotherempty hive of the apiary.

In one of the hives, there are stingless bees. Usually he just gives the honey to the family.

April 24, 2017

The previous honey from stingless bees collected already fermentated. His moisture level was 28 %

One a colony has 2 parts, like a super

Sample of honey n° 8 was bought

Training on nutritionMs. Phetmany

The training was organized by the assocaition with Ms Phetmany who has a master on the subject ofnutrition and who is based in Vientiane.The objective was to make a presentation of the nutritive aspects and the importance for the motherand the children.The beneficaries are the staff members of the asociation (technicians and employees) and the objectiveis to disseminate this valluable information.

April 24, 2017