In search of the lost bees
January 4, 2019
Where have all Siem Reap’s bees gone?

That’s the question posed by Siem Reap’s Dani Jump, a ‘beekeeping extensionist’ who helps beekeepers get the best honey for their money, and also runs bee tours for tourists.

“The bee situation here now is pretty grave,” says Dani. “I’ve had to cancel countless bee tours in recent years, and haven’t sold even a drop of honey in Siem Reap in the past two years.”

In 2004, Jump and two bee-minded partners set up Bees Unlimited, to train Cambodian beekeepers in sustainable bee management and to show tourists the life of bees in the wild.

The start-up spiel said Bees Unlimited was, “Highlighting the unique and dying tradition of rafter beekeeping of the Giant Honeybee, Apis dorsata, practiced in several villages not far from Siem Reap, in Northwest Cambodia, and the efforts of a three-man team (one, a traditional honey-hunter and rafter beekeeper himself) to turn this dry season activity practiced by a few into a sustainable livelihood to benefit many.”

Later Bees Unlimited became “Bees Unlimited – Your Temple Tour Alternative”, thanks to sage advice from Dani’s wife.

“At one point my wife suggested I abandon my passion for bees and beekeeping, and attempt something else, as she felt that the work with bees was not putting enough food on our table,” Dani says.

“Hence, BU-YTTA was born. Solo travelers, couples, and families are the rule as clients, as I prefer to share a more intimate tour experience.”

Group tours are out, as are temples.

“Just food, culture, daily life in a rural setting, bees, the natural environment, life along the Tonle Sap, local markets, etc – life away from the temples and tourists,” he says. “A winning formula. Given that we’re highly rated on TripAdvisor, we must be doing something right!”

“Around 2003 I heard that a beekeeping tradition involving giant honeybees (Apis dorsata) was an on-going practice not far from Siem Reap.
“That piqued my curiosity, and I was rewarded one day with a visit to the area with staff of the local Community Forest Department. What I saw was, as a beekeeper, unbelievable.”

He discovered that the wild colonies were being harvested in a slash-and-burn way that simply killed the entire colony.

“I immediately realized that there was work to do here,” Dani says, “To encourage local honey-hunters to harvest their colonies in a sustainable manner. I made it my mission.”

But unfortunately, despite best efforts, it’s mission unaccomplished because the dramatic bee decline is partly due to continued use of devastating harvest techniques.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50565722/i ... lost-bees/

that is what happens when all the trees are cut down and no more flowers bloom.

frank lee bent wrote: ↑Sat Jan 05, 2019 9:23 pm that is what happens when all the trees are cut down and no more flowers bloom.

Are agricultural chemicals also a significant factor in the decline in Cambodia, or just deforestation and harvesting techniques?

I watched a mate smoke out a low hung hive this week. Got the bees off, looked at the hive and said "Too old" and threw it on the ground. Any idea how long it will take those bees to form a new hive?

habitat destruction.
they will reestablish at once if the queen survived.

frank lee bent wrote: ↑Sat Jan 05, 2019 10:59 pm habitat destruction.
they will reestablish at once if the queen survived.

And even if the queen didn't survive, if conditions are right they will raise a new queen ,,,, or 10.

Yes if they have intact brood combs.

It kind of sounds like the referenced operator is clueless.

A bit hard to know really.

Anyway it is pretty much impossible for apis mellifera to survive as ferals in cambodia due to varroa an tropelaelaps mites.
So my comments speak more to australia.

Splashback wrote: ↑Sat Jan 05, 2019 10:47 pm

frank lee bent wrote: ↑Sat Jan 05, 2019 9:23 pm that is what happens when all the trees are cut down and no more flowers bloom.

Are agricultural chemicals also a significant factor in the decline in Cambodia, or just deforestation and harvesting techniques?

I watched a mate smoke out a low hung hive this week. Got the bees off, looked at the hive and said "Too old" and threw it on the ground. Any idea how long it will take those bees to form a new hive?

Chemicals not much of a problem in Cambodia...yet.

All the chemicals and pesticides used in Thailand now are destroying bees. Plus the smoke season gets longer and longer there.

The Pollution Control Department (PCD) has urged people in worst-affected areas to wear masks as air pollution is set to get worse over the next two to three days.

"The situation could drag on for a few days. People in high-risk areas should avoid outdoor activities or wear N95 masks for protection," said Thalerngsak Phetsuwan, deputy director-general of the department.

He blamed the transition from cool to warm weather for causing the poor air circulation which has been exacerbated by high traffic volumes as people returned to the city after the New Year break.

Poor air quality caused by hazardous PM2.5 particulates, which reduce visibility and cause the air to appear brown and hazy when levels are elevated, posed a danger on Monday to human health in 20 areas in and around Bangkok, according to information from PCD's air quality monitoring stations.

In my recent visit to Ratanakiri, I saw honeycomb in the rough; partial hives for sale. To me, it also looked like they just devastated a colony to take it and although I don't know anything much about bees, it made me wonder about what happened to the bees.

RickyBobby wrote: ↑Tue Jan 08, 2019 1:03 pm In my recent visit to Ratanakiri, I saw honeycomb in the rough; partial hives for sale. To me, it also looked like they just devastated a colony to take it and although I don't know anything much about bees, it made me wonder about what happened to the bees.

That's wild bee honeycomb. The minority tribes bring it into town and sell it at the market. They also have the best honey for sale. Delicious.
Not sure how they do things, but in general the local tribes are savvy enough not to destroy their food sources. (I hope.)