5 HIVES HONEY
Backyard honey production in Chiangmai, Thailand
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The Answers You Need
WHEN IS THE HONEY SEASON IN NORTHERN THAILAND?
The main honey flow here is from Lum Yai (Longon) blossom in March and April. Lychee honey is possible some years in February-March. In some areas, wild flower honey is possible in November - December.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS FOR BACKYARD BEE KEEPERS IN CHIANGMAI?
The slow expansion of colonies is the biggest challenge. Bees will need extra feed during the wet season when foraging is poor. Predation by hornets esp. Vespa velutina can develop into a big problem in September-October. Bee eaters can also be a problem, particularly during the cold season. Pesticide poisoning can be a problem in some rural locations.
HOW CAN I GET STARTED IN BACK YARD BEEKEEPING?
We are always happy to try and help newbies get started with bee keeping and can put you in touch with suppliers on equipment and good quality bees. It's best to start with 2-3 hives.
MEET THE TEAM!
5 HIVES HONEY BLOG
Monthly updates
July 2021- Re-queening of our hives has not gone so well so far this year. Out of 10 queen cells gifted us by our good friend Khun Pramuk from Chiang Dao, only 2 laying queens resulted. The new queens either failed to hatch, failed to mate properly and became drone layers, or disappeared during their mating flights. Pollen is coming in small amounts. On the plus side there seem to be very few hornets at the moment but this situation may change over the next few months.
August 2021- Colonies stable but no expansion possible. Still very few hornets taking bees. Rainfall < 50% of average August figures. Feeding around 1 kg of sugar plus 50g of pollen per colony per week.
September 2021- Colonies strengthening due to increasing pollen availability. Rainfall has increased. A few more hornets around.
October 2021- A good month for the bees with colonies strengthening well- and now at 7-10 frames. Good pollen (mimosa and ornamental palms) in the mornings. Still feeding sugar (1.5kg/week/colony) to encourage new frame development. Drone comb being built in the lids of several colonies. One colony had a Tropilaelaps mite problem which looks lot have been solved through brood frame manipulation. Hornets never developed into a problem this year.