Bee catching season in the Western region of Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn) - Every year, from October to December of the lunar calendar, is the season when bees migrate from the highlands to the lowlands - where the air is warmer, more suitable for building nests. Understanding that rule, people in the western districts of Nghe An have used hollowed-out trees to make bee boxes, also known as bee boxes, to lure bees to build nests, from which they can exploit honey.

To make a place for bees to live, people carve tree trunks 40 - 60 cm long and 20 - 30 cm wide. The most suitable wood for beehives is Deng, Jackfruit, and May So.

To attract bee colonies, people often place beehives in camps or at the base of large trees located alone in the forest where the bees will find their way back.

One can also make a beehive from 6 wooden planks shaped into a rectangular box.

In addition, people can also actively search for bees using a net made of gauze to catch bees in the net.

According to the organization and order of the bee colony, the bee is the one that takes on the task of finding a location to build a nest. In other words, it holds the position of "surveying the planning area". After finding a location, the bee will report back to the "scout" bee. With its role of "planning assessment", the scout bee will decide whether or not to build a nest according to the bee's choice. Taking advantage of this factor, people find a way to catch the bee and then gently release it into a prepared bee net for about 5 to 7 seconds before releasing it. The bee net will call the next swarm to check the net. If the bee net is clean, fragrant and all the scout bees like it, the bee swarm will return to the new nest after only 1 to 3 hours.

The worker bee is like all other worker bees, usually flying along columns and walls from top to bottom or from bottom to top. The bee flies slowly, its third pair of legs hang down, and when flying it makes louder sounds than other bees.

After the new bee colony has entered the hive, bring it home to raise.

Mr. Lu Ngoc Quyen, in Mon village, Thach Giam commune (Tuong Duong) said: each season he catches 15 - 20 bee colonies, after 1.5 to 2 months, each beehive gives 2 to 3 bottles of honey. Each bee season he collects 40 to 60 bottles of honey. Each bottle sells for 300,000 - 350,000 VND.

Lu Phu