The joys and sorrows of nomadic beekeeping
(Baonghean.vn) - Every year, when the flower season comes, the nomadic beekeepers move their bee colonies through the forests, regardless of rain or shine, day or night. The journey continues like that, year after year, in the deep forests.
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| Beekeepers from the provinces flocked to set up camps and set up bee boxes to collect honey. Photo: Thai Hien |
They diligently and quietly offer life the sweet fragrance of honey, the purest gift of nature.
When the corn and rice fields and the vast acacia forests in the mountainous areas of Anh Son district bloom, it is also the time when beekeepers from other provinces come to set up camps and place bee boxes to collect honey.
Along the acacia forest canopy in Duc Son commune bordering Binh Son commune, Anh Son district, we came across many temporary camps set up for “bee herding”. The owners of those camps are people from the far northern and southern provinces.
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| Every year, when the flower season comes, nomadic beekeepers move their bee colonies to find honey. Photo: Thai Hien |
Mr. Nguyen Van Sinh, Xuyen Moc district, Ba Ria Vung Tau province, has more than 10 years of experience in the profession, slowly confided to us: In the southern provinces, from April to October is the rainy season, bees do not produce honey, and die easily, so the bee colony must be moved to Nghe An. On average, he has 4 trips a year to move the bee colony to different areas across the country, from the lychee and longan flower season in the northern provinces, the coffee season in the Central Highlands provinces to the melaleuca flower, corn flower, and rice flower season in Nghe An.
Following Mr. Sinh, we looked around, the beehives were densely packed, neatly arranged under the growing acacia trees. According to Mr. Sinh, this job looks simple but is meticulous, sophisticated and requires real patience. In order for the honey bee colony to develop well and produce quality honey, he always has to research and learn about the weather, regional geography and the habits of bees. With more than 400 bee colonies, on average, each month after deducting expenses, Mr. Sinh earns nearly 20 million VND.
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| According to Mr. Trung's experience, honey raised in acacia and cajuput forests is more special than that in other places because it is completely natural. Photo: Thai Hien |
A few forests away from Mr. Sinh's camp, next to the green acacia hills is the ideal stop on the nomadic beekeeping journey of Mr. Pham Van Bao Trung, Lam Ha district, Lam Dong province.
While checking each beehive to prepare for honey extraction, Mr. Trung stopped to share:beekeepingNomadism is the profession of feeding bees according to each flower season. People who do this job like him know by heart which flower seasons give delicious honey, which flower seasons bloom, which lands they can go to. Every year, Mr. Trung moves his bee colony here, under the canopy of acacia and cajuput forests. Because according to Mr. Trung's experience, honey raised in acacia and cajuput forests is more special than other places because it is completely natural, not contaminated with pesticides, has a light yellow color and a mild sweet taste.
Mr. Trung said: During the blooming season, he harvests honey once a week, and during the low-flower season, he sets the date depending on the actual situation. If properly cared for, in areas with plenty of natural food, with more than 800 bee colonies, each time he harvests honey, Mr. Trung can collect 2.5 tons of honey. With a purchase price of 35,000 - 40,000 VND/kg, Mr. Trung can earn 60 - 70 million VND per honey harvest.
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| To help the bee colony grow well and produce quality honey, Mr. Trung always has to research and learn about the weather, regional geography and the habits of bees. Photo: Thai Hien |
The life of nomadic beekeepers is also full of hardships. Most of their accommodation is temporary, like a tent made of canvas, built in the middle of the mountains and forests. This profession also has its own characteristics, unlike any other profession. People in this profession must be healthy and diligent to avoid getting tired and exhausted when following the bees to find flowers in the region.
Their daily work includes checking the bee colony for signs of abnormalities or diseases to find a solution, feeding the bees and harvesting honey. It sounds simple, but when working, they must be meticulous, careful and patient, if they are negligent, it will lead to failure in just a moment.
Beekeepers need to understand the characteristics of bees such as building nests, dividing swarms; flower species, blooming seasons; honey-gathering seasons; and how to rotate bee colonies to find places with abundant nectar sources.
In each box there is always a leader bee (queen bee), whose only task is to reproduce an "army" of worker bees to go find flowers to make honey. A queen bee can live and reproduce continuously for 3 - 5 years. To increase the colony, every 2 years, the breeder needs to replace the queen bee breed once, regularly clean the box, and choose odorless wood to make the box.
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| After checking the bee colony, only those that meet the harvest standards will proceed to honey extraction. Photo: Thai Hien |
Normally, after checking the bee colony, only the colonies that meet the harvesting standards will be spun honey. The bee colonies that have wax covering about 2/3 of the honeycomb will have their honey spun right at the breeding site to ensure freshness and golden consistency. The honey collector must cover their head with a net, wear gloves on their hands, wear boots on their feet, and burn smoke to drive away the bees before picking up the honeycomb. Then, they cut off the protective wax layer so that the honey can flow before putting it into the spinning drum. The common way to harvest honey is to use a honey spinning drum, using centrifugal force to shoot honey out of the honeycomb hole. This step requires meticulousness and steady hands so that the honey flows evenly. After spinning the honey, the honeycomb is returned to the colony in its original position, in its order.
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| Honey is purchased at a price of 35,000 - 40,000 VND/kg. Photo: Thai Hien |
We bid farewell to the nomadic beekeepers as the golden drops of honey were being poured into jars for consumption. In the treetops, the worker bees, after a round of searching for the scent of flowers, were also preparing to return to their familiar home.
Looking at the beekeepers busily packing their belongings and luggage to prepare for their upcoming trips through forests and streams, we suddenly felt choked up, because the sweet products crystallized from the quintessence of flowers, earth and sky were formed by their own diligent hands./.