The joys and sorrows of nomadic beekeeping
(Baonghean.vn) - Every year, when the flower season comes, nomadic beekeepers move their bee colonies through the forests, regardless of rain or shine, day or night. That journey continues, year after year, in the deep forests.
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| Beekeepers from the provinces flocked to set up camps and set up beehives 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 the provinces flock 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 camp owners are people from the distant 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, and slowly confided to us: In the southern provinces, from April to October is the rainy season, the bees do not produce honey, and they die easily, so the bees have to be moved to Nghe An. On average, he has 4 trips a year to move the bee colonies to different areas across the country, from the lychee and longan flower seasons of the northern provinces, the coffee season in the Central Highlands provinces to the melaleuca flower, corn flower, and rice flower seasons 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 colonies to develop well and produce quality drops of 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, after deducting expenses, Mr. Sinh earns nearly 20 million VND per month.
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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 in this profession know by heart which flower seasons give delicious honey, which flower seasons bloom, which lands they can visit. Every year, Trung moves his bee colony here, under the canopy of acacia and cajuput forests. Because according to 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 made temporarily, 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 hard-working to avoid getting tired 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; 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 extract honey. Photo: Thai Hien |
Normally, after checking the bee colony, only the colonies that meet the harvesting standards will proceed to honey spinning. For bee colonies with wax covering about 2/3 of the honeycomb, the honey will be spun right at the farm to ensure freshness and golden consistency. The honey collector must cover his head with a net, wear gloves on his hands, wear boots on his feet, and light smoke to drive away the bees before taking the honeycomb. Then, the protective wax layer is cut off so that the honey can flow before being put into the spinning barrel. The common way to harvest honey is to use a honey spinning barrel, using centrifugal force to shoot the honey out of the honeycomb holes. This step requires meticulousness and steady hands for the honey to flow 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 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./.