Author: Maung Maung Nyein
Language: English
Year of publication: 1984
Number of pages: 10
Type of publication: Article
Publisher: Burma Research Association
Journal: Seminar, Bureau of Life Science
Publication location: BfD Library
Country: Burma
Region: South East Asia

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Apis cerana is kept in hives made from hollow logs, bamboo stems, or clay pots sunk in the ground; discarded wooden boxes are also used. In the Chin States, hill tribes make a wood-topped 'cave' in sloping ground and put in a piece of comb to attract a swarm. Some beekeepers attempt, in vain, to prevent absconding by tying the queen with a thread between her thorax and abdomen or by clipping her wings. When harvesting honey, too much smoke may be used, causing the colony to abscond. The beekeeper squeezes out the harvested honey with his bare hands. In Rangoon, 3 A. cerana colonies were successfully kept in modified Langstroth hives in which the brood frames are 300mm long and 195 mm deep; the midrib to midrib distance is 31mm; slot width in the queen excluder is 4mm. A ventilation hole in the hive helps the colony to regulate temperature and humidity. Some difficulty was experianced because, on hiving, the bees would not build comb, but a satisfactory procedure was developed and is described. Varroa jacobsoni is present in Burma, and common predators include lizards, frogs and black ants.