Honeybees have made great contributions to Taiwan. As early as 1976, royal jelly produced by the island took up nearly 90 percent of the international market share. About NT$400 million (US$11.4 million) was raked in that year. Not only that, if we consider the contribution of bees to agriculture through pollination, the insects should also get credit for 80 percent of the crop yield in Taiwan.

As Taiwan steps into an age of intensive agriculture, bees will continue to play a significant role in the farming industry. As can be seen in greenhouse cultivation, using bees for pollination is a most effective and economical technique.

A once flourishing industry

It was autumn, and the camellias were in full bloom. The weather in Pinglin, a suburb of Taipei, was damp and cold. Beekeeper Chiang Huan-pin always visits Pinglin at this time of year with his father and uncle. He comes a long way from Hsinchu to Pinglin, knowing that the tea trees and wild plants growing in the area will provide plenty of nectar for his bees. This time he brought 200 hives containing at least five million honeybees. When the wind and rain abated, the bees flew out into the open to gather nectar and pollen.

Weather conditions greatly determine whether Chiang will have a good harvest or not. When the weather is fine, Chiang keeps busy all the time. At one point, he had just poured the pollen gathered by his bees into a bucket; but a moment later when he went to check on the pollen collection box again, it was already brimful.

Like most apiarists, Chiang inherited his family's beekeeping business from his father. He is now able to support his family through his beekeeping skills.

In the early days, beekeeping was only a sideline for farmers in Taiwan. Farmers would catch a few wild honeybees in the mountains and keep them in crudely made hives. Since there were flowering plants almost everywhere on the island, bees were able to collect nectar from a rich variety of floral sources. Without having to take special care of their bees, farmers got free, delicious honey to eat. When there was more honey than they could consume, they sold it for some extra income. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century, when the Japanese introduced Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) to Taiwan and raised them in specially made hives, that the island started to develop its own beekeeping industry.

In 1975 and 1976, royal jelly produced by the island gained great popularity in Japan. Many local beekeepers expanded their businesses and shifted their focus from the production of honey to that of royal jelly. When the beekeeping industry was at its peak, there were as many as 2,000 commercial beekeepers in Taiwan running 260,000 colonies.

Later, mainland China took over the royal jelly market on the strength of its cheap bee products. Taiwan's beekeeping industry was greatly affected and began to decline in 1983. Some beekeepers even went to Thailand to invest in beekeeping and to sell the products back to Taiwan. According to statistics provided by the Council of Agriculture, there were only 749 beekeepers in Taiwan maintaining about 100,000 colonies in 2002.

A successful beekeeper

At a rented roadside farmhouse in Shihting, Taipei County, Chiang began to sell the pollen he had just collected in Pinglin. A canvas banner hanging on the farmhouse advertised his bee products. Chiang's father was busy drying and packing the pollen for sale.

To get good products, one needs to have strong colonies of bees. To reap a bumper harvest of honey, an ideal location for one's beehives is a must. To be a beekeeper, it is necessary to adjust to a nomadic lifestyle, as one needs to go wherever there are good nectar sources.

In college, Chiang majored in business. After completing his compulsory two-year military service in 1986, he decided to take over his family's beekeeping business. At that time, the beekeeping industry was at its lowest point. While an abundant harvest in his grandfather and father's days ensured a good life, a beekeeper now had to know all about production and marketing to survive.

In order to become a good beekeeper, Chiang spent a lot of energy studying the art of apiculture. He took notes when his elders taught him the proper knowledge and skills, and he also made close observations of his bees. Later he learned how to control the number of his beehives. Unlike his grandfather and father, he does not keep the same number of colonies all year round. He always enhances his colonies and makes sure that they are in their best condition before he transports them to collect nectar.

When longan blossoms secrete nectar, Chiang cultivates several queen bees at the same time to increase his bee population so that there will be a large number of bees to gather nectar for him. At the same time, he diminishes each queen bee's egg-laying ability to create more space in the hives for the storage of honey. Because of his successful experiences in beekeeping, he was named one of the 10 most outstanding young farmers of Taiwan in 1995.

Plenty of nectar sources

In December, when the camellias fade, Chiang moves his beehives from Pinglin to Hsinchu (where he lives) and puts them near fallow farmland where rape flowers, temporarily grown in some areas to nourish the soil, are in full bloom. In March and April when longan flowers begin to blossom in the south of Taiwan, it is time for him to take his bees there to gather nectar. Honey from nectar collected from longan flowers is the most popular kind of honey in Taiwan; it also provides the major source of income for Chiang.

Located in a subtropical zone, Taiwan is an ideal environment for honeybees to find food. The climate is warm, and crops and plants flower all year round. In March and April, lychee and longan flowers bloom in southern Taiwan. Half a month later, citrus plants and lychee trees begin to flower in central Taiwan. According to the life cycles of the flowering plants in Taiwan, beekeepers decide where to go to collect nectar.

However, the blooming of flowers is greatly affected by temperature and rain. The weather in Taiwan is changeable. When the ocean currents run cold and spring rain is plentiful, there may be no good honey harvests.

Apart from the collection of nectar, pollen is gathered from camellias (Camellia sinensis) and Chinese sumaces (Rhus semialata) from November to February. Rape flowers (Brassica napus), often used for green manure during winter in Taiwan, also attract bees. Although they are not a major nectar and pollen source, they enable bee colonies to survive the winter and to propagate.

Royal jelly, the bee product that once won Taiwan the name of "the Royal Jelly Kingdom," is a highly nutritious substance that worker bees produce and feed to the queen bee and to larvae less than three days old. It can be collected all year except from July to September.

Because of Taiwan's mountainous terrain, nectar and pollen plants are not so widely and evenly distributed on the island. It may not be difficult for bees to find food, but it is not so easy for beekeepers to obtain pure honey that can be sold on the market. Furthermore, since most people in Taiwan prefer longan honey, the demand for it always outstrips the supply. As for other kinds of honey, because they have a tendency to crystallize and are not preferred by local people, the market for them is considerably smaller.

Taiwan's major nectar-producing plants include longan, lychee, watermelon, muskmelon, citrus fruits, pomelo, wax apple, loquat, starfruit, and guava. Wild plants such as Bidens pilosa, Schefflera octophylla, and Aglaia formosana also secrete large quantities of nectar, so they are also considered good nectar sources.

Taiwan's beekeepers are dispersed everywhere in the countryside. They not only have to know the geographical distribution and life cycles of the nectar-bearing plants, but they also need to know when farmers use pesticides and to maintain good relationships with local people so that it will be more convenient for them to place beehives in suitable locations.

Huang Tung-ming, another beekeeper, once suffered great losses because of his unfamiliarity with the farmers who lived near his apiary. Thirty years ago, he and his father moved their apiary from Miaoli to Ilan to expand their beekeeping business. Because local farmers did not know much about apiculture, they feared that the bees from the apiary would do great harm to their crops. They sprayed pesticides on the crops, killing a large number of bees, and Huang and his father had to move their hives back to Miaoli. Yet Huang realized that the environment in Ilan was very suitable for beekeeping, so some time later he moved back to Ilan to raise bees in nearby mountainous areas. Gradually, local people began to accept his apiary, and he was able to establish a prosperous beekeeping business in Ilan.

The damage done by pesticides

Huang's family has been raising bees since his grandfather's time. One year, Huang's grandfather came upon a swarm of wild bees near their family orchard and began to raise the bees as his own. That same year, the orchard yielded loads of fruit. Huang said that it must have been due to the pollination by the bees that the orchard could produce such a large yield of crops. The family thus began to look upon the bee as their mascot and decided to set up their own apiary.

In Taiwan, beekeepers and orchard farmers now maintain a mutually beneficial relationship. On the surface, it seems that beekeepers, who get to collect bucket after bucket of honey, are the beneficiaries. But actually, orchard farmers have their share of the interest too because it is mainly due to the services of bees as pollinators that they can enjoy good harvests.

However, it took some time for local farmers to recognize the contributions of bees. Farmers in Taiwan used to use a lot of pesticides to kill insects. The pesticides succeeded in reducing the number of insects but also caused a decrease in yield. Farmers even found many misshapen fruits resulting from incomplete pollination. It was then that they realized the importance of insect pollination.

Eighty percent of crops rely on insects for pollination. Bee pollination is considered an economic and efficient pollination technique. As greenhouse and nethouse farming become more and more popular, bees gain importance because honeybee pollination of crops grown inside greenhouses (which other insects cannot enter) does more than avoid the problem of incomplete pollination--it also greatly reduces the high cost of manual pollination.

Bees are sensitive to any aberration in the environment. Usually they die immediately after exposure to pesticides. Even if they survive and struggle to get back to their nests, the bees that guard the entrances will drive them away. If pesticides are brought back to a hive by poisoned bees, the whole colony will be infected, causing beekeepers to lose the whole hive.

In order to minimize the damage caused by pesticides to bee colonies, Taiwan's Council of Agriculture has enacted a new regulation stating that new pesticides applied to nectar-bearing plants must undergo the Honeybee Acute Contact Toxicity test. Nevertheless, there are still farmers who use illegal pesticides on nectar plants. Sometimes harm is also done by bees visiting non-nectar plants. Since bees can fly as far as five kilometers to gather nectar, chances remain for hives to become poisoned even if they are placed in a pesticide-free location. Hence, pesticide poisoning remains a big headache for beekeepers. At present, beekeepers have nowhere to go to file complaints about losses they suffer under such circumstances.

Fortunately, since most fruit growers have come to recognize the contribution of bees, they refrain from using insecticides during blossoming season or let beekeepers know when they are going to apply pesticides so that beekeepers can move their hives away. Mutual respect between beekeepers and fruit growers is a good way to diminish the damages arising from pesticide poisoning.

The misuse of pesticides has greatly affected bee colonies globally. According to an investigation report released by the United Nations, the world is witnessing a sharp decline in the production of bee products as a result of pesticide poisoning. Actually, pesticides not only kill bees and other insect pollinators--they also destroy nectar-bearing weeds. Their impact on the environment is a serious issue that needs to be addressed.

In 1989, pushed by local beekeepers, the government of Taiwan finally instructed the Silkworm and Bee Improvement Station of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry (now the Miaoli District Agricultural Improvement Station) to supervise and provide guidance to the beekeeping industry on the island. An official unit was finally assigned to be in charge of related affairs. Since 2001, local beekeepers have been able to apply to farmers' associations for membership and to enjoy the same benefits as those extended to people engaged in farming, animal husbandry, and aquaculture.

The importance of marketing

As the world moves into a new era of global free trade, beekeepers in Taiwan are faced with new challenges: competition from cheap imported bee products. How do they cope with the changing market environment? Huang Tung-ming stressed the importance of an efficient marketing system. In order to survive, beekeepers must become more competitive in their marketing, including the promotion of their products.

Huang remembered what happened 17 years ago when he first came to Taipei to sell his royal jelly products in supermarkets. A female customer asked him what the benefits of eating royal jelly were, and he answered, "It is very nutritious and good for your health." The customer then said, "But there are no labels on your products."

The customer's doubts about the quality of goods without labels enabled Huang to understand that no matter how good his products were, it would be of no use if he did not know how to market and promote them. He decided then and there that he would give his products catchy names, good packaging, and clear labels that would win the trust of consumers.

Yet even today, local bee products are still sold mostly only at scenic spots or roadside stores near production sites. Most of the products don't have good packaging and clear labeling, so customers still have doubts about their quality. Actually, it is not so easy for bee products to enter the mainstream market. Although Taiwan's bee products are considered good quality, they also command a higher price. Considering the costs, supermarket and retail store managers still prefer to sell cheap bee products imported from Thailand or impure honey mixed with fructose.

Much research has pointed out the high nutritious value of bee products. Taiwanese bee products, with their high quality and good flavor, can easily compete with products produced in other countries. If their quality can be further upgraded and the distinction between them and cheap imported products improved, there will still be room for the survival of local beekeepers.

In order to enhance the competitiveness of Taiwanese bee products, the Miaoli District Agricultural Improvement Station has been conducting experiments to improve beekeeping techniques and to cultivate stronger bee colonies. The station also promotes the use of bees as pollinators to orchard farmers and enforces the production and marketing of bee products.

In addition to the station, the Taiwan Provincial Beekeeping Association and concerned authorities have also begun promoting a bee product certification system to win customers' trust in local bee products. There are also individuals who have devoted themselves to studying the health benefits of bee products. One example is Professor Chen Yu-wen, who teaches at the Department of Animal Science at National Ilan University. He has put a lot of effort into analyzing the components and health benefits of propolis, a waxy substance used by bees as a cement in making their hives.

A honeybee museum

"Does the honey in your mouth feel warm? That's because honeybees' homes maintain warmth." A tour leader at the Fengtsai Honeybee Museum had just scooped out some honey from a beehive for visitors to taste.

This honeybee museum, the first of its kind in Taiwan, is located in Yuanshan Village, Ilan County. It is one of the achievements of Huang Tung-ming, who now heads the beekeeping division of the Ilan Farmers' Cooperative. In addition to the museum, the division also operates a processing factory and two retail stores that sell products with the Beekeepers brand name.

At the Fengtsai Honeybee Museum, guided tours are provided for solitary visitors as well as groups. Tour leaders give detailed introductions to visitors about the fascinating world of honeybees.

"Which one is the queen bee? Try to find it... The bees flap their wings to maintain the interior temperature of the hive."

The employees at the museum range from middle-aged women to fresh graduates. "They are all competent and work very hard," said Huang, who places high demands on his employees and encourages them to work and grow together. He also emphasizes the importance of team spirit, like that demonstrated by honeybees.

In order to remain competitive in the age of globalization, local farmers must make changes to meet upcoming challenges. The way Huang runs his beekeeping business provides a good example for local farmers to learn from. Huang said that if the government could systematically provide on-the-job training and help beekeepers upgrade their techniques, it would be better than just giving them subsidies.

A better beekeeping environment

When Chiang Huan-pin goes out with his bees to collect honey, he sometimes takes his children along to let them better understand what a beekeeper's life is like. But most of the time his children stay at home with his wife. Chiang and his wife pay a lot of attention to the environment in which their children are brought up; they don't want his gypsy-like lifestyle to have any impact on the children.

Whenever Huang's son gets bad grades in school, Huang always asks him to work at his apiary as a way of punishment. Huang's daughter, on the other hand, became an employee at the Fengtsai Honeybee Museum after passing a series of strict examinations.

Out of curiosity, I asked Chiang and Huang whether they would ask their children to take over their beekeeping businesses. They gave me the same answers--if their children have better choices, they will not force them to become beekeepers because it is hard work being farmers in Taiwan.

Beekeepers are like honeybees. They work as pollinators to help Taiwan's agricultural environment yield bigger harvests. Making use of modern agricultural technology and new production and marketing methods, they contribute a better future to Taiwan's agriculture. Before they can reap better harvests, though, we should help them preserve a clean environment on earth so that they can continue working among flowers along with their partners, the honeybees.

Basic Facts about Honeybees

Honeybees live in a matriarchal society, with a queen bee ruling a few hundred drones and over 10,000 worker bees. A bee colony usually consists of 20,000 to 50,000 bees that perform special dances and release chemical substances to communicate with each other. Bees have developed elaborate social structures; they work cooperatively to maintain the integrity of a colony.

The queen, the only sexually mature female in a colony, is about twice as large as a worker bee. Her main function is to lay eggs. She can produce 150 to 2,000 eggs in a single day, sometimes even more. In her lifetime, she can lay a million eggs. Any fertilized eggs she lays will become female bees, while the unfertilized ones become males. The queen can determine whether to create fertilized or unfertilized eggs.

Worker bees, like the queen, are females. But unlike the queen, who is given highly nutritious royal jelly so her reproductive organs are fully developed and have the ability to lay eggs, the worker bees cannot lay eggs under normal circumstances because their egg-laying apparatus is modified as a stinger. The queen goes out of a hive to mate in the air with drones from other colonies. In a typical mating flight, a queen mates with seven to twenty drones. Sperm from the drones will be stored in the queen's spermatheca to be used by her during the rest of her lifetime. A queen may live from three to five years, while a worker bee only lives one to two months.

Drones, the males in a colony, are excellent flyers and have keen sight and smell. Such abilities enable them to locate a queen bee in the broad sky during a mating flight. Because a queen mates only once in her lifetime, only stronger drones are able to locate her and mate with her. Since drones perform no other useful task than fertilizing the queen's eggs, they are driven from the hive to starve or freeze to death when there is not enough food in a hive. They also die after mating from exhaustion and from the rupturing of their abdomens.

Most of the bees in a colony are worker bees. They clean and build wax combs, feed young larvae, collect food, and guard their hives against intruders. Depending on their age, they have different jobs to do. Bee products such as honey and pollen--a bee's main food sources--and royal jelly and propolis are all collected and produced by worker bees.

Honey is made from nectar gathered by worker bees. Their glands produce enzymes that convert nectar into honey. Bee pollen is a mixture of pollen, honey, and bee saliva. Royal jelly, produced from the salivary glands of worker bees, is a special food that is given to queen bees and young larvae. Propolis is a resin collected from trees; worker bees mix it with salivary secretions, beeswax, pollen, and other substances to seal holes and cracks in their hives. The hexagonal honeycombs bees live in, built according to exact mathematical principles, are made of beeswax secreted by wax glands on the undersides of the bees' abdomens.

Of the millions of insects existing in the world, honeybees are the most studied. Yet there are still many mysteries waiting to be unfolded regarding their peculiar behaviors and high economic value.