Honeybee Keeping: Central Java, Indonesia

By Wombat | August 4th, 2006 | 1 Comment »

Cattle and poultry breeding has frequently come under the spotlight for its fluctuating fortunes. Chicken breeders are suffering massive losses following the recent avian flu epidemic, forcing them to close down as the deadly virus has killed most of their fowl and even claimed human lives.

There is, however, another breeding activity that often escapes attention but is said to be very profitable and disease-free: beekeeping.

Honey can be consumed as a health drink and an effective traditional medicine, as recommended by the medical community and those engaged in alternative treatment. Compared with patented drugs and other health drinks, it is not expensive either, costing only Rp 25,000 a bottle.

“It’s the average price here, the highest being Rp 40,000 a bottle,” said Muheri, 40, a beekeeper from Pekalongan, Central Java.

“It requires only patience and perseverance, with regular monitoring in the morning and afternoon, and provision of a supplementary food supply if necessary,” explained Muheri.

Amid the corn plantations owned by Kalibening farmers in Banjarnegara, he has some 100 beehives, each harvested twice a month. According to him, a hive can produce 1.25 kg of honey worth Rp 30,000 per harvest on average.

In a month, his 100 boxes that house the bees provide him with an gross income of Rp 6 million or Rp 5 million net.

“The starting capital was quite big though, for which I got a soft loan from the Pekalongan regional administration. A box (for the hive) cost Rp 200,000 and I applied for a loan for 100 boxes,” he revealed.

He, along with his two employees, has been tending to bees for two months in the Kalibening corn plantations, Banjarnegara, some 75 kilometers from Muheri’s home in Pekalongan. Among the blossoms that produce suitable pollen for the bees are cotton and corn.

“Banjarnegara happens to be a corn producing area, so it’s easy to feed them,” he said.

When the plants fail to bloom properly, he will give some liquid sugar as a supplement to promote the insect’s productivity. “Bees basically consume pollen but sometimes it is not available, so extra feed is needed,” Muheri indicated.

To start this business, one only needs to buy beehives, which are easily obtainable.

“In Pemalang, Central Java, boxes that come with Australian honeybees cost Rp 200,000 each,” he pointed out. In his experience, Australian bees are preferable due to their higher productivity; double the capacity of local bees.

“Then the boxes and their bees should be taken round for feeding and monitored in the morning and afternoon, before being harvested every fortnight,” advised Muheri.

Besides a poor flower season, which requires liquid sugar supply, the other constraint is predator invasion.

“That’s why it is necessary to monitor the hives to remove and kill wild insects that are predators. Otherwise our honeybees will be devoured by hundreds of invaders,” warned Muheri.

He said a honeycomb box could maintain its production rate for three years on average before bee replacement was needed.

Agus Maryono