ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

Geography:

Vietnam forms an elongated "S", 1900 km long, running from 9° to 23° latitude north, and on average 200 km wide (with a minimum of 50 km in the centre) between 102° and 109° longitude east. The country's 329,560 km2 are bordered by China to the north and by Laos and Cambodia to the west. The land consists of the Mekong delta's alluvial flats to the south, mountains of average height in the centre, then more alluvial flats in the Red River delta in the north, and a chain of mountains in the north and north west with a culminating peak of 3143 meters.

Climate:

Botany:

Land distribution in Vietnam in 1995
Source : Nguyen Trong Dieu

Rural landscapes are drastically altered over the years by changes in farming practices (state controlled in the past and at present opportunist). Rice is the most important crop, Vietnam being the third biggest rice exporter in the world. The table below summarizes the flowering period for the plants with the best nectar flow.

Main nectar flows in Vietnam - 1995 (by order of importance)

Source: B.R.D.C.

Secondary honey flows in Vietnam - 1995 (without order of importance)

Source: B.R.D.C.

Symbols :
Pollen supply: +++ = high, ++ = medium, + = insignificant
Regions : N = North, C = Centre, S = South

In addition to these tables, it goes without saying that there are also vast quantities of flowers, both wild and cultivated, which produce a variety of "Mixed Flowers" honey which differs widely from province to province and from one year to another.

There are at present 285,000 ha under orchard (not including 200,000 ha of coconut palms), 204,000 ha of which are in the South (litchi, longan, rambutan, durian, pomme étoilée, pomme cannelle, mangustan, mango, jacque, mandarine, orange, sapotille) but this area is to be significantly increased. The government is planning to double the size by the year 2,000. Only too often, the choice of production and seed varieties, the diversification and rotation of crops, anti-erosion techniques, valorization of compost, mass selection of livestock, regrouping of lands, re-afforestation, etc., result in a marked change in the bees' immediate environment, and therefore, frequent reassessment is required regarding the choice of nectar flow and the time to harvest. The damage caused by typhoons also disrupts normal honey flow periods.

Different species and races of bees

Due to all these factors the varieties of honey available for commercial purposes are slowly changing throughout the world. The Vietnamese context does not depart from this trend as the country's overall vegetation, influenced by the demand for rubber and fruit, is far from stable. As for the natural vegetation (virgin forest), it only represents 28 % of the territory. The total land area under forest is 20,051,000 ha of which 11,420,000 ha are in the mountains and 8,630,000 are virgin forest.

Biological data:

Species:

Unlike the European context, in Vietnam the bee population is made up of several types of bee. This increases its originality but also means a diversity of appropriate techniques need to be employed, each very different in practical terms, in cost, and in the qualitative and quantitative results obtained.

Apiarian stock - species and races
Source : Apiservices & Vinapi

Apis mellifera is said to have been imported from Europe in 1947 by a Frenchman. The arrival of other colonies of this race from Hong Kong followed in 1960. By 1976, 200 colonies were counted. Then in 1977, Mr. Pham Xuan Dung (the present vice-director of the B.R.D.C.) implanted several trial colonies in the north after a four-day trip by road from the south.

Distribution and density:

In 1995, an unofficial estimate placed the number of hives at 118000 throughout Vietnam, the equivalent of an average density of 0.36 hives / km², or in other words, ten times less than the density in a country like France, for example. It must be remembered that, as already mentioned in the foreword, hives from the informal sector (for family use only) have not been counted. Unusually for a developing country, 56% of the bee population is migratory. Migratory beekeeping is only carried out with hives with removable frames and stocked with Apis mellifera (apiaries of Apis cerana, as a rule are never used for migratory beekeeping). The most dense concentration of apiaries as well as hives per apiary is found in the south of the country. The average number of hives per apiary is between 50 to 60 but some contain up to 300, by far too many, in terms of social concentration and over-stocking, however generous the abundant nectar flows may be.

Number of colonies (estimate)
Source : Vinapi

The number of Apis mellifera is comparatively low in the north for the following reasons:

• introduced more recently
• level of knowledge of the average beekeeper not as advanced
• less abundant nectar flows (longer winter, no rubber plantations etc...)
• attacked by Tropilaelaps
• running costs too high compared with income of average rural family in the north

No quantitative information is available on "honey gathering" practices using Apis andreniformis, Apis florea or Apis dorsata. These breeds of bees have remained in the "wild" state. Only the latter has undergone a type of domestication by the "rafting" technique : a single-comb colony hanging, in the open air, from a rafter placed at a slant between two pickets. It is, however, certain that the average honey/colony/per year does not accede a few kilograms (1 to 5), sometimes slightly more with Apis dorsata.

Diseases and other problems:

The short duration of the visit and the heavy schedule to be met did not leave enough time for a detailed examination of bee colonies. Nevertheless, it was ascertained that the degree of infestation by foul brood (American and European), acarine disease, Nosema disease, and fungal diseases corresponds on an average with those observed under identical latitudes in other countries, with one exception : the bee Apis cerana is particularly sensitive to sac brood and the bee Apis mellifera to the parasite Varroa jacobsoni. These two diseases are treated by using bio-mechanical techniques : removal of all the brood at certain times during the year, introduction then destruction of the male brood (idem for three days to combat Trophilaelaps). The hive bodies are then disinfected with salt water. All these allopathy-free treatments are only viable if a qualified, low cost workforce is available, as is the case in Vietnam.

As for predators, the fight against the wax-moth (Galleria mellonela) takes place under the best possible conditions: the beekeepers, for one, work without supers, and, for the other, are in the apiary practically every day in order to add or remove frames depending on the strength of their colonies. The frames, and this applies equally to those used for brood and for harvesting, are never treated with dibromure of ethylene spray or by sulfur fumes. This final point enhances the quality of the honey as no residues of these chemical products are present. Other predators such as birds, mammals, reptiles, ants, termites, spiders, etc..., have an insignificant effect and are, indeed, far less dangerous than man.

For it is man who is responsible for industrial waste and the large scale spraying of insecticides. As far as the first danger is concerned, it is practically non-existent: Vietnam has a very low level of industrial activity per km². And as for the second danger it only applies to cotton crops (usually spraying of deltamethrine and endosulfan) and beekeepers generally avoid exposing their colonies. Nevertheless, efforts to make a profit from farming and forestry investments, linked to pressure from financial lobbies (producers and suppliers of pesticides), produce drastic changes in farming methods, sometimes in less than five years, this can put thousands of hives in danger, and as a direct consequence: residues found in produce offered to consumers. One needs to remain vigilant and to constantly keep up to date with information. Already, as an example, Methamidophos, Dimethoate and Methyl-Parathion are being used on tea crops, and Diazinon and Clorfos on the litchis.

Economic and social:

Due to its policy of opening up (Doi Moi in 1987) and despite a certain inertia, or sometimes lack of legislation, Vietnam has created, in a relatively short time, a new economic context favorable to overseas investment and indirectly to an increase in buying power in urban regions. The main results are :

• stability of the monetary system, inflation remained stable at 10 to 13% (1994 , depending on the source)
• almost complete freedom and opening up economically, an exponential growth in the setting up of sales offices by foreign companies, by joint-stock companies and, most importantly, the re-establishing of diplomatic relations with the USA (embargo lifted 3 February 1994)
• membership of A.S.E.A.N. (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand) on 28 July 1995 followed by participation in A.F.T.A. (zone of free exchange within A.S.E.A.N.)
• an energetic economic growth of over 7.8% in five years (1991 to 1994 and 8.8% in 1994, not to mention the income from unofficial activities).
• the outward signs of confidence from the serious financial backers (A.D.B., I.M.F., W.B., etc...)
• balance of the national debt before renegotiation : 4 billion dollars to Western countries and 4 billion dollars to Eastern block countries (1994).
• G.N.P. : 15.5 billion dollars - 40% from the public sector with 6,000 firms, 60% from the private sector with 11,738 companies (1994)
• percentage of G.N.P. from agriculture : 37.5% in 1990, 27.7% in 1994
• Work force : 10% in the public sector, 90% in the private sector (1994)
• unemployment : 17% of the working population
• average monthly wage : $30 (but usually made up of several small jobs)
• Five-year period 90/95 : 4.5% growth in farming and plans to maintain this level for the next five-year period 1996/2000
• Agricultural exports : 1.1 billion dollars
• Foreign investment in agricultural joint-ventures : 540 million dollars in 1994
• in five years, an increase of :
  • 400 % in foreign investments
  • 50 % internal consumption
  • 100 % in total exports
  • 370 % in agricultural exports
  • 250 % in the portion of the G.N.P. from agriculture
  • 330 % in family income in rural areas

The farming sector in Vietnam employs 70% of the working population and supplies 27% of the G.N.P. and 45% of the country's international trade.

The population in Vietnam has now reached 74 million inhabitants (100 million in 2100), over 29 million of which are under fifteen years old (40%). In density of population this gives 224 inhabitants per km² (1,104 for the Red River delta and 367 for the Mekong delta). As can be seen, land occupancy in certain areas is extremely dense. In general, this is caused by the heavy concentration of Vietnamese in the area around the two deltas. According to official sources, the drift from the land appears to be stabilized. The cities of Hanoi (3.5 million inhabitants) and HCM-City (7.8 inhabitants) alone contain the majority of the country's city-dwellers (source : I.M.F. 1992).

RESEARCH

Vinapi's laboratory in Ho Chi Minh-City

Whether it be the taxonomy of nectar producing plants, the various systems of the bee, the development of eco-climatical maps, the management of pilot apiaries, the careful working out and following up of bee breeding projects (all types) or the conception of new by-products, all fields of research take place under the aegis of the Bee Research and Development Centre, which in turn is dependent on Vinapi. To our knowledge, there is no research being carried out in the private sector. The bibliography cited at the end of this report gives an idea of the programs undertaken. The ratio, number of colonies / number of researchers is appreciably high. This is a direct result of the system of state control which, until a few years ago, presided over Vietnam. Unfortunately, the pollination of crops has not been dealt with to date. At the present moment, available funds have been drastically reduced, and the withdrawal of state investment is visible in the distressingly obsolete equipment in laboratories (honey analysis, disease analysis, etc...) and by the marked under-employment of the capacities of all the researchers at the B.R.D.C..

During my assignment, I met Messrs Joop Beetsma, W.J. Boot and J. Calis, all researchers from the University of Wageningen (Holland). They were working on Varroa jacobsoni (several visits), but the final conclusions of their work is aimed at improving treatment for bees in Europe.

TRAINING

Training courses are organised from time to time by various organizations. As a rule these courses last no longer than a week. Transport problems (for beekeepers as well as for instructors), availability, accommodation, and teaching aids are, naturally, the major obstacles. Some N.G.O.s are also working in this sector on a regional scale. Know-how is mainly passed by word of mouth within the profession. Yet, the country can boast a core of professionals who are among the most knowledgeable beekeepers in the world. In 1992 a Japanese researcher gave several courses in royal jelly production. And conversely, Vinapi organised three courses for beekeepers from Nepal (2 in 1992 and 1 in 1994) one of which, was held for ten students and actually took place in Nepal. India, the Philippines and Laos would all like to make use of Vinapi's research scientists, due, in particular, to their great knowledge of Apis cerana. The Vietnamese government is said to be prepared to finance a programme in 1996, with a capital of $100,000, for future beekeepers from among the ethnic minorities.

The country produces some excellent beekeeping magazines, for example : Ong Mât and Ngành Ong, as well as a dozen or so manuals specifically aimed at beekeeping in Vietnam. And in 1993, an interesting experiment was undertaken in collaboration with Nicola Bradbear: the translation into Vietnamese of the entire second volume of the English journal, "Beekeeping and Development". Perpetuating this idea could prove a judicious move.

HIVE EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

The author with a beekeeper from Bao Loc

Equipment:

Highly suitable in the Vietnamese context, the Langstroth Standard 10 frame, with straight frames (no Hoffmann types were observed), is the only hive used for Apis mellifera. Whether it be for this type of bee or for Apis cerana, no supers are used. The degree of standardization is practically 100%, a situation which is both excellent and rare. It favours buying and selling throughout the country and will make it easier to manufacture honey house equipment, especially uncapping machines and centrifugal extractors. The wood used comes from the different star trees : the "black" (Hopea adorata) and the "green" (Hopea dealbata), as well as several varieties of Dipterocarpus (D. intricatus, D. costada and D. jourdanii). A hive lasts from between 4 and 5 years (unprotected cover) and up to 10 years for the most careful beekeepers (covers protected by plastic sheeting). The turnover of hive equipment is, therefore, very high and this in turn increases the depreciation rate.

Average prices observed ($US), note the great range :

• hive with frames without colony 6 to 9
• hive with colony before honey flow 20
• hive with colony after honey flow 10
• empty hive body 1,27 to 2,72
• bare frame 0.06
• frame of brood before honey flow 2,27 to 4,54
• frame of brood after honey flow 0,90
• entry pollen trap 0,20
• untreated wax, per kg 2,30 to 2,70
• foundation wax, per kg in the north 1,80 to 2,72
• foundation wax, per kg in the south 0,72 to 1,36
• feeding sugar per kg 0,43 to 0.52

In the big concerns an average of 4 workers for 500 hives was observed during heavy harvests, with, from time to time, a temporary worker at $20 per month or the equivalent in honey).

Development of the number of hives (official census)
in Vietnam over 30 years including both
Apis mellifera and Apis cerana colonies
Source : Vinapi

Methods:

The art of beekeeping in Vietnam can be divided into three distinct sectors :

EQUIPMENT AND HONEY HOUSE TECHNOLOGY

Open-air honey house (Pleiku)

Equipment:

Generally speaking, there are not as yet any Vietnamese manufacturers specializing in beekeeping equipment. The only locally produced tools are the work of blacksmiths or rural mechanics. The range is extremely limited:

• manual extractor for 3 frames .................................... $10
• manual extractor for 6 frames .................................... $27.27 to $54

As in China, the honey houses are made of a simple tent put up in the middle of the apiary containing a manual extractor, drums, and a bed for either the beekeeper or the watchman. As a result, everyday standards of hygiene are practically non-existent.

In regard to Vinapi, it's two installations for receiving and processing honey (in 300 kg drums) Apiprodex n°1 in Hanoi and Apiprodex n°2 in Ho Chi Minh-City present several serious defects:

• little or no tiling
• also used for storage and as a workshop, etc ...
• no wash-basins with foot control pedal
• insufficiently bee-proof to avoid robbing
• no underground drains
• worn and dangerous electrical installations
• under equipped: no efficient filtration system for honey
• some equipment made from galvanized iron, or painted steel (subject to corrosion due to honey)

Only Apiprodex n°2, in the south, possesses a dehumidifier in working order with a capacity of - 6% / 300 kg / per hour and some stainless steel equipment manufactured by the Thomas Enterprise including :

• 2 ripeners, each 1000 kg
• 2 decanting tanks
• 1 O.A.C. filter
• 1 mixer
• 1 Moineau-style pump

This equipment is clearly insufficient to deal with the present quantities. And moreover, the handling of these 300 kg drums still takes place manually. In regards to equipment for processing and pot filling, it is practically non-existent, manual and not stainless steel. When honey processing is over the buildings are used for other produce (beer, various drinks etc...).

Technology:

The manual extraction of frames, often "unripe" (not fully capped), takes place in the apiary. Filtering is carried out in a rudimentary way, using wire or cloth netting, and the honey is stored straight away without decantation or ripening. When sold to Apiprodex it is delivered in a variety of containers :

• jerricans in food-safe plastic with small opening from 27 to 38 kg
• 300 kg metal drums with top opening
• 40 kg aluminum drums with top opening

Most of Apiprodex's export honey is processed in the south, in the suburbs of Ho Chi Minh-City. Once the honey is in the reception tank (old US military tank truck), the process is reduced to its simplest expression:

• a transition through a decanting tank with baffles (to filter out big debris: bits of wood, bees etc...)
• then pumped into a stationary filter where it goes through three sieves of varying degrees of fineness
• filling of the ripeners by gravitation (remaining tiny debris rise to the surface)
• is then pumped straight into 300 kg drums placed on a weighing machine
• with possibly a transition through the dehumidifier

PRODUCTION

Hive products from Apiprodex and B.R.D.C.

Honey:

Average honey yield in kg of honey by hive, by year and by price paid by Apiprodex
Source : Vinapi

Average yield over five years (without distinction between good or bad years --- strong or weak hives --- north or south --- Apis mellifera or Apis cerana) = 19 kg honey / year / hive. This relatively high figure is the result of three elements : a good command of the craft, 100% migratory colonies of Apis mellifera, and generous nectar flows from plants such as the rubber tree, for example.

Vietnamese honey (in tons)
Source : Vinapi

First observation : after a marked rise in production in 1991, the tonnage produced seems to be static. Another noteworthy feature is the high rate of exports : over 85% of the total produced. This last point, added to the fact that there is no significant importation of honey, demonstrates the low consumption level within Vietnam : 7 g of honey / year / inhabitant.

Types of honey exported by Apiprodex in 1995 (total = 650 tons)
Source: Vinapi

Geographical distribution of the honey network
Source : estimation Gilles Ratia

An analysis of the above graph shows a better grasp of techniques and an increased honey yield for the south compared with the rest of the country.

Distribution of honey production by region - 1995
Source : estimation Gilles Ratia

Pollen:

Methods:

The few beekeepers visited, who harvest pollen, all use entry pollen traps. This type of pollen trap has a serious setback compared to hive-bottom traps : the pollen has to be collected daily during the wet season to prevent mould from forming. Moreover, the trays observed during the visit were without netting and this could also result in a high percentage of loss.

Results:

The average harvest is relatively high and varies between 2 à 4 kg / hive / year.

Royal Jelly:

Methods:

Royal Jelly production, from what we were able to observe and hear, is only for auto-consumption by the beekeeper's immediate family and is produced by those beekeepers who run queen replacement breeding programs. The methods are, therefore, "Doolittle & Pratt" with horizontal finishers (breeding frame containing 2 bars, each with 30 artificial cell cups). It is basically produced in the south, because of the longer season and more frequent use of Apis mellifera, but in small amounts, due to competition from the illegally imported supplies of Chinese royal jelly.

Results:

Production does not exceed 300 g / hive / year. Beekeepers sell it locally for from $24 to $36 per kg.

Wax:

Methods:

The wax from cappings is separated from the honey in a melter during the uncapping procedure. The melting down of old combs generally takes place in locally made steam boilers. The blocks of wax obtained are usually exchanged for foundation wax with either private wax-makers or at the Vinapi Bee Enterprises. Both the Bee Enterprises and Apiprodex n°1 are equipped with semi-automatic foundation makers. Their production of foundation wax has dropped drastically in the last few years (from 6000 kg in 1991 to 1000 kg in 1994) due to competition from private concerns.

Results:

Each ton of honey generally gives 20 kg of wax from cappings. The samples of foundation wax observed varied greatly in quality (depending on the amount of added paraffin) and the dies are not standard size:

• foundation wax from Pleiku : 835 cells / cm²
• foundation wax from Bao Loc Bee Enterprise : 750 cells / cm² and a high percentage of paraffin (above 15%)
• foundation wax from Bao Loc private sector : 850 cells / cm²

Price per kilogram (= 10 sheets of Langstroth size)

• foundation wax, per kg in the north : $1.80 to $2.72
• foundation wax, per kg in the south : $0.72 to $1.36

Other products:

- Mead and other alcoholic drinks : the market is not very favorable as the comfortably-off tend to favour imported products, the middle classes beer, and the poor low-cost "home-brewed" drinks. Nevertheless, several manufactured drinks were observed:

• Bao Loc, orange or lemon liqueurs (22°) : $0.36 / 75 cl. bottle.

• Apiprodex, Hanoi : Queen Bee apricot and jujube wine (10 to 20 % honey) between 14° and 16° proof : $0.78 / 75 cl. bottle + optional presentation box at $0.32. Production 500,000 bottles from 1983 to 1993 , but only 30,000 bottles in 1994. Other products: lemon liqueur at $0.45 / bottle, grape liqueur at $0.55 / bottle, honey 1% enriched with royal jelly at $1.2 / kg.

Alcoholized drinks

- Propolis: no recorded production. Apis cerana produces very little and there is no trace of knowledge regarding its therapeutic effects on human or animal health in Vietnamese culture.

- Venom: at present it is being imported as part of the ingredients of anti-rheumatoid creams. Research is underway at the B.R.D.C. to perfect an electric device to collect venom from inside the hive. Venom does not appear to be used in traditional pharmacopoeia.

- Cosmetics:

There are a few standard lines of cosmetic products made with hive products : honey shampoo ($0.90 / litre), honey soap ($0,13 each), creams with royal jelly, propolis lotion, etc.... The only cosmetic products produced for the public in general, that we observed, were on sale in some of the beekeeping retail outlets in Ho Chi Minh-City.

- Sweets:

Not dealt with.

- Live biological matter:

Over the last few years there has been no recorded exportation. On the other hand, from 1986 to 1988, colonies were imported from the ex-USSR, these colonies were multiplied in Vietnam then sent back to the country of origin. The economic conditions within the ex-eastern block no longer allows for this type of lucrative activity which had the added benefit of being independent of honey flow conditions.

- Medicinal Products:

The B.R.D.C. in Hanoi produces several different preparations :

• pollen coated with calcium (85%). Sales of 5000 sachets / month at between $0.12 and $0.15 / 10 g depending on the type of packaging
• honey + royal jelly (% not indicated) at $0.54

Some shops in Ho Chi Minh-City sell products such as the following :

• honey + saffron ($0.54 / 250g) reputed to be good for the stomach or even for the post-natal period
• freeze-dried royal jelly with added vitamin C ($0.18 per mini-bottle)
• honey + royal jelly (% not indicated) at $0.36, a perfect imitation of the product produced by the B.R.D.C. (and $0.18 cheaper)
• honey + ginseng

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE PROFESSION

There are approximately a hundred beekeeping clubs, often informal and unregistered. The B.R.D.C. sometimes helps these clubs.

Number of beekeepers in relation to type of bee used
Source : Vinapi

In 99% of cases, beekeepers practicing their craft with Apis mellifera stock depend on beekeeping as their main source of income. Whereas those working with Apis cerana mostly keep bees as a secondary activity to complement production from other livestock and/or crops in a type of agriculture that comes close to being subsistence farming.

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