Manage wild honey bees sustainably

Overall effectiveness category Awaiting assessment
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

not assessed
Certainty

not assessed
Harms

not assessed

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Study locations

Key messages

We can find no evidence of the impact of reduced honey-hunting or improved harvesting methods on wild honey bee populations. One trial in southern Vietnam, showed that occupancy of artificial rafters by the giant honey bee Apis dorsata can be over 85% when rafters are placed by a large clearing greater than 25 m in diameter.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

In southern Vietnam, a form of beekeeping exists in which honey is harvested repeatedly from wild colonies of the giant honey bee Apis dorsata without destroying the combs, by persuading the bees to form colonies on easily accessible artificial rafters. Rafters are split tree trunks, erected on poles at an angle of 15-35° to the horizontal. A trial of 507 rafters erected by beekeepers in U Minh Forest, Minh Hai Province (Tan et al. 1997), showed that occupancy by bees was significantly higher when the open space in front of the rafter was very large, over 25 m in diameter (85% and 92% of rafters occupied in dry and rainy seasons respectively, compared to 33-51% for open spaces from 3 to 25 m in diameter).
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Tan N. Q., Chinh P. H., Thai P.H & Mulder V. (1997) Rafter beekeeping with Apis dorsata: some factors affecting the occupation of rafters by bees. Journal of Apicultural Research, 36, 49-54.

Please cite as:

Dicks, L.V., Showler, D.A. & Sutherland, W.J. (2010) Bee conservation: evidence for the effects of interventions. Pelagic Publishing, Exeter, UK

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Bee Conservation

Related Actions

	Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
	Manage wild honey bees sustainably Action Link	Awaiting assessment	1	Synopsis Link
	Replace honey-hunting with apiculture Action Link	Awaiting assessment	6	Synopsis Link