Success buzzing in Raohe thanks to black honeybees

HARBIN－Wearing protective head gear, Wu Shoujun carefully opens the lids of over 100 beehives, and the tiny creatures inside are finally able to buzz about after months in hibernation. "The black honeybee can withstand temperatures as low as -30 C," Wu said. When the weather gets warmer in spring, beekeepers pick a sunny day to open the hives and wait for their tiny charges to start work.

Wu is one of the villagers in Raohe county to have benefited from the area's flourishing beekeeping industry.

This border county in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province has geographical and climatic conditions suited to raising black honeybees, and a national-level nature reserve was set up there in 1997 to conserve the species.

The last two decades have witnessed a drastic increase in the population of bees.

The number of beekeeping households in the county has increased, with more than 600 households raising more than 50,000 swarms currently.

Working in her courtyard, Shen Xiaoli places dozens of beehives in rows, opens their lids and carefully checks on the bees as they wake from hibernation.

"I take care of over 50 hives, from which I got more than 2,000 kilograms of honey last year," she said. The good yields and technical support from the local beekeeping cooperative have boosted Shen's confidence, and she plans to add a further 20 hives this year.

More than 100 cooperatives have been founded in the county to provide technical know-how to beekeepers and enhance the quality and quantity of honey production.

In addition to the cooperatives, local processing companies are also boosting the sector. There are currently 11 bee-product manufacturers in Raohe, which have developed over 120 products thanks to ongoing upgrades to manufacturing equipment and procedures.

At the Raohe Black Bee Group, the production line is a hive of activity, with conveyor belts carrying all kinds of bee-related products. As one of the local leaders in the sector, it produces more than 2,500 metric tons of honey a year.

"Bee propolis capsules are one of our high-end products, and they effectively drove the company's overall sales growth because of their high value," said Jiang Wei, chairman of the company.

In terms of marketing, local businesses sign purchase agreements with beekeepers in advance to secure sales. "So far, we have signed purchase contracts with more than 100 beekeeping households," said Tang Yuefeng, chairman of the Heilongjiang Northeast Black Bee Development, which sold 500 tons of honey last year.

"This year, we will aid farmers in constructing 20 demonstration beekeeping gardens via policy support to promote the development of the black honeybee industry," said Yu Yang, director of the black bee national nature reserve's management bureau.

Xinhua