Sun may set soon on beleaguered beekeepers

By He Na (China Daily) Updated: 2015-07-17 07:52

From left: Honeybees at work in a hive. Queen Bee larvae are raised artificially to produce royal jelly. Yan Fengbo and his wife Wang Wei are the youngest beekeepers in Yichun. [Photo/Zou Hong]

Low status

Yan's goal is for his bees to work happily, but Wang said making her husband happy is hard work. In Western countries, beekeepers have an enviable life, with a reasonable social status and good incomes. In China, beekeeping is considered one of the hardest jobs in the countryside.

In a good year, with mild temperatures and a fruitful spring, Yan can harvest about 1,500 kg of honey, which brings him 30,000 yuan ($4,830), but in a poor year the profit plummets.

Last year, a torrent of floodwater surged down the mountainside after a heavy storm, washing away half of his hives. The cost of replacing them almost wiped out Yan's funds.

"High-quality honey is sold at a high price in the supermarket - generally more than 200 yuan a kilogram - but our produce is sold at a really low price, just 40 yuan per kilo," he said.

"This year, the temperature is lower than usual, so the yield will be affected. But we will still only be paid 40 yuan, the same as last year, so my efforts are never fully rewarded. Instead, my family and friends look down on me - it's hard to be a happy beekeeper," he said, adding that he and Wang will soon start looking for temporary winter jobs.

Variations of Yan's story can be heard from beekeepers across China. Every year from March to October, they toil to produce the delicacy, but the constant hardships and poor financial rewards mean a growing number are looking for other work.

"If it were not for my daughter, we might have moved south for factory work a few years ago," Yan said.

The newcomer

Chen Zongtao is the exception that proves the rule. The 52-year-old has more than 200 beehives, and is one of Yichun's most successful bee farmers. Unlike Yan, though, Chen is a newcomer. Last year, the laid-off forestry worker borrowed 200,000 yuan to buy the hives, bees and other equipment.

"In summer, the sun sets at 8 pm and rises at 3 am. Honeybees follow that pattern when they're making honey, so I have to start work earlier than they do. In the past two months I've only slept four hours a day," he said.

Chen is trying to turn his life around. He is a recovering alcoholic, and has lived alone since his wife left him and took their children with her. "I chose this hard life because I want to show them that I've changed. I want to win back their hearts," he said.

Although he was prepared to face hardships and stings, he underestimated the risky nature of the business. Last year, his inexperience resulted in the bees dying in 30 of his 50 hives, so he has hired an experienced beekeeper from Anhui province to oversee this year's yield. "Everything is on track now, and I'm praying for a 'weather blessing', " he joked.

"I don't know anything about the Internet. I just plan to cultivate some old customers. There will always be a market for good honey," he said.