Hi from Dubai

[Psycad]

Hi there,

With temperatures in summer reaching 50 degrees and mostly desert, one would not expect much beekeepers in the Gulf.

Yemen and Oman, on the east coast, do have mountains and rainfall and very interesting bees. But Gulfsiide not very much.

In the UAE, beekeeping is mostly in North in Ras Al Khaimah mountains. They make two honeys : Sidr and Samar. Mountain people also harvest wild honey.

Beekeeping in UAE is mostly destructive. With millions of new bees imported yearly from Egypt. All honey is collected and nothing left for the bees.

I started a hive in the industrial area. Carnolians from Egypt.
Yet to open the hive.

I will probably get lots of comments for importing bees and (maybe) reducing foodsource of local bees.

Please go ahead : I am novice and welcome your feedback.

My aim is not to make honey but to contribute in Dubai in awareness of people and their environment.

In the industrial area, wild bees are considered a pest and immediately destroyed. So lots of work ahead.

Now is the flowering of the date palms so the bees come in with lots of white pollen.

I can find mountains of beekeeping books and info but nearly nothing about beekeeping in tropics/desert/middle east etc.

Long intro, but I look forward joining and discussing with all of you.



PS from reading tons of books, I tend to be Warre Adept. A vicar with a dog and his maid tending beehives ? Must be good

 

[Anduril]

what hive type are you using? Are you in contact with other beekeepers in the area. You will find it is a fascinating craft.

 

[REDWOOD]

I think you need to find a cool spot to keep your bees, perhaps a few matchsticks wont go a mis. I would personally go for lang hives as they are a universally used hive and probably the easiest for you to buy.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Bee Bumble]

Welcome. Date palm honey sounds tempting - I hope you are successful with your Warre hives, sounds like you will need plenty of ventilation and shade at 50 c.

 

[Psycad]

I use an arabian hive Its basically a square box with huuuuge ventilation holes in the sides. Box is covered with metal for waterproofing and ventilation holes have mesh in front

There are frames inside

Box is 500 x 500 mm

This morning I have on video a bird that snaps away a bee at hive entrance

Will try later to post pics as soon as I understand this forum

 

[Psycad]

There are male and female date palms. I found on the net that bees only visit the male ones and are not pollinating female ones. Dont know if correct

Most date palms btw are hand polinated

Flowers on date palms are extremely beautiful and also sold on market to put in salad.

 

[Psycad]

I believe I have only hive in the industrial area and cant find any other local beekeepers

Closest ones are in other emirate in the mountains but they take all the honey of the bees and buy every year new colonies.

 

[enrico]

I use an arabian hive Its basically a square box with huuuuge ventilation holes in the sides. Box is covered with metal for waterproofing and ventilation holes have mesh in front

There are frames inside

Box is 500 x 500 mm

This morning I have on video a bird that snaps away a bee at hive entrance

Will try later to post pics as soon as I understand this forum

You need to make a few more posts before it will let you put pictures on
E

 

[Brigsy]

Welcome. Interesting stuff.

 

[Psycad]

Thanks Brigsy

Friday is our weekend so today I open the hive

 

[Psycad]

Anybody interested in wild bees can find a very interesting article about Apis florea. Wild bee from Oman UAE and Yemen
Locals in Hajar mountains manage to keep these bees. Its difficult and involve a donkey to move the combs up mountain in the season.
Interesting article here

 

[Ukrainian beekeeper]

Hi

 

[bloo]

Psycad - I'm in the UAE too (just south of the Dubai / Abu Dhabi border) and one of the community residents has found a wild hive / swarm.
Unfortunatey they've also called pest control, can you or someone you know collect it before they are killed?

 

[Psycad]

On Holiday

Salaam

I am out of town on summer break.
Want be ble to help.

Are you in Al Badrah ?

 

[FloatLikeAButterfly]

Good luck with it. Interested to know how you get on.

 

[Rosenn78]

Hi Psycad, we have just established the 1st Beekeepers Association in the UAE. We are a group of hobby Beekeepers and would love to count you in with us. Please get in touch through our website: www.beekeepersassociation.ae
See you soon!
Z

 

[lifenoneuae]

Welcome.

 

[eltalia]

Hi there,.... (edit)

Please go ahead : I am novice and welcome your feedback.
My aim is not to make honey but to contribute in Dubai in awareness of people and their environment.

(edit)

G'day... are you aware of the local use of evaporative cooling?
If so - or you can find out, locally - the use of Coolgardie Safe technolgy(?)
may be of help in a small apiary. I intend to have the real thing to store comb
honey in but a larger version of just three sides could be used to chilldown the
prevailing breeze.
Concept is here;
http://permaculture.com.au/low-tech-refrigeration-solutions-the-coolgardie-safe-zeer-pot/

A small structure around a few colonies (hives) may well improve production
amongst bees. Surprisingly so the concept does not use a lot of water and is
not so fussy over the quality of the water.

.... welcome

Bill