Honeybees are typical social bees, with their colonies made up of a queen, several thousand workers, and a few drones. The queen's only job is to lay the eggs that mostly hatch into the workers who feed and take care of her. The queen does not rule the colony, but she is the force that binds it together. As the name implies, worker bees do all the work of the hive, except the egg laying. The only function of the drone is to mate with the queen. As soon as the mating season is over, the drones starve to death. The honeybee colony is really a family home, albeit of an unusual nature. There are several species of bees, but the most important, from a commercial standpoint, are the Italian bee, the Chinese bee and the Caucasian bee. The Italian bee, which is the most industrious and the gentlest is used most extensively in Taiwan. The subtropical climate of the island is suitable for the growth of a great variety of fruit trees, flowers and vegetables which provide an excellent environment for the bee-keeping industry. Wu Che-lang, one of the leading bee-keepers in Taiwan points out: "The greatest value of bees lies in their role of pollination. A professional bee-keeper in Taiwan usually leads a nomadic life because he must move the hives according to the different flower seasons. For instance, Pingtung's watermelon flower blossoms in March, Kaohsiung's longan in April, Chiayi's jute; watermelon and rice flower in May and when June comes, the rape flowers in the central part of the island are blossoming. In the spring, the bee-keepers move north, and then move back south again after July." Wu gave a few tips on successful bee-keeping: "If the colonies are well prepared in the fall, they will need little attention during the winter. But in early spring, the bee-keeper should conduct a thorough examination of the colonies. Frequently, colonies with heavy populations exhaust their food supplies and only a honey-filled comb from another more prosperous colony can save the insects from starvation. If some colonies are too weak, it may be necessary to merge two together. Moreover, honeybees have enemies, including toads, lizards, birds, mice and bears. Ants and termites also may invade the hives and unsettle or kill the bees. Fences, traps, and poison must therefore be used to protect the bees." There is a general impression that honeybees are vicious and will attack any one who comes near their hives. This is a misconception. They will permit an experienced bee-keeper to open their hives, remove the honeycombs, and not even sting the intruder. But an inexperienced or awkward person may irritate them. If they have to be subdued, smoke is blown into the entrance and over the honeycombs. Stings are, of course, received occasionally, but beyond a sharp, momentary pain, no permanent effect will be felt after the first season, for the bee-keeper soon becomes immune so that no swelling takes place. The worker bee sting is barbed, and in the act of stinging it is torn from the bee. The sting should be scraped loose at once to prevent venom from being injected into the flesh. Honey is a very nutritious food. Wu explained: "In Taiwan, honey is sold on a floral basis; that is to say the different types are named according to the flowers predominantly visited by bees collecting necter. Of the three main types, longan-flower, lichee-flower and mixed-flower honey, the latter two will granulate or turn into sugar easily. Such honey can be liquefied without materially affecting its quality by placing the container in water heated to about 150°Ｆ (66°Ｃ). Liquid and granulated honey is sometimes blended. The easiest way to test if honey has been adulterated is to dip red litmus paper into a diluted sample. If the paper turns blue, the honey is true." Beeswax, a by-product of bee-keeping, can be used to make quality candles and cosmetics, and has other uses in agriculture, art and industry. Wu said that Taiwan's royal jelly has a wide market worldwide. The jelly is a whitish substance with the consistency of mayonnaise, produced by certain glands in the heads of the worker bees. It is an excellent energy food because it contains Vitamin B1, B2, nicotinic acid and simple sugars that can be used quickly by the body. With exports worth NT$400 million (US$11 million) a year, Taiwan has won a reputation for being the "Kingdom of royal jelly" in international honey markets.
