LOCAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT

POLLINATION BY FOREST HONEY BEE

(Apis dorsata) IN DANAU SENTARUM
NATIONAL PARK, INDONESIA

By: Valentinus Heri

Forest Honey Network Indonesia

Workshop ILK of Pollination and Pollinators associated with Food Production,

Panama, 2-4 December 2014

Danau Sentarum

Danau Sentarum National Park is

located in the upper of Kapuas
River, West Kalimantan, Indonesia
with a total area of 123,000
hectares
Consists of approximately 80 lakes
are connected by rivers and there
are about 10,000 people who
depend on natural resources,
especially fish and honey
There are 32 villages of 45 villages
that have the potential of producing
honey bee and during normal
conditions the harvest could reach
20-30 tonnes per year

Local Knowledge About

Pollination of Forest Honey Bee

The role of forest honey bees are

very important for pollination of
forest flowers to be able to produce
fruits that is useful for wildlife, insects
and humans.
Before the arrival of honey harvest,
usually bees will come in OctoberNovember. They come in a large
number of colonies to Danau
Sentarum and make nests.
Sometimes they come before or at
the beginning of the forest flowers
begin to bloom, as they know that
there will be flowers.
Forest honey bees will begin to make
a nest in tall trees called lalau'.
Because the forest flowers in the first
plateau blooming. So in NovemberDecember is time to harvest honey in
tall trees.

About a month later (December), they

will create new bee nests in lower trees
with tikung system (artificial branches
for nesting bees). It takes about 2
weeks honey is ready to harvest.
Starting from December-March.
Depending on the availability of the
flowers are enough to harvest honey.
Sometime bees return to the tall trees,
if flowers enough. When the forest
flowers have been exhausted, the bees
go further into the forest in the hills and
mountains beyond the Danau Sentarum
that still available food for bees.
Local people usually notice signs of
nature to know the season, when it's
time for the rainy season and dry
season, as this is an important factor to
determine the season when flowers
begin and when to harvest honey.

Natural signs for the season can be seen

from the root of a particular timber, the
type of birds that come, the shape of the
moon and the arrangement of the stars
and other signs.
Usually a good season for flowers bloom
is starting to dry season before October,
because then the leaves will fall.
After that, come the rainy season, but it
should not rain too often, there should be
a pause with dry season. Because if it's
too much rain, the forest flowers will fall
more quickly.
The transition from fallen leaves and
young shoots begin to grow while at the
onset of the rainy season. Honey farmers
begin to prepare tikung with cleaning
tikung from ants and twigs, that can
blocking bees to come.
Through these natural signs they know
roughly when will the good timing for
harvesting. It can be seen from the shape
of the nest.

Sustainable Harvesting Technique &

Hygienic Process

Only harvest honey and let the

young bees remain to grow and
leaving 20% of honey for young
bees.
Harvest during the daytime, so
the bees can come back after
expelled by using a smoke,
because the orientation of the
bee is sunlight.
Using a sharp stainless knife so
that the nest is not damaged
when harvested
Not squeeze by hand to separate
the honey with nest
Using a special filter to remove
dirt and use gloves and store
honey in clean containers.

Forest Honey Network Indonesia

With experience in the

Danau Sentarum, we
established a network of
Indonesian forest honey
2005.
Now there are about 7,000
members spread across the
islands in Indonesia, with the
potential to produce about
200 tons / year.
Because forest honey bee
depends on the forest, then
the honey farmers protect
the remaining forest areas
in Indonesia as forest
protection movements
through the forest honey.

Ecosystem Threatening