Families find hornet hives and grow bee pupae

In recent years, many households in the central province of Nghe An have ventured into the forest to capture hundreds of nests to use in the garden.

The lesser banded hornet is considered to be deadly if it attacks people. Despite this, in recent years, many households in Thanh Chuong and Yen Thanh districts (Nghe An) have ventured into the forest to capture hundreds of nests to use in the garden.

Around the melaleuca garden, 44-year-old Nguyen Tu Huy said his family has had about 70 nests this year. This was the third year of raising bees for pupae.

To have bees, every year in mid-April Huy goes through the forests in and outside the district to look for bees. The beehives, cups and rice bowls are cut by him, making "homes" for them under the melaleuca canopy around the garden.

“These hornets are easy to raise because they find food on their own in the wild. If I want the nest to grow quickly and have more pupae, I can feed them rawer pork," Huy said.

After about a month, the beehives begin to harvest. To get the hive in the garden, beekeepers often have to use a fake suit to cover their body. Harvest time lasts from late May to early August.

“Compared to wild wasp nests, hornets raised in gardens often have smaller nests. Each nest when harvested weighs 1.5-3kg. On average, each kilo of beehives provides 0.7 kg of bee pupae. These pupae are purchased by traders at home for 180,000 VND/kg,” Huy said.

Huy’s family raised nearly 120 nests last year, earning an income of 30-35 million VND. But this year, the weather has changed erratically, so the number of bees nesting has been much less.

There are 15-20 households in the commune raising bees, each from a few dozens to a hundred nests.

“This species of bee is very aggressive and can sting people leading to death, so the locality recommends that people be careful in the process of raising them. In order to ensure the safety of family members and people around, the beekeeping area should be protected from closed fences, with doors that open and close when needed," said Oanh.

In addition to Thanh Chuong and Yen Thanh districts, some mountainous districts of Nghe An such as Nghia Dan, Tan Ky, ... have many households raising this fierce bee species.