| dc.description.abstract | Bees are natural beings which have existed for a long period of time. Human beings started to
search for honeycomb to obtain energy from honey in ancient times. As a result, honey was the
earliest source of sweet before sugar cane and beetroot were discovered. In the ancient century,
honey was regarded as precious food which only nobles could own. During the development of
Chinese pharmacy, beekeeping industry was rising due to the discovery of the powerful effects of
honey. In the period of Ming and Qing Dynasty, beekeeping in China was prosperous, and honey
was even a tribute to deduct taxes. The apiculture in Taiwan started with the immigrants from
China in Qing Emperor Kangxi period. However, there were not progressive beekeeping and honey
collecting techniques at that time. Besides, most of the honey produce was usually self-sufficiency,
and the better produce of honey was sold to the pharmacy. Therefore, honey in Taiwan was still
viewed as an ingredient of medication, and the use of it was not common because of the
development of sucrose industry.
After coming Twain, the Japanese government positively promoted the development of
beekeeping industry, began to survey whether it was suitable for beekeeping in Taiwan, a Japanese
colony, and introduced quality Italian bee species. Beekeeping industry became a trend in the
seventh year of Taisho Democracy in Japan. However, it failed after the surrender of Japan at the
end of World War II because farmers in Taiwan bought too many honey bee species without
considering the quality of them after knowing the profit of beekeeping. During the period of US
aid (1951-1965), by the assistance of America, farmers in Taiwan introduced high honey yielding
honeybees from America and the techniques of collecting bees’ royal jelly, so beekeeping
industry gradually revitalized. Due to the high profit of exporting royal jelly, beekeepers in Taiwan
one by one joined the collection of royal jelly and beekeeping industry became professionalized
from then on. However, beekeepers transferred to other industries in 1988, the worst period of timefor beekeeping industry in Taiwan, since beekeepers in Mainland China joined the export market
of royal jelly and cause the result of oversupply and low price for royal jelly.
Since that, Taiwan government set the agricultural improvement station for silkworms and
honeybees in order to solve the problems and disadvantages of beekeeping in the past. At the same
time, the government cooperated with relevant research department for the research and
development of bee products in order to promote the value of bees and improve beekeepers’
beekeeping technology. However, the development of beekeeping industry still need the market
and abundant nectariferous plants in the natural environment. As a result, protecting the natural
environment and decreasing the use of pesticides will not only make honeybees healthy and
survive, but also effectively promote bee products in Taiwan. | en_US |