Teknik Tradisional Memanen Lebah Madu Liar di Indonesia | NOTES OF LIFE
DIVERSITY IN TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUES
FOR ENTICING APIS DORSATA COLONIES IN INDONESIA
Soesilawati Hadisoesilo
Forest and Nature Conservation Research and Development Jl. Gunung Batu 5, Bogor, Indonesia
Telp. 62-251-315-222, Fax. 62-251-325-111
[email protected] or [email protected]
It is known that Indonesia has the most diverse honey bee species in the world. Apis dorsata or the
giant honey bee is one of the seven indigenous honey bees of Indonesia. Although A. dorsata is the
main honey producer in Indonesia, especially outside the island of Java, every attempt to manage this
bee like the cavity-nesting honey bees always fails. However, in some parts of Indonesia, honey
collectors have been practicing traditional techniques to entice A. dorsata colonies to artificial nesting
sites. On the island of Belitung this technique is called “Sunggau”, in Lake Sentarum, West Kalimantan
it is named “Tikung”, and in an area close to Poso Lake, Central Sulawesi, it is called “Tingku”. The
principles of these three techniques are similar. The differences among them are the condition and the
topography of the place where they are built, and the way they are erected. Sunggau are built in dry
places with flat topography, Tikung are built in wetland areas, and Tingku are built in hilly areas.
Sunggau are erected with the support of one or two poles or branches of a tree which act as poles,
whereas Tikung are erected with the support of two branches of a tree. Tingku, on the other hand, are
erected without any support but are inserted into slopes. This paper gives brief descriptions on these
three traditional techniques.
INTRODUCTION
Apis dorsata or the giant honey bee is one of Indonesia’s native honey bee. There are two
subspecies of A. dorsata in Indonesia namely A. dorsata dorsata which is found all over Indonesia
except Sulawesi, and A.d. binghami which is found only in Sulawesi and its surrounding islands (Fig.1,
Sakagami et al.1980).
F i g .
1 .
tion of Apis dorsata (Sakagami, 1980)
Distribu
Although A. dorsata is the main producer of honey in Indonesia, especially outside the island
of Java, every attempt to manage this bee as with the cavity-nesting honey bees A. cerana, nigrocincta,
koschevnikovi, nuluensis, and mellifera always fails. In some part of Indonesia, however, namely in the
islands of Bangka and Belitung, the Sentarum Lake West Kalimantan, and in the area close to Poso
Lake Central Sulawesi, traditional techniques have been being practiced for decades to “manage” A.
dorsata colonies to make honey harvest easier. These techniques are called Sunggau, Tikung, and
Tingku on the islands of Bangka Belitung, at Lake Sentarum, and at Poso respectively (Fig.2).
Sunggau, Tikung, or Tingku can be defined as a man-made micro habitat or a man made nest
structure for A. dorsata. The principles of these techniques are similar. The differences among them
are the condition and topography where they are built and the way they are erected. This paper give
brief descriptions of these three traditional techniques.
SUNGGAU
Sunggau has been being practiced in the islands of Bangka and Belitung for decades, but know
one knows exactly when it was invented. According to one of honey gatherers (Sahli, 1998, pers.
comm.) this technique has been practiced for at least three generations.
A sunggau is made of an non-debark trunk with diameter of 10-15 cm and length varied
between two and three meters. There is no preference of wood or tree in making a sunggau; it seems
A. dorsata is not very selective in choosing the type of wood for nesting site. Kayu medang (Litsea sp.),
betor (Callophyllum pulcherricum), and samak (Eugenia garcinaefolia) are some wood used for
making sunggau (Sahli, 1998, pers. comm.).
Fig. 2. Map of Indonesia and the areas where Sunggau, Tikung, and Tingku have been being practiced
This trunk is attached to two branchy poles which have different heights (ground sunggau) or
to branches of a living tree in a slight slope position (climbing sunggau) so that the slope of a sunggau
to the horizontal is approximately 15-30E. The height of the poles depends on the height of vegetation
where a sunggau is built. The height of longer poles (front poles) and the shorter poles (back poles) are
about 2-3m and 1-2m respectively. The attachment of a sunggau is upside down i.e. the lower trunk
must be attached to the longer pole (Fig. 3).
A sunggau is built in a secondary lowland forest either in a swampy or a dry area. It is not
difficult to erect a sunggau; in general it must be placed in a shady cool place although sunlight is
needed from all direction. In front of the front part/upper part of a sunggau must face to the open sky;
it must be free from trees, twigs, or leaves that can disturb the departing and arriving bees. The back
part, on the other hand, has to be darker than the other sides. The orientation of a sunggau is not a
critical factor affecting the occupation of a sunggau and honey gatherers usually reposition unoccupied.
The important thing is that a colony is free from disturbance especially birds. The occupation rate of
sunggau is very low, it is only 10-20% depending on the season (Purwanto, 1999).
Harvesting honey is done by two persons during day time using a traditional smoker to drive
off the bees. After the bees left the nest, they cut the brood and pollen comb, leaving the honey comb
which is cut afterward. The brood and the pollen comb are thrown away. All this process can be done
within 3-5 minutes; in a fine day they can harvest 1-3 sunggau, depending on the distances between
sunggau. Within 10 minutes the bees come back to the empty sunggau, and in most cases they abandon
the sunggau eventually.
Fig. 3. Diagram of a sunggau.
TIKUNG
Tikung is another technique for enticing A. dorsata colonies that has been being practiced for
more than a century in the upper Kapuas lake region, West Kalimantan. Tikung was first described by
van Lijnden and Groll in 1851 (Crane et al., 1993). They reported that when the swarming season of
A. dorsata arrives, people hung a ‘tekkong’ (tikung) in their trees. In 1933, de Mol (cited by Crane et
al., 1993) reported that 500 families practiced tikung beekeeping, he also gave a full description on
tikung beekeeping. The skill of making tikung is past from one generation to another generation, no
formal training is attended by honey gatherers.
A tikung is used to be made by splitting a pole with a drainage channel was made in the flat
upper part side (Crane et al., 1993), but now it is made of a carved hardwood plank which has a convex
shape in one side and a concave shape on the other side. It is made of odorless, strong and durable
‘tembesu’ (Fagraea fragrans) wood which lasts over 20 years (Crane et al., 1993; A. Erman 1997, pers
comm.). The length of the planks varied between 0.8 and 2.5 m., with width of 25-40 cm., and
thickness of 3-4 cm. At each end of the plank a triangular or rectangular hole is made to which a
wooden pin is inserted to attach the plank to a branch (Fig.4, pers. obs., 1997; Crane et al., 1993;
Mulder et al., 2000).
The plank is attached to tree branches at least 1.5m above the highest water level in the rainy
season in a slight slope position, 30E to the horizontal. The upper part is oriented toward the open sky,
the concave side faces downward so that the upper convex side can facilitate rainwater runoff (pers.
obs., 1997; Mulder et al. 2000). Some trees preferred to attach tikung planks are: ‘kamsia’ (Mesua
hexapetala), ‘masung’ (Syzygium claviflora) and ‘empai/’timbang tawang’ (Crudia teysmania) (Mulder
et al., 2000).
When the last flowers from ‘kayu tahun’ (Carallia bracteata) are in bloom, it is a sign that
honey is ready to be harvest (Mulder et al., 2000). Honey harvest is done on moonless night using a
wooden knife to cut the comb (A. Erman 1997, pers. comm., Mulder et al., 2000). As in harvesting
sunggau, honey comb is cut after brood comb is cut (Mulder et al., 2000).
Fig. 4. Diagram of a tikung
TINGKU
The traditional technique of making tingku was originated at the village of Kelei, a small village
close to the Poso Lake Central Sulawesi in the 1930s and has since spread to the five neighboring
villages. As in the other techniques, skills in building and erecting tingku are transferred from parents,
friends; no formal training is attended by honey gatherers.
A tingku is made of a roughly plane wood plank or a tree trunk. The length of the planks varied
between 2.0 and 3.5m. With width of 10-25cm. or 10-20 cm. in diameter for a tree trunk. Wood
between 3 and 10 cm. in thickness according to the honey gatherers is strong enough to support the nest
of A.d. binghami.
Because a tingku is permanently built, honey gatherers prefer to make tingku from strong wood
such as ‘kayu kondongio’ (Dysoxylum densiflorum), ‘kayu kolahi’ (Fagraea fragrans) or ‘kayu
ampuni’ (Cycas sp.) which last for 10-20 years. The branch of Pterocarpus indicus is also preferred
to make tingku because it will sprout, grow and become a living tingku. Unlike tikung, choice of wood
for tingku plank is not affected by the smell of the wood but by the strength of the wood. Strong
smelling wood such as ‘kayu kondongio’ is chosen for making tingku because of its durability.
A tingku is erected under a secondary forest or in a plantation, which still has a lot of bee forage
or is close to bee forage. Because the geographic condition of the area is hilly, tingku is erected on a
slope. The raising of a tingku differs from those of sunggau and tikung; a tingku is erected without any
support of poles on the ground. It is inserted into a steep slope about 0.5-1 m. deep, so that the length
of a tingku above the ground is about 1.5-2.5 m. Both side of the tingku are covered with leaves and
small twigs to avoid disturbances from animals, but in the front (in front of the upper end) must be
widely open ( Fig. 5). The slope of a tingku to the horizontal ranges between 00 and 300 or 300 to 600
between a tingku and the land slope (Hadisoesilo, in press).
Because tingku is permanently built, it can be erected any time of the year but it must be
monitored afterward, especially when the blooming season starts. Checking a tingku is done a month
later after bees have occupied the tingku. If the comb near the upper end of the tingku bellies out it
means honey is ready to be harvested. Harvesting honey from a tingku is very easy and done during
the day. The bees are driven off using traditional smoker from behind the tingku. After the bees left,
all the comb is cut.
Fig. 5.
m of a tingku
Diagra
The owner of the tingku harvests honey by himself. On a fine day a honey collector can harvest up to
10 colonies.
DISCUSSION
Sunggau, Tikung, and Tingku are traditional techniques of “managing”A. dorsata that have
been being practiced for decades or perhaps more than a century in Indonesia. These techniques are part
of the Indonesian heritage, therefore, preserving these techniques is of vital important. These
techniques which are safer than climbing trees also need improving so that the occupation rates of the
nest sites by the bees increase.
Techniques of harvesting honey should be improved by cutting of only the honey and leaving
the brood combs. If it is done at the right time, this technique of harvesting would permit 2-3 harvests
per season. Moreover, selective cutting may increase the sustainable of colonies.
So far, no data available on the origin of these techniques and when they were invented.
Sunggau and Tikung would have a common origin because of the short distance between these places
people from these areas could easily travel from Borneo to Bangka Belitung or vice versa. The more
primitive technique practiced in Lampung, South Sumatra as explained by de Vries (1992), perhaps
the predecessor of Sunggau and Tikung. On the other hand, Tingku which was invented later might
have independent origin but no report of any similar technique is known from any other region nearby.
However, there is a possibility that Tingku technique was brought from Borneo by Bugis people who
like traveling and sailing. Tikung was modified into Tingku in accordant to the local condition and
topography.
REFRENCES
Crane, E., V. van Luyen, V. Mulder, T.C. Ta. 1993. Tarditional management system for Apis dorsata
F.) In submerged forests in southern Vietnam and central Kalimantan. Bee World 74(1): 27-40.
de Vries, R. 1992. The history of honey and wax production of the giant honeybee (Apis dorasata) in
Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia. Proc. Ist NECTAR seminar, Royal Tropical Inst.
Amsterdam, pp. 75-87.
Hadisoesilo, S. In press. Tingku, a traditional “management” technique for Apis dorsata binghami in
central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Proc. 7th IBRA Conf. On Tropical Bees and 5th AAA Conf. Chiang
Mai, Thailand 19-25 March 2000.
Mulder, V., V. Heri, T. Wickham. 2000. Traditional honey and wax collection with Apis dorsata in the
upper Kapuas Lake Region, West Kalimantan. Borneo Res. Bull.
Purwanto, D.B. 1999. Some observations on beekeeping management with Apis dorsata in Belitung,
South Sumatra, Indonesia. MS Thesis, Faculty of Forestry & Ecology, Georg-August Univ,
Göttingen, Germany.
Sakagami, S.F., T. Matsumura, K. Ito. 1980. Apis laboriosa in Himalaya, the little known world largest
honeybee (Hymenoptera, Apidae).Insect Matsumunara 19: 47-77.
FOR ENTICING APIS DORSATA COLONIES IN INDONESIA
Soesilawati Hadisoesilo
Forest and Nature Conservation Research and Development Jl. Gunung Batu 5, Bogor, Indonesia
Telp. 62-251-315-222, Fax. 62-251-325-111
[email protected] or [email protected]
It is known that Indonesia has the most diverse honey bee species in the world. Apis dorsata or the
giant honey bee is one of the seven indigenous honey bees of Indonesia. Although A. dorsata is the
main honey producer in Indonesia, especially outside the island of Java, every attempt to manage this
bee like the cavity-nesting honey bees always fails. However, in some parts of Indonesia, honey
collectors have been practicing traditional techniques to entice A. dorsata colonies to artificial nesting
sites. On the island of Belitung this technique is called “Sunggau”, in Lake Sentarum, West Kalimantan
it is named “Tikung”, and in an area close to Poso Lake, Central Sulawesi, it is called “Tingku”. The
principles of these three techniques are similar. The differences among them are the condition and the
topography of the place where they are built, and the way they are erected. Sunggau are built in dry
places with flat topography, Tikung are built in wetland areas, and Tingku are built in hilly areas.
Sunggau are erected with the support of one or two poles or branches of a tree which act as poles,
whereas Tikung are erected with the support of two branches of a tree. Tingku, on the other hand, are
erected without any support but are inserted into slopes. This paper gives brief descriptions on these
three traditional techniques.
INTRODUCTION
Apis dorsata or the giant honey bee is one of Indonesia’s native honey bee. There are two
subspecies of A. dorsata in Indonesia namely A. dorsata dorsata which is found all over Indonesia
except Sulawesi, and A.d. binghami which is found only in Sulawesi and its surrounding islands (Fig.1,
Sakagami et al.1980).
F i g .
1 .
tion of Apis dorsata (Sakagami, 1980)
Distribu
Although A. dorsata is the main producer of honey in Indonesia, especially outside the island
of Java, every attempt to manage this bee as with the cavity-nesting honey bees A. cerana, nigrocincta,
koschevnikovi, nuluensis, and mellifera always fails. In some part of Indonesia, however, namely in the
islands of Bangka and Belitung, the Sentarum Lake West Kalimantan, and in the area close to Poso
Lake Central Sulawesi, traditional techniques have been being practiced for decades to “manage” A.
dorsata colonies to make honey harvest easier. These techniques are called Sunggau, Tikung, and
Tingku on the islands of Bangka Belitung, at Lake Sentarum, and at Poso respectively (Fig.2).
Sunggau, Tikung, or Tingku can be defined as a man-made micro habitat or a man made nest
structure for A. dorsata. The principles of these techniques are similar. The differences among them
are the condition and topography where they are built and the way they are erected. This paper give
brief descriptions of these three traditional techniques.
SUNGGAU
Sunggau has been being practiced in the islands of Bangka and Belitung for decades, but know
one knows exactly when it was invented. According to one of honey gatherers (Sahli, 1998, pers.
comm.) this technique has been practiced for at least three generations.
A sunggau is made of an non-debark trunk with diameter of 10-15 cm and length varied
between two and three meters. There is no preference of wood or tree in making a sunggau; it seems
A. dorsata is not very selective in choosing the type of wood for nesting site. Kayu medang (Litsea sp.),
betor (Callophyllum pulcherricum), and samak (Eugenia garcinaefolia) are some wood used for
making sunggau (Sahli, 1998, pers. comm.).
Fig. 2. Map of Indonesia and the areas where Sunggau, Tikung, and Tingku have been being practiced
This trunk is attached to two branchy poles which have different heights (ground sunggau) or
to branches of a living tree in a slight slope position (climbing sunggau) so that the slope of a sunggau
to the horizontal is approximately 15-30E. The height of the poles depends on the height of vegetation
where a sunggau is built. The height of longer poles (front poles) and the shorter poles (back poles) are
about 2-3m and 1-2m respectively. The attachment of a sunggau is upside down i.e. the lower trunk
must be attached to the longer pole (Fig. 3).
A sunggau is built in a secondary lowland forest either in a swampy or a dry area. It is not
difficult to erect a sunggau; in general it must be placed in a shady cool place although sunlight is
needed from all direction. In front of the front part/upper part of a sunggau must face to the open sky;
it must be free from trees, twigs, or leaves that can disturb the departing and arriving bees. The back
part, on the other hand, has to be darker than the other sides. The orientation of a sunggau is not a
critical factor affecting the occupation of a sunggau and honey gatherers usually reposition unoccupied.
The important thing is that a colony is free from disturbance especially birds. The occupation rate of
sunggau is very low, it is only 10-20% depending on the season (Purwanto, 1999).
Harvesting honey is done by two persons during day time using a traditional smoker to drive
off the bees. After the bees left the nest, they cut the brood and pollen comb, leaving the honey comb
which is cut afterward. The brood and the pollen comb are thrown away. All this process can be done
within 3-5 minutes; in a fine day they can harvest 1-3 sunggau, depending on the distances between
sunggau. Within 10 minutes the bees come back to the empty sunggau, and in most cases they abandon
the sunggau eventually.
Fig. 3. Diagram of a sunggau.
TIKUNG
Tikung is another technique for enticing A. dorsata colonies that has been being practiced for
more than a century in the upper Kapuas lake region, West Kalimantan. Tikung was first described by
van Lijnden and Groll in 1851 (Crane et al., 1993). They reported that when the swarming season of
A. dorsata arrives, people hung a ‘tekkong’ (tikung) in their trees. In 1933, de Mol (cited by Crane et
al., 1993) reported that 500 families practiced tikung beekeeping, he also gave a full description on
tikung beekeeping. The skill of making tikung is past from one generation to another generation, no
formal training is attended by honey gatherers.
A tikung is used to be made by splitting a pole with a drainage channel was made in the flat
upper part side (Crane et al., 1993), but now it is made of a carved hardwood plank which has a convex
shape in one side and a concave shape on the other side. It is made of odorless, strong and durable
‘tembesu’ (Fagraea fragrans) wood which lasts over 20 years (Crane et al., 1993; A. Erman 1997, pers
comm.). The length of the planks varied between 0.8 and 2.5 m., with width of 25-40 cm., and
thickness of 3-4 cm. At each end of the plank a triangular or rectangular hole is made to which a
wooden pin is inserted to attach the plank to a branch (Fig.4, pers. obs., 1997; Crane et al., 1993;
Mulder et al., 2000).
The plank is attached to tree branches at least 1.5m above the highest water level in the rainy
season in a slight slope position, 30E to the horizontal. The upper part is oriented toward the open sky,
the concave side faces downward so that the upper convex side can facilitate rainwater runoff (pers.
obs., 1997; Mulder et al. 2000). Some trees preferred to attach tikung planks are: ‘kamsia’ (Mesua
hexapetala), ‘masung’ (Syzygium claviflora) and ‘empai/’timbang tawang’ (Crudia teysmania) (Mulder
et al., 2000).
When the last flowers from ‘kayu tahun’ (Carallia bracteata) are in bloom, it is a sign that
honey is ready to be harvest (Mulder et al., 2000). Honey harvest is done on moonless night using a
wooden knife to cut the comb (A. Erman 1997, pers. comm., Mulder et al., 2000). As in harvesting
sunggau, honey comb is cut after brood comb is cut (Mulder et al., 2000).
Fig. 4. Diagram of a tikung
TINGKU
The traditional technique of making tingku was originated at the village of Kelei, a small village
close to the Poso Lake Central Sulawesi in the 1930s and has since spread to the five neighboring
villages. As in the other techniques, skills in building and erecting tingku are transferred from parents,
friends; no formal training is attended by honey gatherers.
A tingku is made of a roughly plane wood plank or a tree trunk. The length of the planks varied
between 2.0 and 3.5m. With width of 10-25cm. or 10-20 cm. in diameter for a tree trunk. Wood
between 3 and 10 cm. in thickness according to the honey gatherers is strong enough to support the nest
of A.d. binghami.
Because a tingku is permanently built, honey gatherers prefer to make tingku from strong wood
such as ‘kayu kondongio’ (Dysoxylum densiflorum), ‘kayu kolahi’ (Fagraea fragrans) or ‘kayu
ampuni’ (Cycas sp.) which last for 10-20 years. The branch of Pterocarpus indicus is also preferred
to make tingku because it will sprout, grow and become a living tingku. Unlike tikung, choice of wood
for tingku plank is not affected by the smell of the wood but by the strength of the wood. Strong
smelling wood such as ‘kayu kondongio’ is chosen for making tingku because of its durability.
A tingku is erected under a secondary forest or in a plantation, which still has a lot of bee forage
or is close to bee forage. Because the geographic condition of the area is hilly, tingku is erected on a
slope. The raising of a tingku differs from those of sunggau and tikung; a tingku is erected without any
support of poles on the ground. It is inserted into a steep slope about 0.5-1 m. deep, so that the length
of a tingku above the ground is about 1.5-2.5 m. Both side of the tingku are covered with leaves and
small twigs to avoid disturbances from animals, but in the front (in front of the upper end) must be
widely open ( Fig. 5). The slope of a tingku to the horizontal ranges between 00 and 300 or 300 to 600
between a tingku and the land slope (Hadisoesilo, in press).
Because tingku is permanently built, it can be erected any time of the year but it must be
monitored afterward, especially when the blooming season starts. Checking a tingku is done a month
later after bees have occupied the tingku. If the comb near the upper end of the tingku bellies out it
means honey is ready to be harvested. Harvesting honey from a tingku is very easy and done during
the day. The bees are driven off using traditional smoker from behind the tingku. After the bees left,
all the comb is cut.
Fig. 5.
m of a tingku
Diagra
The owner of the tingku harvests honey by himself. On a fine day a honey collector can harvest up to
10 colonies.
DISCUSSION
Sunggau, Tikung, and Tingku are traditional techniques of “managing”A. dorsata that have
been being practiced for decades or perhaps more than a century in Indonesia. These techniques are part
of the Indonesian heritage, therefore, preserving these techniques is of vital important. These
techniques which are safer than climbing trees also need improving so that the occupation rates of the
nest sites by the bees increase.
Techniques of harvesting honey should be improved by cutting of only the honey and leaving
the brood combs. If it is done at the right time, this technique of harvesting would permit 2-3 harvests
per season. Moreover, selective cutting may increase the sustainable of colonies.
So far, no data available on the origin of these techniques and when they were invented.
Sunggau and Tikung would have a common origin because of the short distance between these places
people from these areas could easily travel from Borneo to Bangka Belitung or vice versa. The more
primitive technique practiced in Lampung, South Sumatra as explained by de Vries (1992), perhaps
the predecessor of Sunggau and Tikung. On the other hand, Tingku which was invented later might
have independent origin but no report of any similar technique is known from any other region nearby.
However, there is a possibility that Tingku technique was brought from Borneo by Bugis people who
like traveling and sailing. Tikung was modified into Tingku in accordant to the local condition and
topography.
REFRENCES
Crane, E., V. van Luyen, V. Mulder, T.C. Ta. 1993. Tarditional management system for Apis dorsata
F.) In submerged forests in southern Vietnam and central Kalimantan. Bee World 74(1): 27-40.
de Vries, R. 1992. The history of honey and wax production of the giant honeybee (Apis dorasata) in
Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia. Proc. Ist NECTAR seminar, Royal Tropical Inst.
Amsterdam, pp. 75-87.
Hadisoesilo, S. In press. Tingku, a traditional “management” technique for Apis dorsata binghami in
central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Proc. 7th IBRA Conf. On Tropical Bees and 5th AAA Conf. Chiang
Mai, Thailand 19-25 March 2000.
Mulder, V., V. Heri, T. Wickham. 2000. Traditional honey and wax collection with Apis dorsata in the
upper Kapuas Lake Region, West Kalimantan. Borneo Res. Bull.
Purwanto, D.B. 1999. Some observations on beekeeping management with Apis dorsata in Belitung,
South Sumatra, Indonesia. MS Thesis, Faculty of Forestry & Ecology, Georg-August Univ,
Göttingen, Germany.
Sakagami, S.F., T. Matsumura, K. Ito. 1980. Apis laboriosa in Himalaya, the little known world largest
honeybee (Hymenoptera, Apidae).Insect Matsumunara 19: 47-77.