Development of apiculture modernization in China

Apiculture is a form of traditional agriculture that is critical for modern agricultural development in China. Generally, bees are pollinators of crops and producers of honey. Bees assume an increasing importance in modern agriculture. This is because apiculture focuses not only on increasing crop yields and farmers' income, but also ensures ecological balance. However, beekeeping technology in China still lags behind that in developed countries. This paper analyzed the relationship between apiculture and modern agriculture. It illustrated that bee pollination increased yield and quality of crops. Bees were also an important monitors and protectors of food-chain and agro-environment. The paper also highlighted the obstacles in apicultural development in China. China’s apiculture had mainly focused on bee production, and has largely neglected crop pollination. Most bee products were raw materials or semi-processed products. The nomadic beekeeping was the main mode of apiculture, with single bee instead of stereoscopic bee breeding. Apicultural research has mainly focused on the application aspect, at the expense of the theoretical aspect of beekeeping. Based on the above findings, the study suggested intensive industrialization of insect pollination, development of circular mode of apiculture, stationary beekeeping, intensive processing of bee products and enhancement of theoretical research.