How to Start Bee Farming in Kenya [Beginners Guide]

How To Start Bee Farming in Kenya - Bee farming is the process of keeping honeybees to produce honey. There are many benefits of bee farming that include raising bees and selling the honey to earn money.

Despite vast areas of land covered with flowers and plants, bee farming in Kenya remains underutilized in comparison to other forms of animal farming in the country.

The few beekeepers thereby are enjoying the benefits and making enormous profits from the venture. If you also want to venture into bee farming in Kenya, you have to be trained, the source for funding, choose and prepare the land, construct or purchase a beehive, get the necessary equipment, install your bee hive, get your bee species, populate your beehive, manage and care for your bees, and harvesting.

This article is to guide people who are interested in starting a bee farming business in Kenya and want to know how to do it.

How to Start Bee Farming in Kenya

The steps on how to start bee farming in Kenya have been carefully outlined and discussed below. Ensure you read through to the end to get all the information you need.

Step 1: Be Trained

The first thing you should consider when starting beekeeping is the bee-human relationship. Bees are very dangerous insects that sting and, to some extent, can cause death, so you should know how to deal with them.

That is why you must be trained because beekeeping entails more than just keeping bees; there are guidelines, steps, and other key skills that you must learn.

As a result, if you want to start bee farming, you must first educate yourself and receive proper training so that you have a thorough understanding of how to keep bees.

You can become an apprentice in an established bee farm to learn firsthand training and practical instruction on how to keep bees.

Step 2: Source for Funding

If you don’t have the money to start a bee farm, you must find the means to get it. Because almost all of the equipment needed for a beekeeping venture costs money.

Personal savings, angel investors, grants, and loans from friends and family, as well as banks and other financial service organizations, can all be used to fund your bee farm business.

However, if at all possible, avoid taking out loans unless there are no other options.

Step 3: Choose and Prepare the Land

Your bee farm’s location needs to be in an area that receives a lot of sunlight so that the bees can get five to six hours of direct sunlight each day. Importantly, the location should have an abundant supply of flowers and other nectar-producing plants.

The location must also have plenty of shade such as tall trees and other vegetation where bees can spend time to survive.

More so, Bees drink water every day. As a result, the location should be close to a body of water or in an area that gets a lot of dew and rain. Bees make a lot of swarming noises that draw attention from onlookers. Avoid placing your bee farm in the middle of a residential area for this reason.

Step 4: Obtain Required Permit and License

Beekeeping is not as simple as it may seem, but if you want to start bee farming in Kenya, you need to get your bees from a registered breeder, buy your hives and equipment from licensed suppliers and register your bee farm with the relevant authorities before you can start making money.

Step 5: Construct or Purchase a Beehive

You construct or buy a beehive, a compact building where several bees will be housed, fed, and taken care of. Beehives are made by assembling hexagons to create a shape, size, and length.

Beehives are made by assembling hexagons to create a shape, size, and length. The beehive you select or construct should be made simple to collect honey.

There are three main types of commonly used hives in Kenya, these are traditional log hives, Kenya top beehives, and frame hives.

Step 6: Get the Necessary Equipment

You need to get all the necessary equipment for beekeeping, which includes a hive; protective gear like a hat, veil, special pants, goggles, and gloves; a smoker; bee brush; hive tool; and tools for harvesting honey.

Step 7: Installing Your Beehive

This is the stage where you will set up your beehive at the identified location with proper protection from the elements. You should install your bee hive by adhering to these instructions:

Avoid placing your hives in an area where insecticides are frequently used, in a busy neighborhood, or too close to a road.
Try to locate a dry area; your hives won’t do well on swampy ground.
Keep the hive out of direct sunlight because the bees will suffer.

Note: Leave enough space between the colonies so that you can move through freely without bumping into anything.

Step 8: Get Your Bee Species

A variety of bee species are available in the marketplace. You can purchase from a local apiary or bee breeder. In Kenya, the following species are commonly farmed:

Honeybees

This species is divided into several races. The races differ in terms of aggressiveness, nesting habits, and areas of habitation.

Non-stinging bees

These generate valuable medicinal honey. However, stinging bees can be kept in small hives.

Step 9: Populate Your Beehive

It’s important to know when to stock your beehive. If you establish the colony too soon, your bees may go without food, and if you do so too late, you will have missed the main nectar flow, and they won’t be able to produce much honey as expected.

Space for feeders, a consistent flow of water, and sugar are necessities for a bee farm.

If you purchase bees from a nearby apiary, you should gently shake the bees out of the package before placing them in the chosen hive. Place any bees that are still in the packaging at the beehive’s entrance and they will find their way into the hive.

Step 10: Manage and Care for Your Bees

You need to take proper care of your bees so that they can produce honey as much as expected. Ensure you carry out the task below routinely.

Regular Inspection

Inspect your beehive regularly. Look for signs of disease or parasite infestation, or see if any other insects or pests are attempting to enter the hive.

Some fundamental signs that something is wrong with your colony include the absence of hatchlings, bent wings, weakened province, broken bars, visible hive creepy crawlies, or wax moths on the brush, among other things.

Contact your local extension office right away if you notice any problems, such as an unusually high disease or mortality rate.

Regular Feeding

It is crucial to give the bees enough food and water. During the summer, bees require a lot of water and honey.

Step 11: Harvest Honey

The enjoyable part of this stage is getting to collect the prepared honey. When you want to take honey out of the hives, you need a bee brush, an escape board or fume board, protective clothing, frames, and other things.

Wearing protective clothing will prevent you from being severely stung while collecting honey.

How Much Does It Cost To Start A Bee Farm In Kenya?

With as little as 10,000 shillings, you can start a bee farm in Kenya. However, due to the rise in the price of equipment, the price can go up to 15,000 shillings.

How Much Does A Beehive Cost In Kenya?

The cost of a beehive in Kenya begins from Ksh 5,000 to 7,000 depending on the type of wood used.

How Do You Start Your Own Bee Farm?

To start your bee farm, you have to select a suitable land to farm your bees. The location should have plenty of flowers and meets all climate and soil conditions.

Purchase beehive and beekeeping equipment like hive tools, a smoker, a feeder, protective clothing, and a water source. You need to install your beehive and then stock your bees in the beehive.

Make sure you feed and water your bees routinely and at the same time check their health to be sure they are healthy and go about their routine activities. At the right time, you can harvest the honey produced by the bees.

How Profitable Is Bee Keeping In Kenya?

Kenyan honey production is a lucrative industry that ensures long-term success. Other than marketing knowledge, no additional talents are required to sell honey in Kenya. Sell only pure, unadulterated honey to satisfy the strong client demand for the product.

How Much Is A Kilo Of Honey In Kenya?

A kilo of pure natural honey in Kenya costs around Ksh. 785.

Is A Bee Farm Profitable?

A bee farm can be profitable to operate. You’ll eventually be able to keep bees that you can sell honey from to consumers. Along with many other business prospects, this endeavor will allow you to hire your bees for pollination services.

How Many Times Can You Harvest Honey In Kenya?

In Kenya, honey can be harvested three to five times per year. The combs stay intact after honey extraction, allowing bees to refill empty spaces with fresh honey, reducing the amount of time needed to produce honey in succeeding seasons.

Where Can I Buy Stingless Bees In Kenya?

You can purchase stingless bees in Kenya from various bee retailers either online or from local beekeepers near you who raise stingless bees.

How Much Honey Does A Hive Have In Kenya?

In Kenya, a beehive normally produces 15 kilograms of honey each year.

How Much Time Does Beekeeping Take?

Beekeeping can be strenuous. Taking care of bees, checking for their health, and feeding them can take time. You can spend a minimum average of 15 to 35 hours per year.

How Many Bees Do I Need To Start A Hive?

To start a hive, you will need a minimum of 5–10 thousand worker bees and 1 queen bee.

How Hard Is It To Have A Bee Farm?

Beekeeping may sound easy and seems fancy to venture into, but it requires commitment and effort to keep the farm running. Bees need access to water, sunlight, and a robust hive, and at certain times of the year, they can also need to be fed. All these and more can be tedious if you lack the skill to care for bees.

Are There Bees In Kenya?

Yes, there are bees in Kenya and there are a lot of varieties available in the country. The honeybee is the most important bee species and commonly farmed bee in the country.

What Equipment Do I Need To Keep Bees?

There is necessary equipment you need to acquire as you venture into bee farming. Items like a hive; protective gears such as a hat, veil, special pants, goggles, and gloves; a smoker; bee brush; hive tool; and tools for harvesting honey are major equipment needed to keep bees.

What Is The Best Time To Start Beekeeping?

The suitable time to start beekeeping is in spring when the weather is cool to allow the bees to go about their daily task.

What Time Of Year Is Best To Start A Beehive?

The best time of the year to start a beehive is in the spring season just as soon as the weather begins to warm and the flowers start blooming to foster pollination and at the same time honey production.

How Much Does A Queen Bee Cost?

Averagely, a queen bee will cost you around $30 to $45.

What Is The Cost Of A Bee Hive?

A beehive is an essential piece of equipment when it comes to beekeeping. The cost of a beehive will cost you around Ksh 5,000 to Ksh 7,000 depending on the type of wood used to construct the hive.

How Do You Keep Bees In Kenya?

To keep bees in Kenya, you need to locate a suitable site that is warm and has plenty of flowers and vegetation.

Get your beehive and locate beehive and place it in a suitable site that is in no way near human activities. Also, the hives should be at least a meter apart and placed on iron bar stands and the bee colony will come by itself.

How Many Bee Hives Per Acre In Kenya

In general, it is best to have not more than 20 beehives per acre. This is to avoid overpopulation and unnecessary competition for resources.

Bee Farming In Kenya Pdf

Bee farming in Kenya PDF is a complete guide that contains all the information you need to know about how to start bee farming in Kenya. The material contains step-by-step guides and tips regarding bee species, farming methods, equipment, feeding method, harvesting honey, and much more information.

You can surf the internet to download rich bee farming in Kenya PDF material, as many as you want. Importantly, is that you read the content and work in line with what you have learned

Stingless Bee Farming In Kenya

Stingless bee farming in Kenya is becoming a norm. Because of their stingless feature, bee farmers in Kenya are opting for this type of bee rather than the stinging ones.

Stingless bees can be kept in small beehives or trunks so that they can produce honey. Overall, the method of keeping stingless bees in Kenya is in no way different from keeping stinging bees.

Kalro Bee Keeping

The Kenyan government founded KALRO, an apiculture research institute, with the goals of creating a national research system that didn’t already exist and offering cutting-edge technology solutions for every stage of the apiculture value chain.

This is anticipated to boost Kenya’s apiculture modernization and increase output. The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Act No. 17 of 2013 established the prestigious Apiculture Research Institute to grant operational autonomy to the sub-sector of apiculture through efficient and targeted research.

One of KALRO’s current main objectives is to equip counties with the information and abilities needed to use climate-smart approaches to minimize the biotic and abiotic challenges that limit the apiculture sub-sector.

Beekeeping Business Plan Kenya PDF

Beekeeping business plan Kenya PDF is designed to help you establish and operate a successful beekeeping business. The beekeeping business plan PDF contains is detailed information about a natural beekeeping business plan that you can follow as a template and follow the pattern available in the material.

Bee Farming PDF

Bee farming PDF is compiled with rich information about bee farming containing vital information such as bee farming methods and processes, suitable bee specie to farm, how to set up your apiary, beekeeping equipment, and other vital tips you need to operate a smooth bee farming enterprise.

Bee Farmers In Kenya

There are numerous bee farmers in Kenya across the various counties in the country. They are responsible for the local production of honey consumed in the state. You can easily find a bee farmer closer to you or surf the internet to get search results of bee farmers in Kenya that are near you.

Bee Keeping Farming

Beekeeping farming refers to the practice of raising bees to produce honey, beeswax, and other bee products for use as food, income, and occasionally as medicine.

Conclusion

The process of bee farming is not a complicated one and has been practiced by Kenyans for generations. You can be one of the few bee farmers in the country by following the steps discussed in this guide. Ensure you follow the steps to the latter to get optimum results.