Beekeeping falls under livestock keeping, it is therefore
adheres to most of regulations that are laid forward by the livestock
department in Kenya. In agri-farming beekeeping tops the list as the most
profitable and scalable type of agriculture.
Honey production is an alternative source of income for most of communities that live in ASAL regions in Kenya. Although this has been the norm, of late communities even in other areas that are doing well in agriculture with well distributed rainfall, have decided to venture in this field due to the fact that bees are pollinators that boost food productivity.
Honey production is an alternative source of income for many
farmers in Coastal Kenya. There is a growing demand for improved quality and
quantity of hive products which requires adoption of the use of modern methods
of beekeeping. With this there is a huge gap for sensitization of the community
and new entrants through trainings on modern beekeeping not only in the coastal
region but also in Kenya.
We do recommend the following
procedural steps that if well followed can result to increase honey production.
i) Setting the Apiary:
Either have an open apiary of house apiary. The hives under
open apiary should be made in a way that they do not allow excess sunshine to
enter the hive which results in melting of the combs. Melting of the honey
combs may render the hive unfavorable place thus making bees to swarm.
• Site apiary at least 100 meters from the nearest house or
and road.
• Establish a hedge around the apiary to allow bees fly
vertically as they leave and enter apiary.
• Provide water to minimize menace of bees in houses.
ii) Make use of the modern Beehives:
Modern hives are of different types. Most common ones are:
Langstroth hives, Kenya Top Bar, Box hive etc. Beehives should have standard
components i.e
1). Brooder
2). Queen Excluder
3). Supper
4). 20 Frames all should be waxed
5). Cover lid with aluminium sheet
· Place card
board under iron sheet lid to cushion excess heat for better bee occupation.
· In addition
can have a clearing board as another component for your langstroth hives.
· Construct
hives with timber that is termite proof, resistant to rotting due to effect of
sun and rain, warp proof and non-bee repellent e.g. Cypress, Pine and Grevilia.
iii) Pests Control.
Bee’s biggest enemy is the crawling insects. These bee pests
affect hive occupation and development of bee colonies. The common pests
include wax moth, beetles, ants, bee pirates, spiders and squirrels/rodents.
· In Most
cases where possible embrace the Metallic stands for all your hives
· Maintain a
strong colony to fight invading enemies.
· Inspect the
hives every month to remove cobwebs and rodents.
· Maintain
cleanliness of apiary.
· Apply
grease-insecticide mixture on the hive hanging wires.
iv) Handling of bees
a) Proper dressing:
A complete protective kit is required while handling bees.
The kit comprises of the full Complete bee suit with veil (head gear), leather
gloves and gumboots or ankle boots.
· The
other tools are the smoker, hive tool and bee brush. Check with your co-worker
whether you are properly dressed before entering the apiary.
b) Starting the Smoker
· African
bees are somewhat aggressive. Thus, to reduce their aggressiveness bee smoking
is done with cool smoke from dry debris, wood shavings, saw dust Start the fi
re from the bottom and then load smoking material (fuel) from the top and
compress lightly until the smoker cylinder is filled to capacity.
· Pump
severally until there is smoke, indicating that fire is established before
closing the lid. The smoker is now ready for use.
c) Opening the hive:
· Avoid
approaching the hive directly at the bee entrance side, because obstruction of
bees’ fly-path makes them aggressive.
· Apply smoke
into the hive from the entrance and around the lid and wait for two minutes and
repeat before opening.
· With the
lid open, tap the top bars or frames from the entrance backwards to determine
the extent of comb construction. The point of change in sound signifies the end
of comb construction.
· Move two
bars ahead and open the top bars or frames leaving adequate working space while
directing smoke gently at this point so that bees remain inside the hive as you
work.
· Maintain
gentle movements. Fast movements irritate bees.
· Avoid
crushing bees.
v) Harvesting honey
· Harvest
combs that are fully capped or at least 2/3 capped to obtain honey of less than
20% moisture content.
· Do not
harvest combs that contain brood or pollen as they will affect the quality of
honey.
vi) Processing honey.
Small scale processing is done using basic equipments like: Honey Presser, Double Strainer Sieve, Conical Sieve and 20L Food Grade Bucket with honey gate. Crush selected honeycombs then pass mixture through a series of strainers (60, 90 and 120 holes per square inch) by gravity for about 12 hours. Do not squeeze the honey combs where unnecessary.
vii) Packaging honey
Pack honey in plastic or glass jars for the market. Honey
can also be sold in the comb without processing as comb honey.
Add more value to your packaging through branding your honey
and other bee products.