The Sunday Mail
Andrew T Mangwarara Garden Affair
Keeping bees can be both a hobby and a money-making venture. Many people fear the little critters but with the right equipment there is no need to be scared, as you will find that it is just like keeping a vicious dog, but on a leash. Bees can produce as much as 15kg to 20kg of honey per hive in a season, so the rewards are quite good as 500g sells for US$5.
Bee-keeping has a number of advantages to the environment and community, for instance, trees are preserved while crops benefit from the cross-pollination done by the bees.
Bees produce not just honey but also wax used to make candles and soap, royal jelly (used to make medicines) and propolis (used to make remedies for asthma, arthritis and skin diseases).
Honey has amazing antiseptic, antioxidant and cleansing properties and can be used to heal burns or cuts, diarrhoea, coughs, stomach ulcers, reduce the risk of cancer,
scientifically proven to improve athletic performance, boost memory and provides an array of nutrients.
Having the correct equipment to start bee-keeping entails that one needs a smoker to keep the bees sedated and controllable, a bee suit, a hive tool, gloves, gumboots, a bee brush and a catch box (used to attract bees or to catch bees before they can be transferred to a hive).
There are a number of beehive types from the traditional bark or log made in the rural areas to the modern Langstroth or Kenyan Top bar hives.
Each one has its own advantages and disadvantages.
The next crucial aspect of bee- keeping is the selection of a suitable site for keeping the bee hives.
Due to bad weather and theft some people would choose to house all their hives in a locked room specially those constructed for that purpose.
Beehives if placed in trees need to be high enough for the bees’ traffic to be above the heads of passers.
It is a hobby suitable for people with sizeable pieces of property in quite restricted areas as a lot of noise would agitate the bees and cause them to swarm and sting people.
A good site allows for the bees to leave early in the morning and return late evening. Suitable markers (bright colours) must be placed so as to aid the bees in their return to the bee hive.
There should be shade for the hive during parts of the day to help cool the hive and near water as bees require a large quantity of water. If the water source is too far buckets can be placed nearby. Place sticks in them for easier landing to avoid drowning the bees.
Once you have constructed a beehive or purchased one it must be positioned in the correct site before the swarming season begins.
Swarming is a way of beginning a new colony and it is usually during the dry spell after the rains (March to May) or during spring (August to November).
Swarming is as a result of the bees failing to have enough space in their hive to store food, or if their hive is destroyed or if the queen fails to lay eggs.
It is at this time that the bee keeper can catch a swarm but it should never be done without protective clothing or before smoking the bees.
Bees in a swarm rarely sting unless forced, so smoke the bees first. A swarm may be found hanging on a tree or a building, once found it must be caught immediately.
Brush or shake the bees into a box or basket then shake the bees into a new hive. Once introduced into a new hive the bees must be left for a few days undisturbed, but after they are settled the bees will start storing food.
Bees, like any other living things, have natural enemies thus the colony must be regularly inspected.
The natural enemies of bees are usually ants, mice, spiders, snakes, wasps, civet cats, honey badgers, lizards, birds and fire.
To protect the hive from natural enemies it is better to suspend the hive with wire off the ground.
A colony must be inspected on sunny bright day in the cooler hours of the day and not on a cloudy and windy day.
Always approach a hive away from the entrance of the bees or the path they move in and out of the beehive.
Supplementary feeding is essential especially during the dry season or else the bees will leave the beehive. Make food for the bees using white sugar because brown sugar causes diarrhoea for the bees.
To make the solution dissolve 500g of sugar in half-a-litre of water and add a quarter level teaspoon of salt (salt helps prevent diarrhoea).
Hang the bottle in the hive upside down after perforating it with a pin.
When it’s time for harvesting, smoke the hive and wait for a few minutes while you observe the mood of the hive before opening it.
Use the hive tool or knife to open the hive and always leave the first bars from the entrance for the bees to feed on during the dry season.
Collect the honey, if ready, into a plastic bucket to avoid contamination.
Grade the honey at harvesting time, the light coloured from the dark coloured.
The honeycomb can be processed using a honey presser but remember to place the combs on a wire gauze, on to the honey press basin then place another wire gauze on top. This allows only the liquid honey to pass through.
Once strained, the honey can again be passed through a clean white cloth stretched over a bucket; though this is a slow process it ensures that the honey is pure.
It is now ready to be bottled and sent to the market.
