Bees for Development Journal 131 July 2019
Assessing factors that impact on hive colonisation Robert Mtisi, Makoni Beekeepers Association, Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe Introduction
Beekeeping is not about how many bee hives one has in the apiary. It is about having a good number of colonies. Beekeepers who take time focusing on improving their hive occupancy ratio have the greatest chance of making beekeeping a sustainable business that can strengthen the local and national economy. Beekeepers need to understand what bees are looking for when they seek a hive to occupy. Beekeepers will be successful if the wider honey bee population is healthy and thriving within a landscape with abundant and diverse forage. By understanding the bees’ needs, the hive occupancy ratio will improve.
Many beekeepers concentrate on increasing the number of bee hives in an area while giving insufficient consideration to hive colonisation. Too many hives are left idle without bees, which means the owner of the assets (hives) is not receiving any return from them. It is believed that most of Africa including Zimbabwe has a low hive occupancy ratio of 40% (Bradbear, 2009; Nyatsande, et al, 2014). The lack of knowledge about hive colonisation by many beekeepers impacts negatively on honey production. With this article I want to inform beekeepers how to create the best environment to support bees, improve honey production and strengthen local economies. The research took place in several apiaries in Zimbabwe that use the top-bar beekeeping system. The system was chosen by participants because of several advantages, including:
Map 1: Zimbabwe Agro-Ecological Zones
Study area
Makoni District is surrounded by four other districts in Manicaland Province 4
