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Inthe remote North Western Province of Zambia 4 great plateau covered by forest Here the scattered villages are isolated clearings in the bush which stretches like a dark green ocean to the harizon tt is a region hardly touched by modern ‘devclopment” where peuple live much as they always have done - by hunting. fishing and hes
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Certain tribes have spectalised in beekeeping and use techniques that enable them to harvest honey and beeswax in harmony with the bees and the forest ft is remarkable that while African bees are venerally feared tor their stings, traditional beekeepers do not need protective clothing because they know the laws by which bees recognise friend or foe
great excitement as one by one beekeepers weigh their buckets and are pald They can now buy essential commodities from the marketing team
Beekeeping 1s not just an income source, It is d way Of life [tis hard work and needs enterprise and initiative but it is a lifestyle which 1s rewarding on many levels
How are beekeepers organised? The Company tries to reach every group of beekeepers no matter how remote they are and the Companys vehn des travel toy 300 isolated Villages scattered one 75 000 bra
is the traditional beekeepers. together with their District Councils who have formed the North Western Bee Products Company to market their honey and wax throughout Zambia and abroad This has encouraged beekeepers to Increase production so they can purchase essential items like salt soap and blankets lt
1990 RECORD WAX
PRODUCTION disappointing year for honey production but beeswax production topped 53 tonnes This is an excellent result tne best for 37 years! The records show that only in 1954, 1951 1946 and 1945 was wax production higher The bumper wax harvest had several causes The producer price for Wax has become very attractive, especially ina year when bees gathered little honey Some group chairmen reported that beekeepers were cropping the combs left behind in hives abandoned as the colonies migrated ta better bee 1990 was a
pastures The man responsible tor this achievement 15 Bob Malichi, the manager of North Western Bee Products It 1s through his policies of working with the beekeepers to arrive at fair prices that the people have been motivated to go Gul and produce more This result also shows that bark hive beekeeping is a sustainable use of the forest resources which has been maintained at present levels for most of this century Forest Honey News, lune 1991
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Traditional beekeeping Beekeepers start Jearning at an early age when they travel with their grandfathers far into the bush to help with hive making Hives are placed deep in the forest many miles from the villages Hives made of the bark of particular trees are suspended high in branches to avoid army ants and honey badgers Each beekeeper usually owns about 100 hives but some own over 2000! During the flowering season swarms of bees arrive to occupy the hives After a couple of years the hives are ready to be cropped Beekeepers and their helpers set up a bush camp where they stay fora few months, gathering the honey and hunting The evenings are spent around the camp fire, drinking honey beer and telling stories
Harvested honey 1s transported many miles back to the village usually by bicycle along narrow torests paths In the villages wax 1s separated from honey using simple press machines provided on loan by the Company The honey is packed in plastic buckets ready for sale and the wax ts purified by melting in boiling water and straining through a cloth When the village beekeeping group chairman sees that most of the honey 1s ready he sends a messenger to the Company office in Kabompo to find out when a lorry can be sent to collect the honey On marketing day all the beekeepers gather at the chatrmans house with ther buckets of honey and cakes of wax There is
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this way the Company allows many more people to participate in beekeeping As it 1s one of the anly sources of cash Income in this part of Zambia, this makes a real difference in bringing commodities to the villages The Beekeepers Association fover 4000 Members| holds 50° of the shares in the Company In order to stimulate management mitiative and ensure growth the Company operates independently and profitably This strategy has proved successful - production has continued to expand This 1s a remarkable achievement given the difficult economic condihions which Zambia faces as a “Frontline State” In
In Zambia today the economic situation is so bad that it 1s very difficult to buy even the simplest imported item Essential household items are only available at prices out of reach of the ordinary Zambian, outside cities they are not dvallable at all This alse brings problems for companies as many materials and services are
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