ZOOM IN ON
Sierra Leone lies on the West Coast of Africa. Pockets remain of the rainforest that once covered all but the extreme north-east of the country. Most of the southern part of the country is covered with farm bush and dotted with oil palm bush giving way to wide savannah. SiZ@ 72,000 km2, with
Population 4.5
Climate
a
The problem of unavailability of funds to facilitate the development of projects in beekeeping is hampering progress in that direction, as most
coastline of 485 km.
million.
Tropical with
a
aid agencies are now concentrating their resources on relief supplies for the displaced people.
single rainy season between May
and November.
n agriculture Cocoa is the main crop, but since the recent civil cocoa wa: production has been very difficult. Other crops include coffee, palm kernel and ginger.
Honeybees Apis mellifera adansonii.
Beekeepers in Sierra Leone find these bees very productive, highly defensive and frequently absconding.
Beekeeping
In the Northern
Province traditional methods of
beekeeping are widely practised. Traditional beekeepers use hives made
Top-bar hives and modified Langstroth hives (designed by the Technology Consultancy Centre, Kumasi, Ghana) were first introduced to Sierra Leone
1980s, and were promoted by
nectar and pollen for bees.
Production
Honey: the average price is US $3 per kilogram. Beeswax is used mostly on threads for weaving cotton clothes, batik, candles, and in leather shoe manufacture.
Honeybee diseases
No diseases have been found.
Beekeeping Association
of logs, bark or baskets hung in the forest.
in the late
Species of Acacia, cashew, Citrus, coconut, Eucalyptus, guava, hibiscus, mango, neem, palm and wild sunflowers and many other native species are significant sources of
Melliferous vegetation
a number of projects during
that time. Most beekeepers have less than fifteen hives.
for the first Beeswax Global Contest in 1999 (reported in B&D 51).
Training
which bee hive is most appropriate? The answer is that Africa needs a low-technology top-bar hive. have modified wooden It is often asked
|
sierra Leone’s National Agency for Beekeepers was awarded a Bronze medal and an honorary certificate, plus US $500 by Cera Rica Noda Co Ltd Japan in the presentation
a
top-bar hive design to more appropriate mud design which apart from nails uses materials available from the bush.
The Njala University College-Newton Link, sponsored by the
British Council from 1994 to 1996, sponsored training of trainers and honey hunters. During the training, equipment manufacture and supply
was encouraged through workshops, seminars and exhibitions.
a
is affordable for farmers and similar enough to the traditional hive
Lunodtuction method that is easy for Sierra Leoneans to pick up and adapt. With a large-scale programme and a small input of funds for
protective clothing and smoker manufacture, high quality honey could be produced from many areas of Sierra Leone using this hive.
Present situation
The nine-year civil war has had serious
implications for beekeeping. Since Sierra Leone won the special prize in the Cera Rica Noda Contest (see Beekeeping Association) we should have been active in producing honey to supply the local market.
Also beekeeping encourages an increase in bee populations and thus enhances their role in the pollination of local crops.
Research
Abu Ansumana has been doing research on honeybees hives at the Certificate Training Centre, Njala University College, and bee Freetown.
Support for Projects
in recent years beekeeping has been assisted and promoted by church organisations and the British Council.
Journal
articles have been published in B&D, the British Council Newsletter, the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone News/etter and AGRISIL, the monthly newsletter of FAO's Co-ordination Unit.
Previous B&D articles on Sierra Leone the
sierra Leone
Green PawPaw Beeswax Mould B&D 37: 3 News around the Wortd B&D 55: 8.
Number of B&D recipients in Sierra Leone
Fifteen.
We would like to thank Mr Abu Ansumana for providing the information and photographs for this article. tigure
1
Ligure 2
Hive body in construction
The hive is coated with mud
inside and out Figure Abu Ansumana and the finished mud hive with raffia cane 3
top-bars
Beekeeping & Development 56
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