News

BANGLADESH

One of the aims of Raishari Beekeepers’ Association is to raise awareness to save bees from pesticides. Farmers apply large quantities of pesticides and they are unaware of the hazards these cause to beneficial insects and pollinator Every year the number of bees killed by pesticides is a very discouraging facet of apiculture in Bangladesh. Our Association travels to agricultural fairs and displays material on beekeeping and the problems with pesticides

CAMEROON

Ngaoundal Region in the north of Cameroon is blessed with a savanna vegetation useful for beekeeping. Honey is harvested from September to January every year and 200 litres of sweet honey sell for 100,000 CFA (US$140). Honey trading has improved income for beekeepers and honey traders who are also farmers. Customers travel from different areas of Cameroon to buy Ngaoundal honey.

Beekeepers are facing some problems, for example lack of training on how to harvest honey without harming the bees, and the use of hives, which are not always clean. Mr Andrew Abbo, a beekeeper of Ngaoundal says: “We want to sell our honey abroad but we have no means for this project. It is not good to keep honey in the house for too long: we have to go to the customers”

Andre Ledoux Wamtba, Douala

HOTPEC Workshop

Rev Zadock Tanne sent in this photograph of the HOTPEC beekeeping workshop held earlier this year. Festus Usongo (left) is demonstrating beekeeping practices with the assistance of his colleagues. HOTPEC received information support for the Workshop from Bees for Development.

ETHIOPIA

Mehari Yoseph sent in this photograph of at least 30 local hives hanging in a tree near Arbaclinch, south-west Ethiopia.

* Please see the original journal to see the photo

TANZANIA

The Hanang beekeeping project started in

1999 in Hanang District in East Tanzania. The project operates in 16 villages with 36 beekeeping groups comprising 817 members. The major objective is to involve people in beekeeping to increase employment for young people and women in particular, and hence increase household incomes under good environmental management. The project plays a major role in increasing awareness of the value of natural vegetation and the need for its conservation for honey production.

The project arranges training courses in honey processing, colony management, storage of good quality honey and beeswax, and how to make use of bee equipment. Average production is 7kg of honey and 4kg of beeswax per hive per year. Three marketing centres have been established for honey and beeswax trading.

The project receives funds from the National Income Generating programme and from its members. More income would help the project develop its work

Project Manager, Hanang Beckeeping Project Arusha Revion

GHANA

Honey centre opens in Saltpond

A centre for beekeeping excellence has opened in Saltpond, 120km west of Accra, the capital of Ghana. A ceremony to inaugurate the centre was held on 1 June 2001.

The Guest of Honour was Mrs Elizabeth Croffie, Headmistress of nearby Mfantsim in Girls Secondary School who donated the land on which the centre is built as a contribution to the development of beekeeping in Ghana.

Many members of the Ghana Beekeepers’ Association provided displays at the ceremony.

Mrs Janet Aidoo whose family own the centre is the Manager. There is a 200-colony core production unti and the centre has trained and equipped six beekeepers in the surrounding areas to act as 'out-growers' and augment the supply of honey and other bee products.

The centre produces beekeeping equipment for sale and offers a consultancy services to organisations and individuals: for beginner beekeepers this is a free services.

Kwame Aidoo

KENYA

The Vihiga Bee Project: the lost and found culture in Africa

The Western Apiculture and Sericulture Self Help Group (WASSH Group) is committed to attaining positive socio-economic impact on rural small holders through apiculture and sericulture projects.

At the Vihiga Cultural Festival held in December 2000 WASSH presented a local hive showing that the Maragoli people are traditional beekeepers who keep bees in this type of hive, which they carve from the Mutembe tree. This tree is culturally meaningful and influenced many other traditional practices. The Mutembe tree can tolerate fire and is termite resistant and has many other uses including:

- Starting fires (but not as a firewood);

- Carving instruments, in addition to hives, mortars, musical instruments, agricultural implements and traditional stools for village elders;

- Medicinal purposes: to cure mumps, prevent sexually transmitted diseases, and other problems;

- Settling disputes, instilling social justice, social order and social discipline;

- This tree binds people together as a peaceful, cohesive, unified and law-abiding society.

Other names for the Mutembe tree are:

- BOTANIC -Erythrina abyssinica

- BUNYORE - Omurembe

- ENGLISH - Flame tree

- KIPSIGIS - Kogorwet

- KISWAHILI - Mwamba Ngoma

- LUO - Orembe

- POKOT - Kokorwo

This tree needs to be protected and conserved as it is rare and is disappearing fast with the abandonment of Maragoli culture and traditions. In the Maragoli culture women cannot handle this traditional hive, whereas they can handle frame hives. The frame hive has been adopted by the project as a tool for poverty alleviation in Vihiga.

In Sabatia Division of Vihiga District we prepared a training session that began in 2001.

The Division is home to over 1000 members of the project who are in the process of revitalising our lost traditional and cultural apicultural values into modern life, and as a result are alleviating poverty. A qualified apiculturalist trained at ICIPE manages the project. Despite the fact that we are slightly handicapped as far as training tools and materials are concerned, we are determined to start the training as soon as the farmers finish the registration programme.

The Manager, The Vihiga Project, Nairobi

UGANDA

Ssasira Primary School Bee Project

The project at the school has registered some significant achievements since it started. We are assisted with management by the technical staff in the District and this has ensured stability in the bee farm. We harvest 100 kg honey every year that is sold locally. Girls at the school particularly benefit from the Project: part of the money from the sale of honey is used to buy books, pens and pencils for the girls whose parents cannot afford to provide them.

Theft of hives and honey was a problem until the school recruited a watchman to ensure the hives are not stolen. Despite the achievements the project faces a few problems that hinder progress: local honey prices are low, so the best income is not obtained for the products. Also the school lacks funds to provide protective clothing. The future plan is to expand the bee farm with more hives and search for a better market for a fairer price for the honey harvested. At this point I call upon all people of goodwill to come to our rescue and avail us with necessary assistance so that our vision may come true.

Musaazi Ronald, Headinaster, Ssasira Primary Schoul, Nakasongola, Uganda

Tema-Jo Beekeeping Association

In August 2001 Tema-Jo Beekeeping Association, in the north of Uganda near Gulu, had a membership of 64, 31 women and 33 men.

Natural vegetation is includes Acacia sp, A/bizia sp and Combretum sp. Most farmers plant bananas, beans, Cassia, Citrus, Eucalyptus and sunflowers which are also good forage for the bees.

Tema-Jo Association uses local hives made from logs, bark and clay pots. Using these hives, care for the beescan be difficult at harvest time, and other disadvantages are that colony observation Is not possible; combs are destroyed during harvesting; continuity of the colony after harvesting ts very difficult as the brood 1s disturbed; and the quality of the honey is reduced if it contains pollen and brood. Finally the hives have to be hung in trees or raised off the ground which makes them cumbersome for harvesting.

Despite the availability of hives for beekeeping, when the time is right for harvesting rural people will still collect honey from the wild colonies in trees and ant hills.

Labeja James Okuma, Chairman of Tema-Jo Beekeeping Association