Bees for Development Journal
Hazards Bush fires are a very serious threat to beekeeping in Okuku. In this Savanna Zone, vegetation is always burnt completely every year during the five month dry periods between November and March. These annual bush burnings cause colonies to migrate to distant lands and the colonies hardly come down to occupy hives baited with attractants. Such baited hives normally remain fallow, unoccupied by bees for a long period. Bush fires also destroy all plants including melliferous trees. Consequently bees are unable to find enough nectar or pollen.
The cutting of branches of melliferous trees such as Gmelina arborea by farmers also causes shortages of nectar and pollen. The farmers use the branches of the trees as yam stakes. The small hive beetle Aethina tumida and the large hive beetle Holplostomus fuligineus are very common and very dangerous insect pests of the bee colonies at Okuku. These insect pests caused the absconding of three colonies in April and
August 2003. The wax moth Galleria mellonela, is one of the great pests of colonies at Okuku. Galleria mellonela destroyed all the combs of one colony in August 2003 and caused all the bees to abscond from the hive as they laid eggs into the comb cells and their larvae fed on honey and produced cobwebs that damaged the entire combs.
The house flies Musca domestica also do some damage to the combs as they eat the honey and lay eggs into the comb.
NOTICE BOARD INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY The World Forest Institute is seeking individuals working in forestry and natural resources to apply for our International Fellowship Program. The Institute is seeking people with initiative, interest in international forestry issues, and a good command of English. Visit: www.worldforestry.org/wfi APICULTURE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST Deadline for receipt of entries 30 April 2004. Further details: www.aulaapicolazuqueca.com MARKET OPPORTUNITY Our association is interested in the marketing of hive products, especially honey and beeswax. We are looking for business partnerships and to exchange opportunities world-wide. Contact: Samba Sene on sambasene@hotmail.com
FINANCIAL SUPPORT WANTED My name is Willy Chong. am a beekeeper in Apac District in Uganda. want funding from any NGO or any good person, |
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who can fund me to support my project since LRA burnt ail my hives. need funding to buy land to keep my bees and also to buy top-bar hives since am living in Apac Town and not my home place. Please assist me so that also promote my project. Contact: Willy via Bees for Development |
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The red Safari ants, locally known as Tailor ants, Dorilidae and Sugar ants did some damage to colonies as they fed on the stored honey of the very weak colonies. The black Soldier ants are the commonest that cause absconding in Okuku during the rainy season from May to October.
Agama lizards, Agama spp were always seen at the flight
entrances in the afternoons catching the bees and eating them. These reduce the population of guard bees and thereby weaken the strength of the colony. While Agama lizards eat bees in the day time, the Gecko lizards feed on bees at night. Hives placed near the ground were disturbed by toads which were often found around the flight entrance catching and eating the bees at night time.
Prospects Honey hunting is practised and there is a high demand for honey: surplus can be sold easily in the local and city markets, and people in nearby hospitals are in need of honey. Frame hives can greatly improve and increase beekeeping as the few beekeepers and/or traditional honey hunters are eager to receive advice geared towards making beekeeping a more rewarding and lucrative business.
The flora of Okuku could support about 5,000 productive bee colonies. This represents an annual production capacity of 83,000 kg of honey (ie 16.67 kg per colony) worth about N3,000 or US$30 per colony based on 2003 domestic market prices.
Today's production of honey in Okuku is less than 1% of the potential. Production can be raised through education of the people on the benefits of beekeeping. The people should be made to know that bush burning does more harm than good.
Concluding remarks The moral and financial support of Bees for Development and readers of this Journal is being solicited to enable the authors to promote further beekeeping in Okuku for meaningful economic and social benefits.
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