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Conrad Bérubé |
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Conrad Bérubé |
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| Farmserve Africa Farmer to Farmer volunteer report Higher incomes for beekeepers through the
Trip dates September 15, 2002 to October
16, 2002 Conrad Bérubé |
Visual aids (drawings)
Oict training center, kumbungu, Ghana
October 7, 2002 to October 12, 2002
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| Apiaries should be positioned a minimum of 150-200 meters from habitations, roads or footpaths and locations where animals are staked or enclosed. |
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| Bee products have been harvested from wild nests and a variety of traditional hives in Africa for millennia. |
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| Hives should not be too close together, be haphazardly arranged or be placed in areas with minimal shade. |
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| "stretcher" handles can easily be added to the kenya top-bar hive. Such handles can be facilitate carrying fully loaded hives and provide a handy resting spot for combs removed from the hive during inspections. The handles also allow the KTBH to be hung from posts or tree-limbs to reduce damage caused by ants and bush fires and prevent knock-down by wind and domestic animals. |
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| Apiaries should be established where hives will receive shade during the hottest portions of the day and where bees will have access to water and nectar and pollen bearing plants. Hives should be arranged so that entrances all face outwards (or all inwards) so to create a safe zone, out of bees flight paths and the sensory periphery of bees, allowing easier apiary maintenance and hive manipulation. |
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| Although it is preferable to work at night several techniques can be used to reduce stinging incidents if hives must be worked during the day. After smoking an occupied hive (shown marked with a hexagon at left) a wet towel or cloth should be placed on top of the hive. The hive is then carried away from the original location and placed in a well shaded spot. |
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| An empty hive is set in the location originally occupied by the colonized
box. Bees leaving the hive and returning foragers will return to the original
location and enter the empty box. As combs are removed from the occupied box the wet towel should be draped
back over the empty slot left by the removal thus reducing the number of
bees leaving the hive. when revisions are complete the hive is returned to its original position and the empty box is opened and the bees inside smoked or brushed out at a convenient distance from the occupied hive. |
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| Ants, wasps, spiders, scorpions, lizards, and rodents may occupy hives
and prevent bees from taking up residence. During the swarm season regular
visits should be made to apiaries to ensure that hives unoccupied by bees
are free of pests. wood-destroying termites can cause damage to the structure
of hives or hive stands. African hive beetles can consume honey and foul
combs. Toads can consume great numbers of bees but often go unnoticed since
they are nocturnal in habit. Client women were instructed in measures to
reduce impacts from all these pests,
Although ants were the most common problem, dormice were the most interesting
to me-since I had never seen them before. Dormice are rodents but are
not, in fact, mice and are instead, members of a distinct genus. In appearance
they resemble a cross between squirrels and mice and their behavior is
likewise intermediate between the two. They feed on seeds, fruits and
insects- making them a threat to scout bees. |
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| The kenya top-bar hive is very appropriate for the economy, environment and characteristics of the bees in Ghanaian villages. |
| Basic management of established colonies just during swarm season (especially
important in the early portion): during the build-up period any honey stores restricting the expansion of the brood nest |
| Novice bee-havers (and even beekeepers) often remove too much honey from hives and do not leave the colony sufficient stores to support them through periods of minimal nectar availability. To better provide for the bees' needs during dearth periods it is suggested that comb only be harvested from one end of the hives (to establish a standard it is recommended that this always be the right side, as one is facing the entrance of the hive). |
For more information on the farmer-to-farmer program write to
Farmserve Africa Program
OIC International 240 West Tulpehocken Street
Philadelphia, PA 19144
For more information on the Peace Corps visit the following website:
or write to:
Peace Corps
806 Connecticut Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20526
Or call (toll-free): 800-484-8580 or look up the local recruiting office under the government listings in your telephone directory.
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