Uganda Honey

Hive Inspection (Local Hive)…………………….

Lesster — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:34:29 +0000

There is always this misconception that low cost beehives do not produce good quality honey. This is not true. Honey from low cost beehives can be as good as those harvested from Kenya top bars or Langstroths. It is the lack of knowledge on when to harvest the honey, what to harvest in a hive.

Most traditional bee farmer will not hesitate to grab whatever they find in the hive during the flow season. Even before the honey ripens, they would had taken them out. Lack of knowledge had led to the harvesting of poor quality honey.

Below is a clip of one of our farmers inspecting his beehive. The honey inside this hive was not ready for harvesting.

Beekeeping, a full time job…………………….

Lesster — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:53:48 +0000

Many bee farmers in Uganda are lacking the skills in hive management. Many were taught to simply place the hives out into the woods, wait for it to be colonized and hopefully when the honey season starts, go and harvest the honey. At times they would discover that the hives are empty. They will just wait for the next colony to come. African bees are quick in absconding and a mismanaged hive is one of the reason.

In one of our topics, we teach farmers the importance of hive management and to rectify any discrepancies. If the hive is not in good condition, eg wet or too many openings due to wood warping, they need to change the hive.

In this video below, you can see one of the lessons in hive management.

First batch of trainees for 2012…………………….

Lesster — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 03:09:28 +0000

The year started with a group of very dedicated beekeepers wanting to come to learn more. It was a total paradigm shift for them compared to the way they kept their bees back in the villages. We had captured a day during the training. This was how they felt about the whole course.

Preparation for the first course for the year…………………….

Lesster — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:25:31 +0000

We will be having our first course in one week’s time. Pre training hive inspections are done to make sure the course runs smoothly.

BEST Basic Beekeeping Course Prospectus 2012 – 2013

Lesster — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:35:56 +0000

A Very Happy New Year! We are glad to present our latest BEST Basic Beekeeping Course Prospectus.

You can download a PDF copy of the prospectus below.

BEST Basic Beekeeping Course Prospectus 2012 -2013

Hodges first colony…………………….

Lesster — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 09:03:04 +0000

The hodges are getting into the swing of things. Just got an email with these photos attached. It is their first colony after the training. This young colony is doing well.

Quiet bazaar……………………

Lesster — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 10:32:16 +0000

The annual bazaar event held by the International Women Organization was not as vibrant as last year. I was kind of disappointed with the turnout. Somehow we still managed to break-even.

With the 31% inflation in Uganda, I would not expect many to spend much too.

Anyhow, the show must go on.

A week of bees, fresh air and sunshine…………………….

Lesster — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 12:35:49 +0000

We had just concluded another session of beekeeping course at Kajjansi beekeeping centre, entebbe. The quality of the participants are getting better. I was really impressed with this batch of students. It was no longer a,”teacher speaks, student listens” kind of classes anymore. There were so much interaction between the trainer and the students. The feedback on how to improve and finetune the program was constructive and interesting. This shows the evolution of what are needed in order to be competent in one’s progress.

KJBP-1102

Making moulds…………………..

Lesster — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 19:02:05 +0000

Christmas is round the corner and it’s that time of the year where people are looking for Christmas gifts. This year we intend to increase our beeswax candles range. We will be introducing more moulds and the designs are more towards African themes.

Out in the market there are not much candle moulds catering for African themes. We decided to produce our own moulds.

B.E.S.T. in progress……………………

Lesster — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 03:30:40 +0000

Honeybees were once treated as enemy or pest when it gets into a home. Not anymore. With proper education and sensitization, we can actually live harmoniously together with them.

Mr. Zolkaflil Aris had a colony of apis cerana nesting in his letter box for almost a year now. Being an animal lover, he was reluctant to have that colony destroyed. He was wondering what to do with it.

When I arrived at his residence in Damasara, I realized that urbanization had destroyed many natural habitat for these little ladies. I believed if they had their choices, they would not want to interfere with us humans. But with the fast pace of urbanization and deforestation to make way for our development, their natural habitat were somehow encroached.

I shared with Mr. Aris how he can convert his letterbox into a comfortable home for these honeybees and learn how to live with them. In return, this new hobby of his will be rewarding. For the effort in looking after them, they will provide a regular flow of honey for his family.

This idea had created a win win situation for all. Instead of killing them, with proper knowledge instilled, human and insect can live harmoniously together.

Mr. Aris was taught how to calm the bees with a simple smoker.

Opening up the "beehive" for the very first time.

A colony of apis cerana well under controlled.

A little bit more smoke to let them stay in place.

A wild colony of apis cerana had became a family pet for Mr. Aris.

After going through the process a few times, He felt that honeybees were not as dangerous as one always looked at them if there understood their needs and wants. Getting aggressive is just part of nature’s way in protecting themselves. If they were handled with tender loving care, they can be very good house pets.

Before we part, his wisdom gave me a new light in having honeybees as pets. He said,” Whenever people go for holidays, they tend to worry about their pets. Where should they put them, who to feed them, will they be stressed if they don’t come back soon. But as for honeybees being so independent, they do not have to worry for them, they find their own food and look after themselves”.

He had bought a new letter box for his normal mails since then.

I am glad that I had embarked on a journey that life lessons never end.

B.E.S.T. - Bringing Ecology and Society Together.