Introduction
Bee keeping is gradually becoming a preferred enterprise among many farmers in Kenya and beyond. It is an enterprise with numerous benefits; but only a few beekeepers enjoy the full range of these benefits due to lack of skill, knowledge, and capacity to process the various products of the enterprise. This article features practical information on why one should consider beekeeping as an income generating enterprise to not only produce honey but other commercial products as well. It is a practical guide to production and processing of other bee products in addition to honey, including propolis, pollen, and royal jelly. With relevant knowledge, farmers can successfully establish bee keeping enterprises.
Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) is valuable but additional technical training enables one to understand the appropriate technologies, innovations and management practices. Technical trainings can be acquired both formally or informally. The following are key aspects a beekeeper must strive to acquire skills on, in order to be successful:
(i) Apiary management skills – These are skills that any beekeeper should acquire to increase productivity and become more profitable. Apiary management is the set of routine activities in an apiary. It is important for a beekeeper to know and use Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) in his/her apiary for maximum yields and quality products. Apiary management involves the following:
- Identification of good apiary sites,
- Placement of hives either by hanging or placing on stands,
- Hive stocking skills (either through swarm catching, colony division, queen rearing and colony transfers),
- Keeping apiary clean and hygienic,
- Carrying out regular inspection and keeping good records.
(ii) Knowledge on processing of bee products is crucialfor any beekeeper to ensure that he/she benefits maximumly from the enterprise and that the products obtained are of quality. Different products are processed differently with different equipment and tools
The best-known primary products of beekeeping are honey and wax, but pollen, Propolis, royal jelly, venom and bee colonies are also marketable primary hive products. While most of these products can be consumed or used in the state in which they are produced by bees, there are many additional uses where these products form only a part of all the ingredients of another product. Because of the quality and sometimes almost mystical reputation and characteristics of most primary bee products, their addition to other products usually enhances the value or quality of these secondary products.
(iii) Equipment – it is important for anyone who intends to venture into beekeeping to know the different types of equipment used in beekeeping and the appropriate ones depending on the objective of the beneficiary. The beekeeping equipment are for both production and processing. In production, the main equipment used include beehives (traditional, transitional and modern), protective gears, hive tools, smokers among others. The traditional hives include; hollow logs, basket and pot. The transitional hives include the Kenya Top Bar Hive and the modern hives include Langstroth hive, flow hive among others. Most beekeepers will purchase ready-made hives, but some will construct their own. In either case, it is important to use standard dimensions and assemble methods to ensure that the equipment will be interchangeable, strong and durable. Pine or cedar is recommended for all construction. When selecting timber for hive construction, the following must be considered.
- All wood pieces must be flat/straight,
- The timber must be durable and able to last for several years without replacement,
- The wood must be suitable for carpentry (it must not split too easily and must not be so hard that wood working equipment is damaged),
- The wood should be free from knots as possible,
- The wood must be properly seasoned, otherwise shrinkage and warping of the hive will occur.
The processing equipment include but not limited to honey extractor, honey warmer, honey creamer, settling/bottling tank, honey press, solar wax melter, steam wax melter, pollen collector, venom extractor, among others. The processing equipment should be non-metallic since honey is acidic and will corrode metallic surfaces. The containers used for storing honey and other bee products must be fitted with airtight gadgets to prevent honey in specific from absorbing moisture from the atmosphere since honey is hygroscopic.
(iv) Entrepreneurship – it is important for bee keepers to acquire skills in entrepreneurship so as to: identify opportunities, make effective decisions to turn their ideas into reality, overcome challenges, and properly allocate resources to achieve goals. The importance of entrepreneurship skills lies in; encouraging social change and improving lives; creating employment opportunities for others; driving economic growth and opening new markets and industries; improving the quality of life with new ideas and building functional products or services; providing opportunities for personal and professional growth, as well as financial rewards.
(v) Marketing – marketing a product is different from producing it. Each activity requires very specific knowledge and insight. Someone who is a good producer may not necessarily be a good seller. A producer who wants to market his/her products will have to negotiate with traders or consumers. He/she will have to know about supply, demand and pricing. Bee products are seasonal and therefore it is very important to understand how they are presented to the consumers.
