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Be kind to honey bees

A bee. PHOTO/FILE

What you need to know:

  • Government must promote apiculture as one of its priorities in the struggle to boost national agricultural production.

Bees are among the most useful insects to farmers. They play a key role in pollination of crops and wild plants. 
Some wild plants are a source of fruits that we often harvest and consume. They pollinate some plants that are fodder for farmed and wild animals. 

They make honey which is nutritious and medicinal human food. One of the reasons honey is medicinal could be that, in their course of work, the bees keep flying to many different plants and herbs, nearly all of which have health benefits.  

Beekeepers earn money out of selling honey, wax, and royal jelly. Some people make wine from honey combs. Bee keeping is an economic occupation and a solid form of employment --- some people make money by making beehives and others are traders of beehives and bee products. For people who do not have much land and are financially constrained, it is easy for them to become self-employed as beekeepers. 

Locally made beehives are not very expensive and one does not have to pay for the start-up bees because they can be attracted naturally from wherever in the wild.  

Some people put a bit of honey or a piece of honeycomb in an empty newly acquired beehive and the bees will get in from wherever and form a colony. Care must of course be taken not to keep bees too near the house where people reside or near animal sheds.

Honey bees are not really bad neighbours, if not provoked, but not all people can peacefully live next to bees. 

They can cause death if they attack human beings. Remember that one of the bee products on the market is poison.

Beekeeping does not require a lot of energetic work all the time. Even elderly or sickly people can engage in the economic activity. It is an occupation that is harmless to the fertility of the soil. 

It can be carried out as an alternative enterprise in the same area where crops like coffee, mangos, avocado, and many others are growing. 

Actually beekeeping results in increased crop production.

Farmers must sincerely be friendly and kind to bees because they boost crop production. 
Mindless usage of herbicides and pesticides can poison and kill bees. Bush burning too kills bees.

Government must promote apiculture as one of its priorities in the struggle to boost national agricultural production.