Masindi beekeepers losing fortunes in bush burning

Beekeepers in Masindi District are losing millions of shillings over bush fires by farmers preparing gardens for both crop and sugarcane production.
The beekeepers say smoke from garden fields neighboring their beehives interferes with the ability of bees to breathe, smell, taste thus fleeing from the hives.
“That much heat and smoke caused by bush burning scares away the bees,’’ Ms Monica Mukurasi the secretary of Tweyombeka bees’ Agro Conservation Association in Masindi said.
Mr Akena Daniel, the programs' manager safe plan Uganda, which provides bee market to beekeepers in the district say beekeepers have lost close to 3000 hives in one year due to bush burning and use of chemicals prepared in the neighbouring gardens.
“These 3000 beehives include the 1000 provided by the district and the 2000 provided by safe plan and Jane Goodall to different bee keepers in the district,” he said.
Mr Akena said Masindi beekeepers have lost Shs2 billion in 2000 litres. “This is too much money Masindi beekeepers are losing and it is mainly caused by bush burning where the smoke and heat scare away bees from their hives and the extensive use of chemicals, happening mostly in sugarcane growing areas,” Mr Akena said.
However, Mr Job Byaruhanga, the Masindi District agricultural officer said commercial farmers are encouraged to demarcate10 metres around their farm boundaries and plant their trees to provide shed for the bees and limit the heat to the neighbouring beehives which some farmers have done.
“We shall continue to sensitise all commercial farmers in these beekeeping sub counties to always provide a 10 metre land and plant their trees as co-existing measures for both beekeepers and farmers,” Mr Byaruhanga said.
Currently, Masindi District has 300 beekeepers with 500 boxes of beehives.