BEEKEEPING / INSPECTION / EXTENSION

BEEKEEPING BY David Mita Aluku (DMALUKU) 

Beekeeping in Kenya

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Kenya has great potential in beekeeping as 80 per cent of the land mass is classified as arid and semi-arid. These regions have an abundance of flora, such as acacia trees, and other factors capable of supporting a bee industry all year round.

Why Do We Need More Beekeepers?

Most people, when they think of bees, think of honey, the sweetest gift from the honey bee. Most people never think of how bees pollinate our crops, directly affecting Virginia agriculture. Approximately 1/3 of all our food requires pollinating by bees or other pollinators.

Some important fruit and vegetable crops which require honey bee pollination include apples, blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupes, squash, and watermelons. The yield on these crops would be severely diminished without the honey bee.

The populations of native bees has been in decline for several decades due to environmental stress and various pests. Hobby beekeepers can be an important factor in rebuilding populations and encouraging species health and diversity.

Although most honey bees are kept in rural settings, beehives are often seen in suburban backyards, cities, and even on rooftops. Many home gardeners keep a few hives to pollinate their fruits trees, vegetable and flower gardens.

What is a bee hive inspection?

Inspecting a beehive is the process of systematically smoking and removing each box until you reach the bottom layer, then carefully inspecting the frames inside the boxes and noting what you see before reassembling the hive.

David M Aluku at Exhibition

What is the main objective of hive inspection?

The main goals of inspecting your hive are: 1) to make sure your bees are still alive and 2) to check their food stores. While a few dead bees are normal, your hive should still have a cluster of live bees. Start checking the frames, looking for the queen and any eggs or brood.

What are the steps in bee hive inspection?

Inspecting the hive

Hold the frame by the top and inspect the brood thoroughly. Look for symptoms associated with established pests and diseases of honey bee colonies. Look for any queen bee cells on the comb surface and bottom side of the comb, and if present, remove to reduce swarming potential.

Inspect your hives anytime it is warm enough and the sun is shining. The bees are not too active outside the hive at temps below 57 degrees The warm sunshine is going to get them out and about. Inspect your hives between the hours of 11:00 to 2:00.

When should you start a bee inspection?

As soon as the weather warms up in early spring the beekeeper should begin inspections. Ideally we should be looking to do this on days that reach at least 15 C and with no significant wind.