Bee keeping in Kenya is poised
for greatness. Kenya, especially the western part of Kenya has many species of
bees that have foe many years been exploited, though partially, by the locals.
Recently, there have been discoveries of stingless bee species in western Kenya
that are being tried for commercial purposes. The stingless bees are synonymous
with holes in the ground. In other parts of the world, these bees are famous
for their high quality honey, with medicinal traits to cure baldness and reduce
impotence. You can source these bees from the National bee station at Lenana,
Nairobi and the Baraka Agricultural College, Molo (these
are the place known to me, there could be others.)
Why Bee Farming
With the increasing
land fragmentation and growth of urban centers coupled with depleting forests, there
is need for quick adoption of stingless bees by farmers countrywide in order to
salvage this crucial industry and earn more from the potential returns from bee
farming. The main challenge experienced in bee farming today is living
with defensive bees on small farms that characterize the modern rural Kenya.
Such an endeavor could risk other enterprises in the farm like livestock, poultry,
and even human life. With proper policies, the vast Kenyan dry lands can be
utilized to enhance bee keeping. Bee keeping is quite easy, requiring little
land area, and minimum time for care (compared to crops and livestock). Bee
farming requires minimal labour (harvesting and inspection), which are undertaken
over a stretch of time.
Agriculture is diverse and does
not only refer to crop farming. For those who cannot do crop farming for one
reason or another, this is an area for you. All you need is the right
information and willingness to do it. You can have do bee keeping on rented land
and transfer them to another location once the lease period is over. Besides, with
permission from the right authorities, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and Kenya
Forest Services (KFS), you can venture your business in forest areas of Kenya.
The wide range bee products
For a long time, bee have been
associated with wax and honey only, however creative farmers have come to appreciate
the wide range of commercially viable products one can have from bee farming.
The melon farms I have been doing have greatly been enhanced by bee pollination
from adjacent bee farms hence improving fruiting and crop yields. Bees also
provide propolis (alternative for bee wax in the hive), royal jelly (used for
lave and queen nutrition in the hive), and bee venom (used for treatment of Arthritis).
Farmers also sell bee colonies, package bees, queen bee, bee brood and bee
colonies. This is happening in Kenya. A single hive is capable of yielding
between 11 and 27 kilograms (2-3 times a year), which can fetch between 2,200
KES and 5,400 KES at a cost of between 150 KES and 200 KES.
Food for thought!
