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Where it all started
Our interest in supporting beekeeping began after conducting a theory of change exercise with the Majoreni community in 2020, where they sought help promoting beekeeping. At that time, the ecosystem was degraded due to unsustainable fishing practices, leading to a significant decline in fish landings. The fishing community needed to find alternative sources of livelihood to help them cope with the prevailing conditions. In 2022, we embarked on a feasibility study and developed a business plan that laid the foundation for our current intervention.
When we pursued beekeeping as a diversified livelihood for the coastal communities, particularly in the Majoreni cluster, nobody anticipated our monumental challenges. We thought it was just about mobilizing farmers, producing and processing honey, and off we went marketing. Alas! Nothing had prepared us for the monumental challenges we were getting into. At the start of this intervention, we looked into the current beekeeping practices of existing farmers. Immediately, it was clear that problems needed attention before the community could break even. This blog highlights significant challenges that all beekeeping in Majoreni and some of our approaches to addressing these issues.
Why majority
Majoreni is located in Kwale County on the south coast of Kenya. The area has been known for smallholder beekeepers for a long time. Traditionally, these communities used to harvest honey from the dense forest stands, and some used to culture bees in traditional log hives. This attracted several well-wishers to donate Langstroth and top bar hives in the area. At the beginning of the venture, we also trained and donated hives to the community. Despite the numerous donated hives, production is still low, with many empty hives. As I answer this question and give possible solutions to honey production in Majoreni, here are some significant challenges facing Majoreni beekeepers.
What ails apiculture in Majoreni.
- Lack of hands-on training and practical bee husbandry skills
Hands-on training and practical experience in bee husbandry are the backbone of every successful apiculture venture. Our recent survey indicated that such training was a primary concern, leading to low honey production. Although bees are not attended to daily, a bee farmer should have a solid knowledge of bee biology and behavior, hive management, and pest control.
Commercial bee farming is relatively new in Majoreni since most struggling bee farmers in Majoreni were introduced to beekeeping by donor organizations that provided hives years ago and perhaps one-off training. They were expected to thrive after receiving modern hives, but nothing much has come out of it to date.
Our earlier interventions to boost honey production revealed that hands-on skills are as crucial as providing hives. When a bee farmer is sufficiently empowered, their chances of breaking even significantly improve. Before handing over hives, Key gaps must be addressed, including hive maintenance, bee trapping, hive inspection, and apiary management.
- Colonization rate
We are working with the Majoreni beekeeping cluster of three groups (Yungi, Mwenjeni, and Mbweni in Kwale County), collectively managing 163 hives. The Langstroth hive is the most common type used in these villages, along with a top bar and traditional log hives. The average colonization rate across the three villages stands at 30%. During our last hive inspection, we encountered Yungi bee farmers who were almost giving up on beekeeping. They have 19 hives, but only 2 have been colonized. Although they had hives that were in a good state, they had not grasped the concept of beehive baiting.
Low colonization in the area can be linked to beehive care pre and post-colonization. It was noted that most of the hives that were not colonized had not been attended to for some months. Some were already infested with spiders and rodents and had lost the sweet smell that attracts bees. One thing that the community did not understand is that, just like any other livestock, bees need to be taken care of. Bee care starts with trapping, where farmers visit their hives every two weeks to check if they have attracted bees, clean the uncolonized hives, and bait them again. This was not the case in Majoreni. Some hives had been left unattended in trapping sites for months.
To address the challenge, field training on baiting was done in the three villages. Every uncolonized hive was collected and baited using a blend of traditional herbs and bee wax, and now the community awaits the colonization of these hives.
- Limited knowledge of hive repair and maintenance
The physical condition of the hives also plays a significant role when it comes to honey production. When the hive condition has deteriorated, the bee diverts attention to repairing the hive rather than producing honey. This takes us to one of our farmers, Mataka, who has 19 hives in the Mwenjeni. But the most significant percentage of his hives are in bad condition. While walking in the mangrove, we found a hive whose base had been destroyed, and the bees were only clinging to one edge of the hive. The hive owner never even knew how the hive was until I showed him the image from my camera. We found other hives that had been eaten by termites. If only one of the community members had been trained to repair the hives effectively, then the hives would have been in a better condition. Apart from diverting attention to sealing the hives, when a hive leaks honey, it attracts predators like ants capable of wiping a whole hive within the shortest time possible.
- Pest and predator
Pests and diseases are other concerns that farmers need to be aware of. Some of the most common pests in beekeeping include excellent wax moths, varroa mites, ants, wasps, honeybee mites, reptiles, and honeybee eater birds. In Majoreni, bee beetles pose the biggest challenge in apiculture. When we visited Mataka's apiary, all his hives had large numbers of small Hive Beetles. You may ask yourself how these small Hive Beetles affect the colony. Hive beetles live on pollen and honeycombs. If they are in large numbers, they cause stress to the colony and lead to its decline.
On the other hand, ants, common predators, were sighted in most apiaries in Majoreni. Ants are highly social insects that attack hives in masses, taking virtually everything. They not only attack the colony but also attack the beekeepers themselves. I remember the day we were inspecting Rajab's Bidu hives at night. After some painful bites, I had to get out of the apiary two times. Ants attack causes the colony to be aggressive and challenging to manage, and if they invade a weak colony, the bee will abscond the hive. To control ants, the farmer should ensure the apiary is kept clean, and the hives are not leaking at any point of the year.
- Climate change / Reduces floral resources
When we talk about beekeeping, we can never ignore climate change. Climate change, which is already here, has already altered nectar flow in the regions we are working with.
Mataka's hive production has been decreasing over time, and he never knew what was happening. To help him get a picture of the condition of the hive, we had to stay till evening to get a chance to inspect all the live hives in his apiary and come up with a solution for his challenge. As we approached the apiary entrance, we found a jar of water with a mirror that traps vespa wasps, which hunt bees one at a time. This was the first sign of predators around his apiary, but he had formulated a solution to handle the challenge.
Upon entering the apiary, some bees had already left some hives and were preparing to swarm. As we inspect the hives, we encounter a colony with no drones. Some bees had even exhausted their resources, and the colony was weak. Mataka, who expected to harvest honey from his hives, was surprised at the hive's condition. He said he had never seen his hives in such a state since he started his beekeeping venture. The hives had limited resources and were infested with hive beetles. Some of the coms had turned black and had no bees. To improve the hive's condition, old honeycombs were removed, and the hives were also smoked to reduce the pest infestation, but it was recommended that he visit the hive regularly. This could be linked to climate change. When the floral resources are reduced, and the bee colony weakens, the colony's vulnerability to peas and disease attacks increases.
So, why continue with beekeeping?
Despite the challenges, beekeeping remains a vital nature-based solution that can create rural employment, alleviate poverty, reduce malnutrition, and promote conservation. Over the past five years, Kenya has been a net importer of honey. This indicates a huge market gap that needs to be filled with good quality homey. Kenya has a production potential of 100,000 metric tons but has been able to tap into 25% of its potential. This is mainly attributed to the small-scale nature of beekeeping enterprises. If groups were equipped with both knowledge and hives, we could significantly improve honey production in Kenya.
Our intervention
Commercial beekeeping is relatively new in coastal Kenya and needs to be introduced gradually. Many people have yet to grasp the complexities involved in the beekeeping value chain. Most donors have focused on hive donations and training, expecting immediate honey production. From our experience, this approach never works. The community must take time to understand the underlying challenges and embrace a more comprehensive approach to beekeeping. We have taken the time to understand the underlying issues and are now changing the approach that has been in place for some time. We have adopted a holistic beekeeping strategy that sees us walk the farmer through the entire beekeeping value chain.
