BEEKEEPING IN TANZANIA

BEEKEEPING TO THE BEGINER

Apiculture (beekeeping) refers to the farming of honey bees to produce one or more of the following products: honey, propolis, royal jelly, beeswax, pollen, bee venom, bee brood, queen bees, nucleus hives, package bees, and pollinating crops. 

In Tanzania, while beekeeping is not well understood, the marketing and selling of locally produced honey is profitable.  The honey is either gathered from wild honey bee colonies or is produced by local beekeepers; typically sold through local markets.  However, honey sales are not meeting demand.  The industry is limited by production yield. 

In the last decade, a viable industry has emerged.  Local people/farmers have driven the success and the industry continues to attract strong support from the community.

Beekeeping potential and annual production in Tanzania

According to the national Beekeeping policy NBP(1998)the production potential of bee products in the country is about 138,000 tonnes of honey and 9,200 tonnes of beewax per annual, from an estimated 9.2 millions of honeybees colonies for year and beewax production are estimated to be 4,860 tonnes and 324 tonnes per year respectively which is about 3.5% only of the production potential..

This annual production generates about 1.2 USD annually for the national economy from sales of Honey and Beewax.

Where should one keep honeybees?

Stinging honeybees should be kept at a safe distance away from public roads,paths and residential areas. Beeyard should be located 100-400m away from homestead.Stingless honeybees can be kept anywhere including the bedroom and sittingroom. 

How one can keep honeybees?

Honeybees can kept in beehives that are placed in an apiary whose vicinity has adequate supplies of water,nectar and pollen,protection against bee pest and fire and provision of shade to protect colonies against rain and heat of the sun.

·        Knowledge on how to manage honeybees(Both stinging and  stingless) is acquired through practicing Beekeeping.

·        Honeybees in scientifically their can fly one mile distance to find water and five kilometers throughout right and left side to find flowers or pollen, because the life of honeybees depend to something which called nectar.

·        Nectar is the sweetest smooth liquid which lies in flowers or pollen.

·        Honeybees in hives can be kept in apiaries by hanging them from all trees or placing them on stands at breast height or on the ground depending on such factors as presences of bee pests and enemies,floods,annual bush fire ,wild and domestic animals.

The following are reasons explaining why honeybees are excellent pollinator.

a.      Honeybees are the only pollinating insect which can be obtained and kept in large numbers at a desired site and time to saturate the environment with pollinators.

b.      Honeybees have Co-evolved with the local flora and fauna and are better adapted to explore forage resource.

c.      Honeybees are available free from natural in the form of swarms.

Apiculture Products

Honey is the base product of beekeeping.  It is a sweet substance formed as a result of the manipulation of plant nectar by honey bees.   The major constituents in honey are glucose and fructose - simple sugars.  Vitamins, minerals and protein are present in honey in minuscule amounts, making them nutritionally insignificant.  Some honeys are antibiotic.

Honey is the bee product most commonly purchased by the consumer and is the commodity people are most likely to think about when discussing honey bees. 

Besides honey there are a number of other products that need to be considered.  These are:

• Pollen - A dust-like substance taken from flowers by bees and stored in cells in the hive.  Pollen is high in protein and has traditionally been collected from bees, frozen, dried, cleaned and placed into retail packages and sold as a protein food supplement. 

• Propolis – Is a mixture of gums and resins produced by plants that is collected and used by bees as a glue and preservative in the hive.  This substance is scraped from the interior of the hive by the beekeeper and is then frozen.  The propolis is processed by dissolving it in alcohol and selling it as a tincture, or drying to a powder for further processing. Propolis is used in natural health care products, mostly due to its reputed properties as an antibiotic. It is currently being used in toothpaste, lip balms, capsules and tablets, tinctures, cough medicines, hand creams and wound dressings.

• Royal jelly - Secreted by special glands in the heads and bodies of nurse bees, it is the high protein food fed to developing queen and worker bee larvae.  This jelly is collected by a skilled beekeeper via a labour intensive process, and is then frozen for later use.  The substance may be sold in its raw form, a powder (dust or capsulated), or mixed in with other shelf stable products like honey.  It is processed into a number of forms including capsules, tablets and cosmetics, and used as a tonic and restorative.

• Beeswax – Is produced by honey bees from glands on their abdomens and is used by bees to build combs. The beekeeper collects beeswax at the time of honey extraction and while melting down old or damaged combs.  Wax cappings from the honey comb are collected, pressed or spun to remove the residual honey, and then melted and molded into blocks for further processing.  Most wax is recycled to make new honeycombs for bees.  However, some wax can be used for making candles and cosmetics and as a salve for wound dressings.

• Nucleus colonies and queen bees – Bees and queen bees may be produced by the beekeeper for sale to other beekeepers.  Nucleus colonies usually comprise of a box of bees with three or four frames inside (two frames of brood, one frame of honey and one of honey and pollen).  The beekeeper sells the colonies to others to enable them to develop a new hive or replenish a failing one.  Queen bees are sold for the purpose of replacement of old or failed queens, for the maintenance of good production and gentle hive behaviour within a colony.

• Packaged bees – 1 to 1.5 kg of bees sold with a queen bee in a cardboard tube or box with ventilation screens. 

• Woodenware – There is a market for the production and sale of beehive components either in kitset form or ready made.  This is a market that requires woodworking equipment and a reasonable attention to detail. 

• Beekeeping equipment – Veils, smokers, hive tools, overalls, gloves and other components. 

Honey bee products – small business

Honey bees produce a range of useful and readily marketable products which require relatively little post-harvest processing. Such products are useful for both domestic consumption and as a cash crop. As such, they are ideal in small scale situations, where any excess can be readily utilised.

Beekeeping is a low technology activity and hives can be constructed from local materials; simple hand-operated honey and wax-processing equipment can also be made locally.  Operations are relatively unsophisticated, but do work better if electricity and clean water is available.  In addition, beehives generally need little management input.  That is, bees do not require daily attention and beekeeping can be pursued in tandem with other activities.

Borrowed money can be quickly repaid if bee products are sold as a cash crop.  Bee products tend to command a relatively high price – especially in countries which import competing products.  Consequently, returns to beekeepers are good.  Overall, beekeeping is eminently suitable for small-scale agricultural activity in localities where capital and technological resources are low.

Women and beekeeping

Historically, women have not been extensively involved in beekeeping as an income generating activity.  It is proposed here that for those who wish to become involved, the potential rewards are high and the risks low.  Women are able to undertake beekeeping on an equal basis to men – although it may be difficult to persuade some men of this fact. 

In order to introduce apiculture to new areas great care must be taken to be politically sensitive.  Once this is achieved, working through women's committees/groups is the next advisable step.  It is also important that those who intend to promote such activities are mindful of the existing gender structures.  For example, women may not be allowed, unless explicitly encouraged and supported financially by their husbands/partners, to become involved in beekeeping. 

In all cases of project establishment and maintenance it is necessary to understand as fully as possible the socio-cultural context of the environment.  

As already noted, women’s groups are an effective medium for change.  Awareness campaigns can be implemented and interest can be generated before money is spent.  A project being pulled in by a women's committee, rather than pushed by an outside agency, will have a far greater opportunity for success.  Training programs should involve an understanding of social and cultural backgrounds, should be hands-on, and should be conducted in the village, as travel may be difficult for women in outer areas.

The best way to ensure the effective development of beekeeping is through extensive extension processes (NB: a woman beekeeping extension officer was appointed in the Solomon Islands in 1990). 

Awareness campaigns and training should attempt to illustrate that relatively little work is required in order to become involved in beekeeping, that members of the family of all ages can be involved, and that a wide range of income generating activities exist.  There should also be some emphasis on the health benefits of beekeeping products as food or wound dressings.

Potential Products

There are many products that have the potential to be produced within the industry including some of the above.  They are as follows^[1]:

·        Retail packaged honey – domestic markets

·        Bulk honey

·        Honey beer

·        Crude unprocessed propolis;

·        Processed propolis – drinks, candies, tincture etc;

·         

·        Beeswax – candles, sheets of wax, and polishes;

·        Beauty range – soap and creams; and

·        Medicinal – honey, creams (containing honey, propolis and other local healing ingredients).

Point of difference

No drugs/chemicals are needed to keep the bees alive in Tanzania for honey production.  For the majority of the beekeeping countries outside Africa, this is not the case, and beekeepers rely on a number of drug/chemical interventions to sustain their honey bee colony numbers.  This is an important success factor for any development programme.

The Environment:

Beekeeping does not damage the environment.  Beekeepers promote conservation because plants produce nectar, the basis of honey.  The industry does not promote the utilisation of fertile land or the destruction of native fauna habitat. 

Land Tenure Issues:                                       

Land is owned by individuals/families as well as by the government.  In a number of cases there may be absentee landowners although it is understood that there have been a few issues with beehive placement. Theft and vandalism of hives may be a problem.

The National Beekeeping Policy in Tanzania.

Overall Goal:

This overall goal of the national beekeeping policy is to enhance the contribution of the beekeeping sub-sector to the sustainable development of Tanzania and the conservation and management of her natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations.

Sector Objectives:

The sector objectives are derived from the micro-policies of the country as well as from the beekeeping sectoral problems and opportunities objectives for the beekeeping sector are as following”

·        Ensure sustainable existence of honey bees colonies.

·        Enhance beekeeping –base national development and poverty alleviation through sustainable supply of bee products.(Honey,Beewax,Royal jelly,propolis brood,pollen and services)

·        Improve quality and quality of Honey,Beewax supply of the same.

·        Improve biodiversity,increase employment and foreing exchange earning through sustainable bee products-based industrial development and trade.

·        Enhance national capacity to manage and develop the beekeeping sector in collaboration with other stakeholders.

Beehives

The use of beehives is one of advanced stages in bee management,There are many different types of hives in the world but in Tanzania most beekeepers are using some namely”

·        Tanzania Top- Bar hives(TTBH) ·        40-80 Liters ·        Cost Shs 120,000	·        Super Box ·        20-25 Liters of honey ·        Cost Shs 100,000
·        Hon;P.Pinda(HPP) ·        18-20 Liters of honey ·        Cost Shs 70,000	·        Commercial Bar Hive(CBH) ·        85 liters of honey ·        Cost Shs 120,000

NB:

Any material can be used to make a hive provided the material does not produce an odour that is objectionable to the honeybees and consume of honey.

Bee Protection used when Handling colonie

Equipment name
Bee Suit
Hive	Wax
Bee veil	Smoker
Uncapping Knife	Brush
Boots	Gloves
	Honey machine ·        Honey presser

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[1] NB:    Due to the climate and the nature of Tanzania it is inappropriate to assume that Royal Jelly is a potential product due to the labour intensive process and skill levels required in extracting royal jelly for sale and the need be kept frozen.