Honifome's Posts
Nairaland Forum › Honifome's Profile › Honifome's Posts
 Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 6:11pm On May 24, 2021 |
If you are interested in beekeeping, you can call or send whatsapp message to my number 09053639950 Daniel. This is to assist you in acquiring beekeeping equipments and further guidance. |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 7:34am On May 22, 2021 |
Honey and Adulteration Due to its value, honey has continued to be adulterated to increase its volume. This is unfortunate because its chemical composition is not only altered, it also poses health risks. This is also affecting the market of original honey because they are relatively cheap. Adulterated honey has effects on the body like fake drugs. Imagine a patient applying honey to a wound due to its antimicrobial and healing effects without knowing it is fake. The wound would get worse and it is also open to infection, working against original honey function. A serious government should give capital punishment to fake drugs and honey producers to deter others. 1 Like |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 5:03pm On May 21, 2021 |
Why The Different Colours, Flavor and viscosity of Honey: Many prefers various physical appearance of honey and they often mistake them for quality. The type of floral source, water content and temperature determines these properties. It should be noted that the chemical composition of any unadulterated honey is good for human health. Below is an array of honey containers with different colors.
|
| Romance › Re: I Am 31 But Never Had Sex Before, Am I Okay? by honifome(m): 8:05pm On May 20, 2021 |
You must have been wanking for some years |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 12:05pm On May 20, 2021 |
It's world bee day. Humans needs to behave like bees.
|
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 4:27am On May 20, 2021 |
Handles should be installed on the two side boards for lifting honifome: |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 4:25am On May 20, 2021 |
I believe this is ok honifome: |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 4:05pm On May 19, 2021 |
The kenyan top bar hive plan has been shown below. Dimensions can be adjusted to contain the number of top bars. The hive should not have more than 28 bars so that the bee colony can be managed efficiently. The hive cover is not shown. It is left for the carpenter to construct without plan.
|
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 1:45am On May 18, 2021 |
Earthstorms:Thank you |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 7:58pm On May 17, 2021 |
Variations of Honey Bees Behaviour With Climate This is an important aspect to beekeepers and researchers. It is easy for an experienced beekeeper to determine the situation of the colony without inspecting the hive. As vegetation is a function of the climatic conditions in an area, the activities of the bee colony is a function of both climate and vegetation. The seasonal activities of bee colonies varies remarkably among local biotic communities in Nigeria. For instance, the rainforest vegetation in some states like osun, ondo, akwa ibom, benue, edo, cross river etc depicts their similar weather conditions and consequently, the bee colony seasonal activities. However, the months of june/july is a period of rainfall throughout the country. During this period most plants are busy springing up their greens and there is less forage available to bees. The colony depends on stored honey for survival. This is very significant in a mono-crop area. Swarming is also not pronounced. When dominant plants blossoms (flowers), The apiarist should be aware that there is abundant food supply, thereby increasing the population of bee colonies. Between the period of blossom drops and fruit setting, the colony will store enough honey ready for harvest and swarming is also emminent. There are some contradictions to these due to climate change. The beekeeper should be aware that swarming is a loss to his honey crop because the bees gorge a lot of honey which is needed to build combs in their new nest. It is in the interest of a beginner to investigate these seasonal behaviours of honey bees by interacting with experienced beekeepers in the apiary locality rather than surfing the internet. |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 5:01pm On May 15, 2021 |
If you are interested in beekeeping, you can call or send whatsapp message to my number 09053639950 Daniel. This is to assist you in acquiring beekeeping equipments and further guidance. |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 4:59pm On May 15, 2021 |
Why Kenyan Top Bar Hives ( KTB): Beehives designs have continue to advance to give the best management practices and high yields. The old fixed comb hives have been abandoned by commercial beekeepers due to difficulties in management. This is why top bar hives and langstroth frame hives are common. Langstroth frame hives offers the best management practices because honey combs are supported by four sides in a rectangular frames. This enables the honey from it to be harvested by placing honey combs into the honey extractor which spins honey out without destroying the honey combs. Honey combs can then be refilled within days or weeks depending on the strength of colony and availability of forage. Some activities like queen rearing, feeding, supering (stacking of boxes), transportation and disease control can also be successfully achieved. The limitations to this is that, apart from being more expensive than KTB hives, the dimensions of frames are critical and local carpenters will not achieve this. Applicable sawing machines are also scarce as well. KTB hives are cheap to construct and can be contracted to local carpenter because, no critical dimensions are needed except the top bars of width 32mm. They also get colonised easily and restive west african bees finds them comfortable. Beewsax yield is high as the destroyed honey combs are processed but less honey quantity. The bees need more time and resources in rebuilding combs before the next honey harvest. Another restriction is that bee colonies can't be efficiently controlled unlike langstroth frame hives. 1 Like |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 4:36pm On May 14, 2021 |
Attit: |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 7:45pm On May 13, 2021*. Modified: 5:01pm On May 15, 2021 |
If you are interested in beekeeping, you can call or send whatsapp message to my number 09053639950 Daniel. This is to assist you in acquiring beekeeping equipments and further guidance. |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 10:28pm On May 12, 2021 |
Profitability of Beekeeping: Consider to start with 5 KTB hives of 27 frames each. At harvest, the quantity of honey varies between 8 - 10 litres. This depends on the strength of colony, harvest timing, season and availability of forage. A litre of original honey is sold at 3000 - 3500 naira. Using 3000, 8 litres (minimum quantity) would give 24000 naira from a single hive. The harvest can be achieved twice in a year, yielding 48000 naira income per unit hive per year. Multiplying 48000 by 5 gives a gross income of 240000 naira. The costs of each hive and beekeeping equipments can be recovered in the first year with a minimum of 5 KTB hives (27 frames). Honey bees are very advantageous because they are the only livestock that does not require feeding and daily attention. |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 7:31am On May 12, 2021*. Modified: 11:02am On May 12, 2021 |
Bee stings Bees are feared not only in Africa but all over the world. They sting painfully, but the tropical bee, in addition, can kill both man and his animals. They need to defend their colony against intruders and stinging is the only way. In the wild, tropical bees avoid humans as much as possible. Even though stings can kill, bees should not be considered as extremely dangerous. The beekeeper who is afraid of his bees is like a lorry driver who will not drive for fear of an accident, or a farmer who will not go to his farm for fear of a snake bite. It is interesting to note that bee stings can treat diseases like arthritis and that bee venom is used as a desensitizer for people who are allergic to stings. Thus a few stings that administer small doses of venom may be helpful. But too much can be dangerous, and people allergic to bee stings should not keep bees. If a few bees stings the apiarist over a long time, reactions will reduce. If a sting is inserted into the skin, it must be scraped away with the fingernail or a knife or a card. Pulling it out with the thumb and fore finger pressed against it will inject more venom to the body. If the result is itching and swelling, do not rub the spot, as this action will cause greater pain and swelling. Treat bee stings by applying ice wrapped in soft cloth. In extreme cases, victims should be sent to the hospital. Ephedrine may be administered when a doctor's help cannot be obtained. Honey bees won't sting during forage and swarming because they are much concerned about their mission. What causes bees to sting? - not wearing protective materials like bee hat, bee suit and gloves - openings in bee wears - disturbing them without using smoker - breathing into the hive, especially if the beekeeper has been drinking any alcoholic beverage, including beer - wearing a cosmetic item - talking, drumming or making any other noise when bees are busy nearby; - standing in their flight path; - wearing dark clothes near the hive during the daytime; - making jerky movements near the hive; - crushing a bee near a hive or squashing a bee body and smearing the juice on one's body; - swatting with the hand to drive a bee away On the attack It is safe to work as long as no bees attack. However, the first bee sting attracts others to strike. If the victim stands quietly without moving his body, all other attackers will sting on the same spot as the first strike. Every bee that stings puts more alarm pheromone (a chemical that sends message) on the spot, thus causing more and more bees to strike, and the resulting pain makes the victim swat round and round, causing other attackers to sting other parts of the body. The apiarist should immediately puff off smoke on the sting area if stung to prevent the alarm pheromone from inciting other bees. Massive bee stings is also a loss to the colony because each worker dies shortly after. The stinging action leaves a barb on the skin which rips the stomach of a worker bee as she tries to escape. Defensive action of honey bees boosts the apiarist confidence on his apiary security. |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 12:31am On May 12, 2021*. Modified: 7:17am On May 12, 2021 |
Beeswax extraction method: Beeswax is extracted from honey comb. When honey is pressed out from honey comb, the residue can be processed to beeswax through the following processes; 1) wash the pressed comb in clean water to remove left over honey. 2) first process may be repeated to improve the purity of the beeswax 3) the washed comb is then transferred to a pot of water and heated gently until all the combs melts. Avoid uncontrolled heat because beeswax is inflammable 4) The pot should be taken away from the heat source and allowed its content should be allowed to cool 5) A cake of beeswax will be formed at the top of water, taking the shape of the container Step 3-5 can be repeated to improve the purity of beeswax. |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 11:31pm On May 10, 2021 |
Honey extraction method: After the honey combs have been collected, they should be placed in a container and covered immediately to avoid bees disturbance. Avoid drops of combs or honey to prevent ants invasion. The honey combs are then taken to the honey press which is fabricated like palm oil press, the honey is then collected and filtered with strainer to remove suspended matter. It should be poured to airtight container to avoid it from absorbing water from the air (hygroscopic nature of honey) which makes it less thick or flow more. However, its quality won't be affected. Neatness should be ensured throughout the process. Gloves should be worn on hands. Containers, strainer and packaging materials should be free from dirt. Make a standard package and give it a brand name, this will make the product more attractive in the market. |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 4:19pm On May 10, 2021 |
When to tell and how honey should be harvested A colonised beehive must be inspected to know when honey is ready for harvest. The timing of harvest depends on the strength of colony and availability of nectar. It takes some months from colonisation. Before inspecting the hive, the beekeeper should have the smoker ready and in complete overalls. Bees aggressiveness is at its threshold when over 40% of honeycomb is capped, so the apiarist must be prepared. On visiting the hive, heavy fume of smoke must be puffed in through the entrance for some minutes, then the apiarian waits few seconds to allow the bees gorge up honey. This won't allow the workers to be able to sting because they can't bend their honey laden abdomen for stinging. Thereafter, the apiarist lift the hive cover, puff smokes and lift the top bars or frames from the extreme end of the entrance. He should puff smokes and brush the bees gently to check whether the comb is brood comb or honey comb. If it is a brood comb, there will be a large portion with some small white eggs, crescent shape larva, pollen cells and thick capped brood. If it is honey comb, it will be fully capped or partially capped with honey and some pollen occupied cells may be present. The apiarist must take note, whether the brood pattern is regular or scattered, because the young and productive queen have regular laying pattern. Care must be taken when handling top bars to avoid comb break off as it is not supported on all sides unlike frame comb. When about 70% of over 8 from 15 bars/frames is filled with capped honey. The apiarist can cut out the honey comb from top bars/frames with sharp and warm knife or take the honeycomb frames to honey extractor if it is from a langstroth hive . The apiarist should puff smokes throughout the process to calm the bees. The apiarist should not cut out all honey filled comb because worker bees stored the honey as food for themselves, queen, drones and brood. If this is disobeyed, the bees may abscond the hive. All bars or frames must be replaced and the hive is covered. The smoker must be used throughout the process. |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 4:10pm On May 10, 2021 |
Some common practices in apiary management When the beekeeper has successfully obtained some bees in his hives, he can look forward to a bumper harvest, but he must remember that success in keeping bees depends on the exercise of his knowledge of colony organization in relation to various factors. It is also controlled or affected by seasonal and climatic changes, not forgetting the existence of vegetation or bee forage in the area. A farmer who plants his crop on fertile land with excellent climatic conditions is bound to fail if he leaves everything to chance, neglecting other important managerial practices such as pest control, bush clearing, pruning, thinning, etc. Beekeeping calls for practices which are vital to the survival and well-being of every bee colony. How to examine a bee colony While the experienced beekeeper can usually have a fair idea of how his colonies are progressing by observing them from outside, the only means he has of knowing for sure whether everything is going smoothly is to open the hives and inspect each comb. This will let him know if honey is being prepared and capped regularly, whether the colony is getting ready to swarm, whether the hive has been attacked by pests, etc. The general rules for hive inspection and for harvesting honey are the same, and therefore they can be discussed together here. 1. Wear protective clothes, and cover the body thoroughly. It is better to have another person check to be sure the bees have no way to reach the skin. 2. Beekeepers should always work in pairs: one operating the smoker and the other working the top-bars and combs. 3. Get a good smoker with a large bellows. The fuel container must be large enough to carry enough fuel to last for the entire operation. 4. Puff some smoke gently around the hive. Then puff continuously through the main entrance for at least three minutes. Wait about one or two minutes for the bees to rush in and gorge themselves with honey. 5. Using the hive tool or knife, pry open the lid of the hive if it has been propolized (top-bar hives have no problem with propolizing). With the top-bar hive, it is important to knock at the top-bars to determine which are without combs; the empty side makes the most noise. (The frame hive does not need to be "knocked".) Using the hive tool or knife, pry up the top-bars from the empty side. Then puff some smoke gently so that the smoke will drive the bees to the other side of the hive. Most bees will gather as far as possible from the first comb. 6. Then remove the first comb and inspect it. If it is a brood comb, look to see that the cells are filled regularly and well sealed, and especially whether the comb contains queen and drone cells as well as worker cells; this is a sign that the colony is preparing to swarm. If it is a honey comb, look to see whether the cells are fully capped (containing ripe honey) or uncapped or partly capped (containing unripe honey). Then replace the comb, even if it is full of ripe honey; it can be removed and taken away later, during honey-harvesting operations, which call for special equipment. 7. Replace the comb, give a puff of smoke, go on to the next comb, and repeat the operation until all the combs have been inspected. Record-keeping Good records kept by the beekeeper will help him to follow the general progress of his operation. Two records are particularly important: the colony and operational records. Colony record The beekeeper must study the geographical or climatic conditions of his locality in association with his colony's progress, since recorded guide is rarely available. He should study the rainfall and temperature pattern in relation to flowering and the movement of the bees. This will keep him alert as to the swarming season, the best time to split colonies to make them increase or to collect wild bees for hiving, the harvest period, etc. Also to be recorded are the seasonal arrival of pests and seasonal development of diseases, when the wax moth arrives, the seasons for wild ants, beetles, etc. The beekeeper should keep individual colony records, and always carry a pencil and a notebook. He should record when the hive was colonized, whether the bees moved in voluntarily or if a wild colony was captured. He should weigh the individual hive when it is colonized, and every month (or two weeks) check the weight again to find whether progress has been mad. There is no need to buy a scale for this exercise. Lifting the hive to feel the weight is enough. If the weight has gone down, then action must be taken to bring it to the normal condition. The general progress will assist the apiarist to know the condition of the queen. He should record when the bees carry pollen into the hive, observing them at different times and occasionally estimating the number of bees bringing in pollen. If there are many, this means that the bees are rearing brood and the queen is laying more eggs. If the number decreases, the beekeeper must find out why. If there is a decrease in weight, the bees may have swarmed, or the queen is failing and must be replaced. Chalks can be used to mark individual records on the top cover of the hive, while general records are kept in a notebook. Operational record It is very important to keep a notebook recording information on visits to the apiary site, purchases, labour, transport costs, servicing equipment and all other expenses, as well as income. The material that will be required on the next visit should be listed and then prepared. At the end of the year, the success or failure of the operation should be assessed, and how best to reduce costs and maximize profits should be determined. |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 3:56pm On May 10, 2021 |
Where does the bee swarm come from? The honeybee colony is endowed with an instinct which brings about an increase in the number of colonies from time to time. One colony may produce two or more new colonies a year. When a colony in a nest or hive is too populous, the old queen, accompanied by some drones and thousands of young and old workers, flies to a distant place to begin life anew. None of these new settlers will ever return to the old nest. As the bees leave the entrance of the old hive, they fly gyratingly into the sky with a loud hum until they cluster on a tree branch. This cluster is referred to as a swarm of bees. The swarm hangs there temporarily. Scout bees go and find a hollow tree or any suitable place for the new colony. This place may be a hive installed by a beekeeper. The exploratory team of scouts, if lucky, will return with a favourable report to the swarm still waiting on the branch. The swarm will follow the scouts into the new found home. The first swarm to leave a hive during the season is called the prime swarm. A prime swarm is always accompanied by the old queen and some older workers. Before leaving the old hive, they take in honey and other essential commodities from the old hive, so that when they settle in the new nest, they can begin to build combs within a short time to enable the queen to lay. After the prime swarm, any other swarm leaving the parent hive is termed a secondary swarm. It is composed of young workers, young drones and a young queen, completely docile and showing little or no sign of aggressiveness. (They may begin to show some aggressive tendencies after some weeks). 2 Likes |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 3:50pm On May 10, 2021*. Modified: 7:42pm On May 12, 2021 |
Baiting the hive A beehive must be baited for it to be colonised. However, it is possible for bees to colonise a hive without baiting but it can take a long period. To bait the hive, the following steps must be taken 1) Clean the hive and ensure that it is free from organism that can arrest scout bees and there must be no petroleum coated substance in the internal walls of the hive 2) scrub the internal hive body with unrefined beeswax. The smell attracts scout bees who invites the swarm to their new home. Other attractants are lemon grass oil, fermented locust beans etc but beeswax odour last longer and it's the most efficient. 3) make sure that the hive is covered and the entrance is not too wide, the size of a match box is enough. It must be placed on a stand. 4) apply black engine oil at the base of the hive stand to prevent ants and spiders from accessing the hive. Spiders and ants can arrest and kill scout bees. The oil must not touch the hive because it is an insects repellant, remember that bees are insects too. 5) leave the place and make sure no one is present because African bees avoids human as much as possible. The hive can be checked a week later, the flight of bees in and out of entrance confirms colonisation. It is wrong to use honey to bait hives as it will attract ants and foraging bees will only come for it. It is also important to know that the frequency of swarming varies with seasons. It is most frequent in early dry season - dry season - early wet season. It hardly occurs during harmattan and periods of high rainfall such as june - july in West Africa climate. I had experienced swarm capture the same day an hive was baited. 3 Likes |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 3:38pm On May 10, 2021 |
The hive tool, bee brush, cutlass, buckets etc are accessories because one can visit the hive without them. Below is a photo of bee brush and a hive tool
|
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 3:29pm On May 10, 2021 |
(4) A Hive tool: A hive tool is necessary to pry up and remove the frames of a langstroth hive. The kenyan top bar hive may not need a hive tool, but a knife instead. A knife may be required to pry open top bars or frames which are usually glued to the hive body by the bees. The knife is also useful for cutting a portion of the comb attached to the hive body, separating to combs joined together and cutting out the honey comb from the top bars during the honey harvest. A knife can perform almost all the functions of the hive tool and the hive tool cannot be used to cut bee combs as neatly as possible. (5) The bee brush: Bees must sometimes be brushed gently into a container or a hive. A brush with soft hairs is useful for this, buf if the bee keeper can obtain a strong large quil like an ostrich or turkey feather, there is no need to acquire a bee brush 1 Like |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 8:15am On May 10, 2021*. Modified: 2:37pm On May 16, 2021 |
(3) Personal Protective Equipments: These includes; bee hat, bee gloves, overalls and boots. This materials must be worn completeley to avoid bee stings. Effective bee-proof personal protective equipment helps beekeepers, especially beginners, to have confidence when approaching and opening hives. Bees always, sooner or later, find holes in veils and clothing, so it is good idea to repair these before visiting the apiary. Regardless of what others say or think, there is absolutely no need to project the image of being a hero by being stung. Wear clean, light coloured and smooth clothing. Bees dislike dark and woolly clothing including felt hats, woolly socks and some types of leather gloves that have a rough surface. Bees can panic and are likely to sting when they are caught in hair and fibres of clothing.Wear clean, light coloured and smooth clothing. Bees dislike a number of odours. Avoid contamination on yourself or your clothing by oil, diesel fuel, dog and horse odours and build-up of excessive perspiration. Don’t use hair spray, deodorants, cream and any other scent materials. YOUR SAFETY FIRST
|
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 8:00am On May 10, 2021*. Modified: 7:51am On May 12, 2021 |
(2)The Smoker: This is an important equipment that is used to sedate or calm the bees when performing hive operations. It consist of a milo can size container and a nozzle. A bellow is assembled to it to blow air into the container where there is a burning material like dry pawpaw leaves, coconut coir, dry wood pieces etc. Palm fruit chaff is prohibited it will tint the comb and contaminate the honey. The smoke escapes through the nozzle and it's directed to bees when the bellow is pressed. Care must be taken when emptying the smoker after use to avoid bush burning. The beekeeper will not work on bees comfortably without a smoker and the hive area would be excessively rowdy. Below are smoker with bellow operated manually and an electric smoker with electric bellow. 1 Like
|
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 7:59am On May 09, 2021 |
The pictures below are 28 bars hives under construction, with bars arranged, with cover and installed on iron stand. Note the entrance for bees. It is a matchbox size and can also be at one side wall bottom.
|
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 12:33am On May 09, 2021 |
The bee hive must be covered with water proof materials and placed on a stand. The best stand is iron stand and the four legs can be dipped into spent engine oil container to prevent ants from accessing the hive. Invading ants can force bees to abscond their colony. Bee hives can also be suspended firmly with rope on a tree. It is in the bee keeper interest to place the hive in a position for easy inspection. |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 12:24am On May 09, 2021*. Modified: 3:06pm On Aug 20, 2021 |
Each top bar width must be 32mm for West African bee hive. The comb drawn from each bar downward is 18mm width and a space between adjacent combs is around 7mm (adding up 18mm+ 7mm + 14mm = 32mm). The 7mm gap on both side of 18mm thick comb is known as bee space and it is vital. The bees moves along this space between adjacent combs. Disobeying this critical dimensions would make hive inspection messy because the bees would link up the bars with honey combs. The length of bars can be 400 - 470mm but must be standardize in case of switching between hives. The bars must cover the hive completely. It is important to supervise the carpenter when cutting top bars from planks. Wood that should be used for cutting top bars must be seasoned otherwise, it would wrap, bend, or shrink depending on the type of wood few days after cutting. A wood like melina is an exception because its bar would retain its size and shape after seasoning.
|
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 12:06am On May 09, 2021 |
Note the trapezium shape of the hive body. The base is at angle 115° to the top and less wide. Note the top bars with same size arranged. The bees draw combs from the bars downwards. The number of bars determines the size of hive. |
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 12:01am On May 09, 2021*. Modified: 11:29am On May 12, 2021 |
To start beekeeping:It is easy to start beekeeping, the first step is locating a suitable land that is free from noise, over 1 kilometre from settlement, flat terrain and free from flooding. The bee yard could be sited on a farm land but must not be closed to foot path and must be confined. There must be forage ( plants with nectary flowers) within at least, 3km radius. The following materials should be acquired to commence beekeeping; (1) The Beehive: This is the engine room of beekeeping. It is where the colony of honey bees exists. Beginners are advised to use Kenyan top bar hive whose advantages had been stated. It should be baited by rubbing beeswax or propolis to its internal walls and entrance. The odour from these materials will attract scout bees. The scout bees will invite the bee swarm thereafter. Depending on the scale, the apiarist can acquire more to expand the apiary/bee yard. The remaining hives can be colonised by splitting of colonies or baiting to capture swarm. It is also possible to purchase package bees which are in nuc box and the bees can be transferred to hives. This is a common practice in the western world. Honey bees dislikes some wood and may not colonise them especially when wet. They release odours or chemicals offensive to the bees.Teak is an example. However, their trees hollow can still be colonised because of unexposed layers. Examples of bee friendly woods in West Africa are gmelina, locust bean, kapok, obeche etc
|
| Agriculture › Re: Lets Go Beekeeping by honifome(op): 6:41am On May 08, 2021 |
How honey is made:Workers on foraging duty visits flowers of selected plants like apple, cucumber, cashew, citrus, mango, almond, water melon, gmelina, kapok, pumpkin etc to suck their nectar. They return to the hive where the nectar is regurgitated and passed on to other workers and stored in the cells of honey comb. Enzymes are added to the nectar when in the false stomach of foraging worker and during the process of transfer to hasten the conversion of nectar to honey. The nectar stored in honey comb will then be fanned by workers until about 70% of its water is lost to evaporation. Thereafter, the honey formed is capped with beeswax by workers and consumed when needed. They do not store honey for humans but for themselves in case of scarcity of food or swarming. |
