I'd rather sleep with my bees than waste space in my house

John Muremi, a bee farmer from Kakamega County, explains how he processes his honey at his home in Ivakale village, Shinyalu constituency. [PHOTOS: BENJAMIN SAKWA/STANDARD]

“I will rather sleep, sit and walk with my bees than use space in my house for bed, TV or radio which cannot give me any income.”

These are the words of Kakamega bee man John Muremi. For 40 years, Muremi, 52, has done what many cannot contemplate: live with bees under the same roof with his family.

“Using your space to keep clothes and fit a bed won’t earn you any money, keeping bees will,” he says.

Muremi, who lives in Ivakale village in Kakamega County, has defied all odds to eke a living from the insects, which can sometimes sting. "The more the bees see and smell people, the more they become friendly just like other domestic animals," he says.

Having kept the bees for honey for several decades, Muremi has gained experience on the venture and now makes his own hives. His home is full of hives, ranging from the Kenya Top Bar Hives (KTBH), langstroth and local hives.

Quality honey

But he prefers the langstroth hives which he says have the capacity to produce more honey. Besides, it is more convenient to harvest quality honey from this variety as pure honey is separated from that contaminated by bees.

Muremi, who is also a pastor with the Pentecostal Evangelism Team, sells a langstroth hive at Sh10,000.

“Langstroth hives can be kept in the house but next to a window to allow bees to fly in and out. It has high production compared to other hives. It also has minimal interruptions. I sell a Kenya Top Bar hive at Sh4,500 and a local one for Sh500,” he said.

The man of God only needs a small prayer and read a verse from Genesis (Chapter1:28) one to fill his hives with bees.

Bees, he says, are readily available and it does not take long for his hives to be occupied by a colony.

“It is easy to get bees in the hive. You can use honey itself but the bees may fly away after consuming it. Since I am a pastor I just need to quote a verse from the Bible and make a small prayer to God. After the prayer, I wait for God to do his miracles. He has never failed me,” said Muremi.

He is the proud owner of 210 hives, each of which gives him at least 20 kilogrammes of crude honey. When processed, each hive gives him at least 15 kilogrammes of pure honey.

Muremi says there is high demand for honey and honey products like combs. “There is high demand for honey. Unfortunately, most Kenyans fear keeping bees on their farm yet bees are friendly like any other domestic animal,” he said.

For every half a liter of honey he sells, Muremi makes between Sh300 and 400. It takes at least three months for bees to manufacture honey. Muremi prefers harvesting his honey at night when he interferes less with the bees’ activities.

To harvest, the farmer recommends that protective gear -- bee suit, gumboots, veil and cloves -- must be worn.

“I remove honey from the top bars and pour it into a bucket. Ensure you brush off the bees so that they are not mixed with the honey. One must harvest only those combs that have honey only. If the hive has 25 bars, harvest only 20 bars to allow the queen bee to continue using the remaining honey to lay more eggs,” he said.

Medicinal value

Once harvested, the honey is sieved using a clean piece of cloth to extract only pure honey is received.

But how does a buyer tell pure honey from poor quality ones?

Murimi says the simplest way to tell whether honey is of good quality is by dropping a small scoop into a glass full of water. Pure honey will settle at the bottom of the glass while that of poor quality will dissolve.

By selling honey, bee hives and other products, Muremi says make a profit of Sh10,000 per month from one langstroth hive.

“Unprocessed honey combs, which some people like to chew, can fetch Sh100. Sometimes I get up to Sh70,000 from this venture. Bee keeping has helped me educate my children,” he said.

Muremi teaches apiculture at Ivukaburu Primary School. He also teaches bee keeping at Ivakale Secondary School and visitors to his farm.

“At the primary school, I teach upper classes on the importance of bee keeping. I believe that if we raise a generation that has knowledge on bee keeping and other farming practices we will deal with challenges facing our economy and food security,” he says.

Muremi says honey does not only have medicinal value, it can also be used to manufacture candles, dairy animal feeds and chick mash.

“By mixing maize stalks and honey, one can make good animal feed for his cows. Pollen gives pregnant women more energy and can also be used by children suffering from kwashiorkor,” he says.