Vihiga abuzz with beekeeping success

Rocky and forested, Jepseri village in Vihiga County is home to a growing number of apiaries as more farmers take up bee farming.

High up the hilly village, Martin Kilavuka Aligula, 52, has established an apiary in a small area surrounded by a cluster of medium-sized rocks, and indigenous and exotic trees that form an ideal environment for bee rearing. 

“I took up bee farming in 2006 after training at the Bukura Farmers Training Centre,” Aligula says and advises individuals who want to try their hand at bee farming to first acquire basic knowledge on how to trap and manage them. 

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“This is important to minimise conflict between the bees, domestic animals, and human beings”. An apiary or beehives should be set up in areas away from schools, footpaths, or next to land on which farming is done, he says.  “It is also important to shield beehives from strong winds and rain. Above all, beehives must be placed in areas out of reach of safari ants and other types of ants and caterpillars that feed on bee larvae”.  

According to Aligula, there are two types of bees - stinging and stingless varieties. He demonstrates this by opening one of the hives containing stingless bees and dips his bare hand into it but the insects crawl harmlessly on it. 

“There are four species of stingless bees identifiable by their colours which are black, orange, brown and those that are half orange and half brown. These bees are smaller in size compared to the stinging type that has three species;  the bumble bee, the Asian bee and the African honey bee that is sometimes referred to as the killer bee because of its ferocious nature”. 

He warns that venom from an African bee sting is so powerful it can kill an elephant. “Animals and people stung by these bees can lose their lives because their bodies and veins swell and interfere with the flow of blood. Only pigs can withstand bee stings because of their fatty layers,” he says. 

A few kilometres from Aligula’s home, Wycliffe Chabaya, another bee farmer who ventured into the business in 2019 has set up beehives in a forested area off the main road. Our approach to the apiary was rudely interrupted after hostile African bees started buzzing around us and even stung our cameraman as he tried to get a shot of the apiary. 

“We harvested honey a couple of days back and the bees are agitated. They will remain hostile for a couple of days before settling back to routine,” says Chabaya whose motivation for bee farming arose from his association with the Vihiga County Traders Sacco which encouraged him to venture into beekeeping.

“We were encouraged to diversify into other value chain businesses away from maize farming. I started with three beehives but have since expanded and nowadays I make and sell beehives. Each costs Sh4,000 and their demand is high,” he says.

“A single beehive can fetch Sh10,000 per harvest,  and we harvest three times in a year. There are no operational costs besides the cost of the beehive. Once a colony is established, it takes about six months to make the first harvest and thereafter, one can harvest every three or four months,” he says

Climate change, however, poses serious challenges to bee farming. A receding forest cover has left Vihiga County with only 36 percent tree cover according to a 2021 survey by the Kenya Forest Services. Aligula and Chabaya lament that there is little support and sensitization about the lucrative bee farming from the county government. Extremely hot and cold weather affect the productivity of bees. 

“When it is too hot and dry, vegetation dries up and bees are forced to travel long distances to find nectar and pollen. This lowers their productivity. Again, when it is rainy and cold, the bees do not venture outside. To survive, two things happen. The old and unproductive bees are killed by fellow bees. Those that remain feed on the honey to survive, hence reduced productivity,” he says.

Dr Richard Boiyo, Chief Officer of Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, Vihiga County, shares this observation. He was in attendance at the COP 28 conference that was held in Dubai recently.

“Bees are affected by climate change. They rely on foliage for nectar to produce honey and because drought reduces plants, bees travel long distances to get nectar, which affects their productivity. Equally, rain affects their productivity. Moreover, pollination, which is carried out by bees, is linked to food security. Without bees doing cross-pollination, we end up with poor yields”. 

Vihiga County Director of Climate Change Winston Atamba says the county has adopted climate change mitigation measures that include planting more trees to act as carbon sinks. 

“In the meantime, communities must adopt alternative means of livelihood away from the usual farming. Beekeeping is a viable alternative, and honey is a high quality and nutritious food” Atamba says

“A group of farmers from South Maragoli ward presented a proposal on bee rearing to the county government that we assessed and approved. It has attracted a funding of Sh6.5 million from the county government,” Boiyo affirmed.

Aligula and Chabaya have urged the county government to encourage youth to invest in bee farming, especially in the rocky areas that are not agriculturally productive, and to help farmers purchase honey harvesting machines to reduce wastage.

“These machines are costly, but farmers need them. A centrifuge machine, which costs about Sh 90000,  sucks out all the honey from honeycombs without destroying them, and they can be re-inserted into new beehives to attract a new colony,” Aligula says

“Such machines improve the quality of export honey that is normally tested for smoke and moisture content. Unfortunately, most farmers use smoke to harvest their honey because they cannot afford the new technology for extraction,” Chabaya says.