Bees for Development Journal 70

Beekeeping In Okuku, NigeriaIchire Ojating and O I Ojating, University of Calabar, Nigeria

Beekeeping with Langstroth frame hives was undertaken for thefirst time in Okuku for two years between December 2001 andJune 2003. The work is on-going.

Baiting and siting of the hives

Six Langstroth frame hives were baited by smearing a mixture ofpalm wine and honey on the frames as well as on the insidewalls and flight entrance of the hives on 3 December 2001. Thehives were sited under Gme//na arborea, De/onix reg/a andCassia nodosa (Cassia siameaj trees. The baiting of the hiveswas repeated every two days and was discontinued as soon as ahive was occupied by a colony of bees.

Hive occupancy

The first hive was occupied by a swarm of bees on 3 September2002, ie nine months after the baited hives were placed in theapiary (see Table right for the hive occupancy details). From thisrecord it is evident that the best hive occupancy rate wasobserved at weeks 65-76, during which four hives wereoccupied. This means that the rate of hive occupancy washighest at Okuku one year after the hives were baited and sitedunder the trees. The implication is that a beginner beekeeperusing Langstroth frame hives in Okuku has to continue to baithives for at least a full year before having a reasonable numberof bee colonies.

HIVE OCCUPANCY DATES

¥

X'vsnumber

1

2

3

4

5

6

%Date of hiveoccupancy

3 September 2002

10 September 2002

27 February 2003

28 February 2003

3 April 2003

21 May 2003

Number of weeksbefore hiveoccupied

39

40

64

64

69

" :

Bee colony management

The bee colonies in the hives were inspected twice each week forpests, diseases and general condition. Such insect pests asblack ants, red ants, sugar ants, small and large hive beetles,and wax moths were killed if present. Agama lizards, toads andgeckos were driven away from the hives. The bee colonies werenever fed with sugar syrup.

Dr Ichire Ojating with some of the Langstroth frame hives used in the study

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Bees for Development Journal 70

Hazards

Bush fires are a very serious threat to beekeeping in Okuku. Inthis Savanna Zone, vegetation is always burnt completely everyyear during the five month dry periods between November andMarch. These annual bush burnings cause colonies to migrateto distant lands and the colonies hardly come down to occupyhives baited with attractants. Such baited hives normally remainfallow, unoccupied by bees for a long period. Bush fires alsodestroy all plants including melliferous trees. Consequently beesare unable to find enough nectar or pollen.

The cutting of branches of melliferous trees such as Gme//naarborea by farmers also causes shortages of nectar and pollen.The farmers use the branches of the trees as yam stakes.

The small hive beetle Aethina tumida and the large hive beetleHolplostomus fuligineus are very common and very dangerousinsect pests of the bee colonies at Okuku. These insect pestscaused the absconding of three colonies in April andAugust 2003.

The wax moth Galleria me//one/a, is one of the great pests ofcolonies at Okuku. Ga//er/a mellonela destroyed all the combsof one colony in August 2003 and caused all the bees toabscond from the hive as they laid eggs into the comb cells andtheir larvae fed on honey and produced cobwebs that damagedthe entire combs.

The house flies Musca domesf/ca also do some damage to thecombs as they eat the honey and lay eggs into the comb.

The red Safari ants, locally known as Tailor ants, Dorilidae andSugar ants did some damage to colonies as they fed on thestored honey of the very weak colonies. The black Soldier antsare the commonest that cause absconding in Okuku during therainy season from May to October.

Agama lizards, Agama spp were always seen at the flightentrances in the afternoons catching the bees and eating them.These reduce the population of guard bees and thereby weakenthe strength of the colony. While Agama lizards eat bees in theday time, the Gecko lizards feed on bees at night. Hives placednear the ground were disturbed by toads which were oftenfound around the flight entrance catching and eating the beesat night time.

Prospects

Honey hunting is practised and there is a high demand forhoney: surplus can be sold easily in the local and city markets,and people in nearby hospitals are in need of honey. Framehives can greatly improve and increase beekeeping as the fewbeekeepers and/or traditional honey hunters are eager toreceive advice geared towards making beekeeping a more "rewarding and lucrative business.

The flora of Okuku could support about 5,000 productive beecolonies. This represents an annual production capacity of83,000 kg of honey (ie 16.67 kg per colony) worth aboutN3,000 or US$30 per colony based on 2003 domestic marketprices.

Today's production of honey in Okuku is less than 1% of thepotential. Production can be raised through education of thepeople on the benefits of beekeeping. The people should bemade to know that bush burning does more harm than good.

Concluding remarks

The moral and financial support of Bees for Development andreaders of this Journal is being solicited to enable the authors topromote further beekeeping in Okuku for meaningful economicand social benefits.

NOTICE BOARDINTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITYThe World Forest Institute is seeking individuals working inforestry and natural resources to apply for our InternationalFellowship Program. The Institute is seeking people withinitiative, interest in international forestry isst?es, and a goodcortimand of English. Visit: www.wondforestry.org/wfi

APICULTURE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTESTDeadline for receipt of entries 30 April 2004.Further details: www.aulaapicolazuqueca.com

MARKET OPPORTUNITYOur association is interested in the marketing of hive products,especially honey and beeswax. We are looking for businesspartnerships and to exchange opportunities world-wide.Contact: Samba Sene on sambasene@hotmail.com

FINANCIAL SUPPORT WANTEDMy name is Willy Chong. I am a beekeeper in Apac District inUganda. I want funding from any NGO or any good person,who can fund me to support my project since LRA burnt all myhives. I need funding to buy land to keep my bees and also tobuy top-bar hives since I am living in Apac Town and not myhome place. Please assist me so that I also promote my project.Contact: Willy via Bees for Development

See also page 75

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