Don’t Let Your Land Stay Idle,Invest in Modern Bee Keeping

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Some years ago, bees were kept mainly by villagers, especially in the arid and semi-arid regions, with the farmers harvesting the produce and selling it raw for a song.

The introduction of beekeeping methods such as Propolis attracting hundreds of Kenyans as the demand for honey increases at a higher level.

 According to Paul Mutua CEO Savannah Honey, Propolis is a high-income earner which if exploited can triple the income of a beekeeper.

“Many people think of bees only in terms of honey. While honey itself is great for wealth, health and job creation, it is of the lowest value compared to the other bee products,” says Paul Mutua.

Mutua adds that propolis is a sticky substance collected by bees from buds or bark of trees. He adds that bees use the material for reducing the size of the hive entrance, filling cracks, polishing the interior of the hive, strengthening comb attachment, killing intruders by covering them and as barriers against ants (nest defense).

“Propolis is used in human medicine and for veterinary purposes. Currently, several pharmaceutical companies across the world use propolis in the production of drugs while other companies use propolis for manufacturing of medicinal soaps because its antibiotic properties inhibit the growth of micro-organism,” he adds.

Commercial propolis harvesting involves the use of the propolis trap which is a plastic mesh sheet which the bees use to build the propolis on. When harvesting propolis, the beekeeper should:

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To promote beekeeping Mutua states that the government and other development agencies should put more emphasis on the trade “the way they do for other value chains such as dairy” and that beekeeping should be introduced in schools to eliminate the phobia for the insects.

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“We undertake the delivery and installation of the hives, while also providing the technical support such as harvesting and marketing services,” he said.

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