[b]Bee Keeping an Ideal Income Generating Activity
Health Benefits and Uses of Honey
Beekeeping is an Ideal income generating activity. Groups like women groups, youth, church members, Cubs engage in bee farming to earn in come. It is to start. It does not land or larger space. One can even hang a beehive on a tree and he or she can still harvest honey to process honey products.
Bee keeping for the purpose of honey production dates back to 700 BC. In China, it had Medicinal properties. In India and other Asian countries i.e. North Central and South-East Asian it formed an integral part of traditional medicine. In African honey is used as food, medicine for certain ailments. It is used as a substitute for sugar sometimes or a flavor to enhance sweetness.
Honey is a precious gift to mankind. Honey is loved and comparable to none in terms of taste and sweetness. Long ago honey was used as the most liked gift one would give to a relative or a friend. It has several health benefits apart from being a feast for the senses. Human-kind has used honey for nearly 3000 years. Honey is used for weight loss.
Bees are social insect that live in groups. One can tame theme by keeping flowers around. They suck nectar from varieties of flowers to make honey. Bees get nectar from different flower. One can keeping bees for honey or can hunt around place with a lot of flowers for a naturally grown honey.
Honey contains sugar up to 85%. A good quality honey should contain at 19% water. It is ever in demand and it a good of earning oneself some cash.
Honey has properties of treating burns and wounds effectively. It has lived long for this purpose in traditional African society. Bees collect propolis from plants. It is a bee product with high medicinal value. This used as antibacterial, anti fungal, and anti-viral, according to National Bee Keeping Station, Annual report:2003
Bee Species and Races.
There are four main types of bees in Kenya. These are:
• Apis Mellifera scullata. It is common and wide spread to larger part of the country. It is highly aggressive and likes migrating.
• Apis Mellifera Monticola. It is also known as Mountain Bee. It is the largest in Africa according to Carroll. T (2006) It is dark in color with long hair. It is mainly found in Kenya Highland.
• Apis Mellifera Yemenitaca. It is smaller in size with slender abdomen. Mainly found in semi Arid and Arid zones.
• Apis Mellifera Littorea. It likes the lowlands. it found along the coast of Kenya. It does not migrate.
Kushiro, a bee farmer with South Abardere honey farmer's society in Kijabe in central Kenya wished the government of Kenya could shift in to commit bee farming, because honey demand is high both locally and abroad.
According Bee farmers, bee keeping is easy and makes more than 200 percents for all its operations. Farmers wonder why this lucrative business is neglected by the government and it can the country foreign exchange in return.
Many people search for jobs everywhere but if these people bee keeping is a well paying job may be many would have employed themselves by embracing bee keeping business. One may ask him or herself which other business can give over two-hundred percent profits. Honey harvesting is normally 3 - 6 times a year according to South Abardere honey farmer's society. One single beehive can produce up to 10 kilogram's of honey per harvest.
One could imagine if people in African are trained in bee keeping business. African could target whole world in supplying of honey products. If farmers are given capital to start business it is extremely good. Bee keeping business is cheap to start. You only need a beehive and harvesting jacket. There is market readily available within and internationally.
Setting up of national and county honey farmers board is way of reaching and exploiting the market. Every family can started a bee keeping activity as income generating activity. Bee keeping waste no time though requires some patience. Once you set up your bee keeping business, you are done. You only wait to harvest and your income flow as long as you live. It is just an amazing self investing business.
Where the government need to shift in is training of farmers and research the market. Honey farming can become second income earner in Kenya. Instance if the government could sponsor the making of millions beehives and provide free of change to farmers in the entire country for a large scale product of honey is a good investment. According to the farmers one beehive can produce up to ten kilograms of honey in one single harvest. The harvest is normally four times a year that means one beehive can give up to 30 kilograms in a year.
The wish is that the government allocates funds to honey farmers just like what is done to fish farming, fish pond to be constructed in every constituency. Honey has health benefits and nutritional value to our bodies. It is rich carbohydrates that are easily digestible by our bodies. It contains glucose and fructose types of sugar in it, absorbed into our body to supply instant energy. It is easy to digest than sugar. Athletes can benefit most has it provide immediate energy and reduce muscle fatigue.
This tells us that where athlete comes from in Kenya, there must be a bee hive. Most area where athlete come from in Kenya they grow honey .Our body needs vitamin and minerals salts for growth and proper and development. We can get these vitamins from honey, these include: - vitamin B2, B6, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, and many other elements important in our bodies. The contents of minerals and vitamins depend on the variety of flowers where the nectar is picked by bee.
Nutritional value of honey differs as also types of flowers where nectar are collected vary. The texture and taste too depend on the type of nectar that means if we commit honey business in whole country we can produce varieties of honey to serve different function.
Honey stimulates immune system to fight against pathogens. It is known as antibacterial, anti-fungal and antimicrobial. This gives it ability to heal wounds, cuts and minors burns. It speeds up healing process, pain and inflammation.
Honey has properties of reducing cholesterol levels especially bad cholesterol which is responsible for clogged arteries. On the other hand, it raises good cholesterol level that is known for reducing risk of heart diseases. The use of honey as medicines of food can easily lead to avoidance some common problems we experience in our day today life i.e. allergies which raw honey is an excellent treatments; anemia which is a great blood choke.
Others ailments and sickness includes appetite, conjunctivitis, fatigue and exhaustion headache and migraine, heart disease, high blood pressure, stomachache, skin and sore throat. The use of honey cost less than the hospital treatment of these diseases.
Equipments for bee farming can be constructed locally or bought from the market. There many companies that can provide bee keeping equipments cheaply. If you can not afford to purchase then one can make a traditional one.
In Kenya the well know beehives are the top bar bee hive. It more popular and it has many advantages The Langstroth hive. Most communities in used the log to make beehive.
Members of the beehive include:
• The Queen; which is asexual female bee.
• The Drone; a male bee charged with fertilizing the queen.
• The Workers; young female bees.
• The Young or Brood.
Carroll. T says in his Book, A Beginner's Guide to Beekeeping in Kenya, that beekeeping is an article of managing honey bees in order to obtain honey. Honey products include:
• Beeswax
• Honey drinks
• To be used in baking
• Food and food sweeteners
• Food preservatives
• Medicine
• Glue
References
Carroll T. A Beginner's Guide To Beekeeping In Kenya.(2006)
Nyuki Newsletter. A bulletin for the the National Beekeeping station.Vol.III. Issue No.1
National Beekeeeping Station. Annual report (2003)
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