HORTICULTURE AND APICULTURE COMPLEMENTING EACH OTHER

By Robert Mutisi

December 2015

HORTI-API-CULTURE1

Mrs Bhebhe is into horticulture and is a woman who is very practical and spends 95% of her time in the garden. She has passion for growing flowers, vegetables, ornamental and orchard trees.

Horticulture is the art or practice of gardening cultivation and management. It focuses on the growing of fruit trees in an orchard, vegetables, flowers and ornamental plants.

Apiculture is an occupation of owning and breeding bees for their bee products and services in order to improve livelihoods.

Bees need to visit flowers to collect pollen and nectar. During the visiting of flowers by bees to collect pollen and nectar pollination services take place and this ensures food security. Beekeeping does not compete with any plants on the existing land use plan since this is an aerial venture and can be started with little capital. From beekeeping additional income is realised. Beekeeping complements Horticulture very well and one cannot afford to separate the two is sustainable food security and nutrition is to achieved.

On the 29th of December 2015 I together with WORKING FOR BEES Team visited Mrs Bhebhe at her homestead in Rusape along Castle Base road. I was invited to her homestead to check if her Horticulture venture can be matched with Beekeeping venture. Surprisingly we saw the area full of flowering trees, shrubs and flowers. Bees need flowers as sources of nectar and pollen. Bees need water which is available in sunk bore holes. Area is very accessible, plenty shed trees within the area, wind- breaks are available.

We found that the area is suitable to start a Beekeeping venture. Together with my team Nicholas and Thomas we managed to set three standard Kenyan Top Bar (KTB) hives in the area. The set KTB hives are the first hives on the area. We hope to bring in more hives are the three have been colonised. We just hope that they will be colonised soon.

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Hive setting

The following must be present when setting a hive

1. A spreading tree where to suspend the hive2. Kenyan Top Bar standard hive3. Galvanised tying wire to suspend the hive4. Hive suspension frames5. Grease or Vaseline to guard against ants from entering the hive6. Small diameter flexible plastic pipes to guard against injuring the tree7. Pliers8. Cane knife and manual grass cutter/slasher9. Rake10. Hoe11. Hammer and wire nails12. Bowsaw13. Wax/propolis for baiting the bees14. Matches and small tin for melting wax

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Bees need a variety of flowers.

The Stenocarpus sinuatus (Queensland Firewheel)- A flowering and shed tree.

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Accessibility of the area is very important

The area is very accessible all year round.

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Standard KTB hives ready for setting

This photo shows

1. Top covers2. Top bars3. Hives4. Suspension frames5. Plain wire

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Practical hive setting

Thomas is placing the top bars on the hive before putting the top cover. Once the top cover is put grease is applied on the wires so as to guard against ants from entering the hive. Also the top and bottom of the hive must be clear of branches and grass so that predators cannot take advantage of such to get into the hives. The part of the plain wire that is in contact with the tree goes through a small flexible plastic pipe so that trees are not damaged by the wire.

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Mr Mutisi checks the hive after setting.

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W-4-B

CB1

What do they stand for?

This is how the hives are numbered and this is part of record keeping.

W- WORKING

4- FOR

B- BEES

C- CASTLE

B- BASE

1-HIVE NUMBER ONE

Working for Bees(W-4-Bs) is the Group name and Castle Base 1 is where the Apiary is located and within the Apiary we can find Hive number 1.

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The Bhebhe family and Working for Bees team pose for a photo soon after setting the hive. The Bhebhe family appreciates the work being done by Working for Bees(W-4-Bs) in developing communities.

A hive set within flowers

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We expect quick colonisation of this hive given its location.

Working for bees will continue to work with the Bhebhe family and Beekeeping and Horticulture knowledge and skills will be shared.

“Bees can change our lives”.

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