How to start a bee farm – Expert
Dagunduro O. Gideon is the Director of Success Farm, Gwagwalada, FCT. He has been in the business since 1995. In this interview with he shares how farmers can make huge profits from multiple honey harvests within a year. Excerpts:
As a seasoned bee farmer in the FCT, which new technology are you currently using in your farm?
We have gotten some new technology especially in processing the honey. In Nigeria we harvest mostly once a year but with my recent partner from Kenya, we can harvest honey 4 to 5 times a year and from the hives you can get 10 to 15kg of honey, so we don’t destroy the combs we just put the combs in a processing machine and it extracts the honey through spinning using centrifugal force and we put the comb back to the hives so they don’t have to build new ones.
How do you plan to ensure that an average farmer who wants to go into bee farming benefits from these new technologies?
We want to see if we can get to the grassroots and liaise with the youth and women. In Kwali, FCT, we are going to train 30 women under the women empowerment programme at least for a week on my farm. We will do the theory at the Area Council Secretariat and then we will move to the wards. We are also trying to bring some youths from different parts of the FCT to establish cooperatives in bee farming.
Do you offer starter packs that the farmer can afford to those who attend the training?
One of the packages we are trying to do is that after the training, we would give a farmer at least 2 hives, smoker, bee veil, bee suits and boots so that the farmer can start up immediately and we also monitor the farmer for three months.
What new bee hive technology do you also have?
Already, we have people producing standard hives like the ones used in America. We are using modern hives with frames inside which makes harvesting operations easier. We make the hives and inside the hives we have 10 frames. The bees build combs on the frames. 70% of the bees’ activity is building of these combs and it is only a little part of their life that they use in depositing honey.
One frame can produce 1 kg to 1.2 kg of honey so in a hive you can get up to 10 kg under good management.
As part of your training do you also help them to sell what they produce at good prices?
We have market outlets that are ready to take this honey knowing full well they are beekeepers and we buy back from them. I cannot even meet my customers’ demands. I supply different organisations and groups that is why we are thinking of getting as many people as possible to start. Bee keeping is the only gold that Nigeria is yet to tap.
What does a farmer need to be a bee farmer?
The farmer needs to develop passion for the job and then attend the training and thirdly you need all the equipment. We have up to 15 equipment but for a starter you can have 5 to 6 equipment - hives, veil, suits, boots, hand gloves, smoker and hive tools, bee brush and honey extractor.
How much does a smallholder farmer needs to start up?
With N50,000 to N100,000 you can start and by the time you start harvesting you can expand your business and have more hives.
What is the duration for the first honey harvest?
As soon as the hive is colonized, you should expect to harvest in six months, and then in terms of the new harvesting technology mentioned earlier, you continue to harvest in few weeks.