The art of beekeeping
IN the past, our ancestors kept bees and harvested honey for numerous purposes. This practice has been passed on from one generation to the other.
Beekeeping is now a viable commercial activity. At Munashe Private High School in Mutoko, beekeeping, also known as apiculture, is being practised, though on a small scale.
The project was initiated after the authorities realised the benefits of using and consuming natural honey.
Apart from being a form of food, honey is of medicinal value.
It is important to note that apiculture has changed the lives of many people through employment creation; it has turned out to be a reliable source of income.
Harvesting of honey usually takes place after every three months. The school currently has only three beehives, and intends to have as many as possible.
The project will benefit not only the current members, but also the whole of the Mutoko community.
There are three main types of bees, namely, the queen; drones — which are males; and the workers. In each colony, there is only one queen bee at a time. Apart from laying eggs, the queen maintains the temperature in the beehive.
The queen is fertilised by the drones and lays up to 2 500 eggs a day. They hatch after two weeks. The other bees live for between five to six weeks only, but the queen has a lifespan of up to 10 years.
Among the hatched eggs, there should be a princess to take over the throne after the death of the queen.
The queen has long flappy hairy wings. It gives danger warning signs to members of the colony from time to time.
When migrating, the queen will be surrounded by all members of the colony as a protective measure. The worker bees are responsible for locating beehives, among other duties. They work flat out to find pollen and nectar used to make honey.
When harvesting honey, one needs a bee smoker, which temporarily suffocates the bees.
There is also need for a kitchen knife and a plastic bucket. Metal buckets are not recommended for use in honey harvesting as they may become rusty. The rust will contaminate the honey.
The harvester should wear a pair of trousers, a protective bee mask, a jacket and gloves. The process has to be conducted in a quiet environment.
When harvesting honey, one should not panic. Bees can easily detect that one has panicked, a situation that can prompt them to attack people.
Bees have a very good sense of smell. They may detect scent several kilometres away. When we harvest the honey that the bees make for themselves, we become their enemies. Other enemies of bees include ants, snakes, wasps, spiders, termites and bears.