Colonisation of hives

What stops bees from colonizing a new bee hive?

In Wampiti, beekeeping practice relies on natural settings where people hang the hives in the branches of trees and the bees come by themselves to colonize them. In many parts of Nakasongola, beekeepers are still depending on natural swarms to obtain new colonies. But the competition is becoming high therefore good players win.

Mouse

Beekeepers have to set their hives in ways which would easily attract swarms to colonize quickly. However many hives don’t get colonized because of the following:
Mice nest in empty hives and inhibit new colonies from taking the hive. Mice nest in unused corners of the hive especially when the colony is weak. Mice are seen to nest between the cover and the bars of top bar hive. Mice nests are a mess in the hive which makes it unfavorable for the bees to colonize it.
Spiders build webs which trap scout bees. Therefore the scouts are unable to go back to deliver messages to the swarm about the findings. The hive also looks wired with webs and untidy for colonization.

Black ants

Crazy ants/ Black ants mess up the hive with piles of dirt which makes the hive unpleasant for new colonies. Usually black ants nest in the cracks of hives even when there are bees.
Snakes sometimes take up residence in hives before bees colonize them but this is temporary and not very common compared to black ants, spiders and mice.
Wood from certain tree species produces an odor which irritates the bees. Therefore the beekeeper should take caution of the source of the wood before constructing the hive. If the wood stinks when it gets wet the bees aren’t attracted to it.

Location of the hive is also important. If a hive is installed in a direct sun shine area, the bees will not take it since the bees don’t like hot temperatures in the hive. A hive in a damp location may not get colonized because of the wetness which couldn’t be regulated by the bees.
However all the above can be dealt with to achieve a successful natural colonization of hives when these guidelines are taken into account.

Regular supervision of hives is very important to stop the infestation of mice, spiders, ants, and snakes. Clean the hive regularly. Choose a conductive location with a good shade.
Smoke the hive before installing it with good scents which attract bees. Rub the hive bodies with good scents such as lemon grass.

Rub propolis or beeswax on the bars to bait bees. I don’t recommend using honey since this attracts ants.
Install hives during swarming seasons.

A beehive installed high in the tree branches

Temporarily install the hive raised above in the branches of trees and lower it when it gets colonized. Scout bees and bees want to live high; therefore they are more attracted to raised hives.
Choose woods which never give odor when wet. There are known tree species which provide wood which bees like.
Keep the beeyard clean.

It's all about the BEES!

In this report, I will talk about the beehives I inspected while in Uganda. The most-asked question I get about the bees in Africa is if they are Africanized. Well, as far as I can tell, the bees in Africa are 100% AFRICAN. I Instead of the terrible killers of propaganda, I found these bees to be as pleasant to work as my own (which happen to be Africanized.) Since it was just before the rainy season when the bees were at their least defensive, it should have been no surprise.

The way to approach African(ized) bees is with caution, and Isaac used several tricks that I knew and one I had not explored. These include:

• Smoke every hive in the beeyard before beginning any individual hive inspections. This helps make the bees in all the hives concentrate on defending their own hive.

•       Whenever possible, remove the hive from its stand to another location before inspecting. (You then have less field bees in the hive while you are examining it.)

•             Remove the upper lid WITH CAUTION because snakes could be under it (coming from a place which has no snakes, this was a little hard to remember.) They have never encountered a snake in a beehive box in Wampiti; but in other parts of Uganda, especially in Arua, they always claim that they find them, so we took caution as well.
•       Smoke is your friend with African(ized) bees. Do not be afraid to use it, even on yourself, because once the bees are angry they are not going to calm down easily, if at all.

In addition to being pleasantly surprised with gentle bees, I found lots of innovative Ugandan Beekeepers. Along with the standard Log and Kenyan Top Bar (KTB) Hives, I found variations including one KTB made of glass and ‘log’ hives made of woven vines and covered with mud in the style of local human housing!

As is always the case when two or more beekeepers meet, lots of stores were exchanged and each person took new ideas from the meeting. I was reminded that many people are not aware which flowers produce pollen and nectar for honeybees (even beekeepers!) By just observing bees in the environment we can learn which plants are important to them, and what times of the day the flower is producing food (pollen and nectar.)

Many people asked me the same question:  “Why don’t my empty beehives get filled anymore?” My thoughts about this are:

      1.  There are so many places where the large trees have been cut down, mainly for firewood. Trees are an important source of pollen and nectar for bees as well as providing hollow places for bee hives. Without large trees, bees have limited choices for their home and food. Consider a plan for planting trees and teaching people to replant one or more when they cut a tree. Fruit trees such as mango, jackfruit and orange give food for bees and people, while other trees such as Acacia will feed the bees and grow to provide firewood or charcoal. As always, local varieties of trees are best.

   2. Many of the palm trees that are traditionally used for bee logs are also being cut down without replacement trees being planted. This is another contributing reason for less bees in the area.

Right now, the solution to getting more bees is to make them from your own hives. This procedure is outlined in a separate blog and this trip helped supply members with smokers and bee jackets so they will be able to try this and have more success.

Due to lack of protective clothing, there have not been a lot of hive inspections for the Wampiti Beekeepers. I hope this will change now that members have more protective clothing. They will be able to observe their bees working in the hive and have a better understanding of their bees. They will become less fearful and discover another side of bees (besides honey makers): How beautiful a hatching bee is, the smell of honey ripening in a hive, bees festooning to make new honeycomb, a queen piping as she hunts for her rivals.