Box hives can fix it
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| A box hive (has no top bars) |
By Isaac Semwanga
African bees have been on earth for very many years and the
bees were not domesticated in the first place therefore bees had their nests in
wild environment; forests. The bees nested in hollow stems and branches of
trees. Since the bees lived such lifestyle for many years, they got used to
such nests and ways of living.
Human beings would go (usually in big numbers) to hunt bees
for honey during the honey flow seasons and this involved destroying nests in
order to access the honey they want.
Well, today no more honey hunting since most of the trees
are cut down for charcoal burning and termite hills are poisonous because
humans use poison for killing termites. This has left bees with only limited
nests to take up and these nests are hives constructed by man. So in Uganda and Nakasongola in particular
beekeepers are using log hives, Topbar hives are very few use langstroth hives.
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| A log hive |
But before the introduction of modern hives ie topbar hives
and frame hives, beekeepers were using log hives, pots, straw woven hives, and calabashes.
These hives or nests today are referred to as local beekeeping hives involving
traditional and primitive practices because a beekeeper cannot easily inspect
his bees. Thanks to innovations in beekeeping for the new employed technology
in beekeeping where bees can be inspected and manipulated with ease.
Beekeepers in Uganda today are using a mix of modern hives
(Kenyan Topbar hives) and log hives, and the primary reason for using modern
hives is to increase production since the KTB hives are big enough compared to
log hives but this has not proved right since the modern hives are the least
productive! Well records from other sources may say KTBH are performing hives
but beekeepers in WBA are not convinced by the productions from Modern hives as
compared to log hives.
Yes, we cannot rule this cause out because bees
traditionally are used to log hives than modern hives; therefore they are more
comfortable in log or traditional hives. This is true and since the sizes of
these hives is small and simple compared to modern hives, bees find it easier
for them to cover (population), and guard it very well. Bees also are used at
building long combs just along the hive (end to end) (horizontally), and since
they consider swarming (colony multiplication) as their first priority, they
find it easier to populate the existing hive and then swarm.
Anyway it’s all another big story to tell.
Since early 1990s to-date, charcoal burning and urbanization
as led to limited access by bees and beekeepers to log hives and wild nests for
bees, therefore the bees have to accept the available alternatives which are
modern hives though
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| Toni and Balijula working on the box hive (Esau watching) |
Mr. Balijula after failing to make his topbar hives
production, he decided to make his own box hive without movable bars. His log
hives are productive.
He made a 5.7ft long box hive (see in the photo) and
another one which is about 5.2ft long. The bees filled all the boxes from end
to end and to our surprise, they build combs which are about 1.5 to 2 feet long
and then start a new one like that. His only draw with his innovation is; the
hives are too long, he can’t reach the combs beyond 1.5ft away. So he leaves a
lot of in the hives than he is supposed to leave!
The box hives are very easy to make; just join pieces of
wood to make a hollow box and later cover the ends like we always do with log
hives. I would recommend a size of 3.5ft or 4ft long and 1ft wide and high (width and height).
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| Inside the box hive |
Let me go and make two for myself.
Bees come and colonise them!!
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