Our forefathers used to harvest and eat honey, yet they were less sophisticated than we are today. Bees are all over the country. Given the right conditions, they produce honey.
According to Donald Rugira Kugonza, a lecturer at Makerere University, one can make beehives using old tree trunks. One can also use banana fibre or papyrus to create basket hives. In apiary, a hive made using tree logs is called a log hive.
All you need to do is cut the log to a length of about four feet and scoop out the inside to make it hollow. Both sides of the log are sealed to leave small openings through which the bees enter.
During harvest time, the log is split open and the honey combs removed. If you intend to reuse the logs, combine two of them. All you have to do is separate the two hollow logs, remove the honey combs, and nail them back together again in preparation for the next harvest.
You can also use banana fibre to make cheap hives. Attach flexible sticks together to create a conical shape. Smear the outside with wet soil, mixed with cow dung.
Seal both ends of the cone using banana fibre and grass. Other bee hives that can be made using readily available materials include the grass hive and the gourd hive.
Although these improvised hives do not harvest as much as the modern hives, they can sufficiently meet a family’s honey requirements with enough honey left for sale.
One hive can produce between 10 and 15 litres of honey. At sh10,000 per litre, one can earn at least sh100,000 per hive.
Harvest is usually done every eight months. Why not try it out today?
