The rewards of beekeeping extend beyond honey and pollination. And unless you’ve been living under a rock up until now, the fact that the world’s bee population is under threat should not be news to you.
In an effort to learn more about the current bee populations, the rate at which they are declining and the impact this has on the environment’s biodiversity and agriculture, Misheck Miyele Si, agriculturist at Tongabezi, recently participated in a three-day beekeeping workshop along with other staff members at Tongabezi.
Mischeck shared a little more about what the experienced entailed and how he plans on using bees at Tongabezi and Sindabezi:
“Firstly, I would say beekeeping is both an art, as it can be mastered and perfected with time and practice, as well as a science, as within it is the application of such science disciplines as math, chemistry, logic and research among the many disciplines.
The three days’ workshop in which Tongabezi/Sindabezi participated aimed at equipping the participants with general beekeeping knowledge and skill. It was a beautiful experience meeting other people with varying interests. During the workshop, it was realized that the participants had decided to take part for various reasons including:
- Saving the Bee population and improving it
- Pest control (Elephants can be a problem to farmers and gardeners along the Zambezi River)
- Bees can also be a pest because they find homes in awkward places such as house ceilings, but they are a pest you don’t want to kill.
- Production of organic honey and the other hive products.
I had a beautiful time working with everyone and representing Tongabezi. I acquired sufficient knowledge and skill to help protect the bees, produce honey and teach the skill to the locals which I have already started doing and many are already interested to start their own beekeeping given the many benefits coming with it.
At Tongabezi, this venture will enable us to take part in the protection of the various bee species, improve plant biodiversity (bees play a huge role in cross pollination) and contribute to the well-being of the community as honey is very nutritious.
At Sindabezi, the beekeeping project will definitely have a huge impact. The island is prone to disturbances from elephants which come very close to the dwellings. The bees will keep these magnificent beasts away from humans hence, reducing the risk of human-animal conflict. If the island is able to produce honey and other hive products like beeswax and propolis, this increase productivity on the island may create some job opportunities.
Furthermore, the bees at the island will help enhance the plant life there with time. As an Agriculturist, I plan to engage local people here who have been unable to successfully cultivate crops and rear animals due to challenges of water and soil types, as well as teach people agricultural information into the practice of beekeeping as it is relatively a more feasible agricultural practice regarding the availability of resources. This will in turn discourage charcoal production which is labour intensive and land degrading at the same time and also discourage bush fires as the bees depend on the forage close to them.”
Contact Sindabezi Island
Web. www.tongabezi.com
Email. reservations@tongabezi.com
Tel. +260 213 327450
