One of the privileges and advantages of being ‘on the ground’ is beginning to understand some of the complexities and intricacies that invariably accompany any discussion related to beekeeping.
For example, last evening, sitting on the verandah at ICIPE as the sun set around us, Maryann, Sara and I had one of those lengthy, intriguing conversations that can be so thought provoking. Jim meanwhile was meeting with one of his scientific colleagues to discuss some research into mosquitoes and on rejoining us for dinner shared one aspect of their conversation.
Kenya has long struggled with deforestation. You might recall that Wangari Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her initiatives in the greening of Kenya. The reasons for loss of forested habitat range from climate change to the use of wood as a source of fuel in rural homes (61% of Kenyans live in rural areas and almost 50% of those live below the national poverty level.)
The tidbit that Jim brought to the table (literally) is that the second major source of income for rural Kenyans is making charcoal from acacia trees. Many rural people also have one or two hives and a main source of nectar and pollen is the same acacia species.
If the recent invasion of varroa mites in Kenya is pervasive and colonies are severely weakened to the point of not producing any honey, the temptation for rural people is to cut down more trees to supplement their meager income. But if we can show that varroa can be controlled and that with good bee management practices honey production can be increased to the point of being a source of revenue, the motivation to preserve acacia trees is reinforced.
Unspoken but equally important is that an increase in colony quality also improves pollination which in turn benefits both the trees and agricultural produce.
A Yellow Acacia ('Fever Tree' of Kipling fame) at the entrance to the ICIPE Guest House. Note the nests of the masked weaver.
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