Beekeeping
Practical Action
Bee stings
Bee stings can be avoided by wearing protective clothing, but if you are stung, you should remove
the sting as soon as possible by scraping it off with a fingernail or knife. Do not try to pick it off
as you may squeeze poison into your flesh.
Some steps to help avoid bee stings are:
Wash yourself to make sure you are free of odours.
Do not use any cosmetics, perfume, etc.
Approach the hive from the side or behind the entrance.
Do not wear dark clothing.
Approach the hive quietly.
Provide bees with water during the dry season.
Be careful not to crush a bee, as it gives off an alarm scent. If you are stung, you should
move away and remove the sting, as other bees will be attracted by the powerful smell that
the bee leaves on the spot where you have been stung. As soon as the sting is out, the site
should be smoked to disguise the alarm pheromone.
If you are allergic to bee stings, you should not take up beekeeping.
Disease and pests
During the last two decades there has been a tremendous increase in the spread of bee disease
around the world. This has been brought about by the movement of honey bee colonies and used
beekeeping equipment by people.
There are few remaining regions
without introduced honey bee
Glass, plastic or Perspex sheet
diseases, and as a rule used
beekeeping equipment should not
be imported.
Wooden box
Mesh screen
Honey bee colonies, or even single
queen bees, must never be moved
from one area to another without
expert consideration of the
consequences.
Wax Thermal insulation
Wax
Refuse and honey
There are numerous pests that will Figure 4: A solar wax melter can be built by the beekeeper
disrupt a beehive and prey on your
bees. Wax moths are almost
universal, ants a very common and persistent hazard, and honey badgers a serious nuisance in
Africa. It is best to talk to other local beekeepers about what the most common problems are and
take their advice about appropriate defences.
References and further reading
Honey Processing Practical Action Technical Brief
Basic Beekeeping Manual 1 Pam Gregory Bees Abroad UK Ltd. A Basic Beekeeping Manual for
Beekeepers in Developing Countries. It is aimed primarily for African countries and is available in
English, French, Shona, Kiswahili, Chichewa and Kinyarwanda, 2010
Bee-keeping Made Good, 2011
Build Your Own National Beehive Made Good, 2011
The Golden Insect by Stephen Adjare, Practical Action Publishing, 1984 ISBN 9780946688609
Beekeeping as a business Richard Jones Commonwealth Secretariat, 2000, ISBN:0850926319
Beekeeping in Africa by the Food and Agricultural Organisation FAO
Beekeeping in Asia by the Food and Agricultural Organisation FAO
Pollination management of mountain crops through beekeeping: trainers' resource book
ICIMOD, 1999, ISBN: 9291158690. This publication is part of ICIMOD's initiative to promote
wider use of honeybees to contain declining crop productivity due to pollination failure.
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