APICULTURE

Beekeeping equipments

Smoker

A smoker provides beekeepers with a source of cool smoke needed to calm the bees. The smoker consists of a fuel box containing smouldering fuel such as dried cow dung, hessian, maize cobs or cardboard, and has a bellows attached. The beekeeper puffs a little smoke near the entrance of the hive before it is opened and gently smokes the bees to move them from one part of the hive to another. Imported smokers are useful as prototypes, but smokers can be manufactured by village blacksmiths, which adds to local livelihoods.

Smokers

Protective clothing

Abroad-brimmed hat with a veil protects the head and neck from stings. Protective clothing gives beginner beekeepers confidence; more experienced beekeepers find that wearing too much protective clothing makes them hot and the bulk makes it difficult to work sufficiently gently with the bees. Some beekeepers merely put a plastic bag over each hand, secured at the wrist with a rubber band. Rubber bands also prevent bees from crawling up trouser legs or shirtsleeves. Imported clothing can provide useful prototypes, but beekeeping clothes - basically modified overalls - can be made locally, thus providing a useful stimulus for local industry.

Hive tool

Some bee species tend to close every gap and seal every joint in the hive with propolis. The hive tool is a handy piece of metal used to separate boxes, scrape off odd bits of beeswax and separate frame-ends from the supports. It is possible to use an old knife for this job, but knife blades tend to be too flexible and give insufficient leverage. Village blacksmiths can easily produce suitable implements.