A Little gist about Bee

Keeping
Chapter:

1. Introduction
2. Bee keeping- What is it about?
3. Products from the bee hives: Honey and others
4. The Profitability of bee keeping
5. How to go about it: The different types of bee keepers and agribusiness
traders
6. Challenges
7. The bee keepers Diary: Real life story

I. INTRODUCTION
In the quiet folds of nature's embrace, where the golden rays of the sun dance
through the leaves and the gentle hum of the earth's heartbeat fills the air, lies a
world of wonders—an intricate tapestry woven by the tireless artisans of the garden.
Welcome to "The Beekeeper's Diary," a journey that transcends the ordinary and
ventures into the extraordinary realm of beekeeping.

In the beginning, there was a whisper—a subtle invitation from the buzzing chorus of
nature. It beckoned me to the enchanting dance of bees, those mystical custodians
of pollination and honey, whose delicate wings carry the secrets of the hive. Little did
I know that answering this call would unfurl a captivating tale, a diary inked by the
bees themselves, and a communion with the heartbeat of the earth.

This diary is not a mere collection of notes; it is a living manuscript, pulsating with
the rhythm of seasons and the ebb and flow of life in the apiary. It unfolds as
chapters of discovery, each page turned revealing the secrets concealed within the
hive's sacred chambers. As the beekeeper, I became the scribe, chronicling the daily
miracles and mysteries that transpire amidst the honeyed corridors of the colony.

Picture a sunrise in the meadow, where the bees awaken to the gentle caress of
dawn. The diary captures these moments—the sun casting its first light on diligent
workers, each one a tiny hero in the grand saga of pollination. As the day unfolds,
witness the intricate choreography of the foragers, mapping the landscape with a
language only they comprehend, communicating in the dance of direction and
distance.

Venture deeper into the hive, a bustling city encased in wax and propolis. The
beekeeper's diary unravels the intricacies of the hive's social order—the queen, a
sovereign matriarch, and her devoted attendants attending to the royal court.
Drones, the gentlemen of the colony, awaiting their noble task, and the industrious
workers, the backbone of the hive, ceaselessly toiling to sustain the collective.

Yet, life in the apiary is not devoid of challenges. The diary bears witness to the
dance with nature's caprices—storms that echo thunderous warnings, predators
seeking the sweet spoils of the hive, and the delicate balance between abundance
and scarcity. In facing these challenges, the beekeeper becomes a guardian, a
steward entrusted with the well-being of these tiny custodians.

Through the seasons, the diary captures the metamorphosis of the hive—a living
organism pulsating with vitality. In spring, witness the burst of life as the colony
expands, a symphony of new beginnings. Summer brings a crescendo of activity, the
air thick with the scent of blooming flowers. Autumn heralds the harvest, the
culmination of a year's labor embodied in amber nectar—the honey.

As winter descends, the hive retreats into a meditative hush, cocooned in the
warmth of clustered bodies. The beekeeper's diary reflects this season of reflection,
a pause in the eternal dance—a time when both bees and keeper prepare for the
cyclical renewal that awaits on the horizon.

"The Beekeeper's Diary" is not just a narrative; it's an invitation to partake in the
sacred communion between man and bee. It is a celebration of the
interconnectedness of life, a testament to the delicate balance woven into the fabric
of our ecosystem. So, turn the pages, let the gentle hum of the hive resonate in your
soul, and embark on a journey where the beekeeper's diary becomes your guide to
the extraordinary world of beekeeping.

2. WHAT IS BEE KEEPING ABOUT?

Bee keeping has been ancient practise that started by curiosity
to several. It is the opinion of man exploiting the nature of the
bees, reaping them of their fruits and products. It became bee
keeping when people realize they can really create an
environment for the bees, imitating their natural or wild
habitat, which would still allow them to strive, grow, reproduce
and dominate their strength.

Bee keeping is the rearing and raising of bees for profitability or

study purpose. However, APICULTURE IS THE STUDY OF THE
BEE INSECT.

A QUICK NOTE, bees are social insects that forage on nectar's

majorly and other things to grow itself and populations, while
they process all the have gotten into profitable materials for
their own use I.e they process this things into honey, wax etc.
Which some are stored in the combs and others in the colony
for repairs and other uses. The cluster of bees is called
COLONY.

The bees are a social insect with hierarchy and different

developmental notes; the bees are also very much sensitive to
light, colors, humans (psychological behaviour of the bees) and
environment.

A COLONY usually has a leaders who leads the colony with her
her leadership style and a distinct pheromones which helps to
keep the colony in order;quite an intelligent insect too. The
Hierarchy of the colony: THE QUEEN,
THE DRONE,
THE WORKER BEES: Nursing bees,
foragers, soldiers etc.
With the classification, The Queen leads the colony and
multiplies it as she lays eggs. The queen is usually one in an
healthy colony, except for situation where the colony needs to
divide or the queen needs to be replaced, then there could be 2
or more in the colony, depending on the situation. The Drone
mates the queen and are usually more than 5 in a colony:
although when the drones are really much in a colony, it really
speaks of a situation that warrants attention in the colony
(sometimes even the other bees, kills the drone during draught
seasons for the colony to reduce food expenses). And when the
drones mates the queen usually outside the colony on the
queen’s nuptial flight they die, hence completing its cycle. THE
WORKER BEES this is the last in the colony classification, the
bees are the most populated in the colon, and are sub divided
into the nursing bees, who are in charge of raising and taking
care of the eggs laid by the queen, feeding the colony and
ensuring the division of who is to be who, according to the time
and season in the colony. THE FORAGING BEE, are averagely
grown bees, strong and agile: they go about running errands
for the colon, from collecting nectar to water, to latex or other
provision for the colony. Usually, there are also some whose
sole responsibility is to locate foods, water, houses (new
habitat) for the colony, depending on season for the colony;
this ones are called SQUAPPERS, they locate and bring feedback
information to the colony for feasting, harvesting, operation or
migration depending on what it is. THE SOLDIER, their
responsibility is to defend the colony, they stay at the entrance
of the colony guiding against invaders, intruders, strangers or
enemies. The communicate information to the colon when
there is an attack, and often attack their attacker or intruders
with their allegiance to the colony and communicating feed
backs to the colony during such attack so the rest of the
soldiers can lunch a corporate attack as the case maybe.

NOTE: Every healthy colony would always have soldiers who

defend their walls; their mode of communication, is via dancing
(rolling matching) and wings flapping to describe distance and
direction with accuracy (which the colony will solely
understands).
 3. PRODUCTS FROM THE HIVE/ BEES:

Over the years, honey has been the most exploited products
from the bee hive. Even the ancient book- the bible talked
about samson, who found honey - in the carcass of the lion he,
he killed.

HONEY remains the oldest, cheapest and primary product from

the bees, it is originally meant to feed the bees in time of
draught and out of season, as the bees stores this up to sustain
their lives and the colony, which men exploited for himself and
his needs.
Over the time, the products begins to increase, depending on
the different factors like where the bees are, how its been
harvested, who is harvesting them and when it is been
harvested.
Other discover-able products from the bees aside honey are
WAX (often bee wax), this is the comb and usually has several
functions even to the bees just like every other products.

ROYAL JELLY, is also a product from the hive and it is believed

to be most expensive, it is highly rich in protein and known for
its fertility ability, across the world. The bees feeds the egg
larvae (and separate those who would grow into the royal
lineage I.e queens), and queen, royal jelly. Very few people
harvest this in Nigeria though.

PROPOLIS, looks very much like gum, often the bees uses this
to mend, innovate, construct or reconstruct their home, and
sometimes they use this to trap their preys, in the colony. The
creativity part of the bees is often implemented by using the
propolis - which is usually made from tree barks and cell saps of
tree. It is usually sold in grams & kg and has endless uses or
benefits.

BEE VENOM it is often believed that the life of the bees is in

their stinger, and the venom is in the stinger, the bee stinger
usually connects the bees thorax to the body, and it is usually
used as a defensive device. Most often the bees don’t just
release their stinger, except when or if provoked, and as a
means to defend herself and her colony (territory- their
allegiance).

It is believed that the royal jelly is the most expensive, followed

by the bee venom, propolis, wax and then the honey. But the
most of this products are less harvested in Nigeria due to their
technicalities.

The apiculture industry is full of opportunities either as a full-

time or part time (hobbyist), but essential to understand what
bee keeping is all about.

4. PROFITABILITY
Making a random research on the insect, it was observed very
few people really know about bee keeping, and many are not
interested in it due to the fear surrounding this, the stingers,
the hazards or assumed strenuous. But the sad reality, many of
this people loves honey, and are always looking for pure honey
because of its world wide known benefits across different
sectors. Another to this sad reality is that, the demand for
pure honey is high and since the needs cant be met and the
greediness of men has made them innovate strategies to make
their own honey, getting to improvise to find alternate honey
by any available strategy to get a large supplies per time, for
the large number of people who needs it.
Although, there are still man trusted bee keeping brands In the
country, who deals solely with pure honey and there is still yet
more market to touch both in and outside of the shore of
Nigeria.
Most Bee keeping in Nigeria is usually practised in the rural,
and its profitable if you are knowledgeable around the
enterprise, irrespective of age.

Beyond the selling listed products from the hives, listed in

chapter 2 of this book, there are other parts of this industry
that can fetch any man money, which sometimes is not capital
intensive, just knowledge and skill based.
 Selling of live bee colony  Value addition (using
 Selling of ready made hives and aforementioned products to make
other bee keeping materials other products like creams, soap etc.)
 Making hives

Other Relatables are:

 Apiary Setting  Training & Consultation etc.
 Apiary Management

The Apiculture industry is full of varying opportunities either as

a full time or hobby, for tech savvies.

Many Nigerians are scared of the bees, as usually what comes

to the head is BEE STINGS, and they can STING TO DEATH.
It is essential to note that:
1. The bees cant be tames when provoked, as anything
and everything will get or fill their impact when
provoked.
2. They are good Eco friendly insect, as they help to
promote pollination and build a green nation.
Anybody can rear bees, but time will filter who is really a bee
keeper.
 5. HOW TO GO ABOUT IT.

Bee keeping is for anybody, with interest and passion; making

money in the industry, one doesn’t necessary need to be a bee
keeper; but knowledge is essential. Knowledge of what bee
keeping is about, what and how honey (and other bee
products) is produced, knowledge of what to expect and
question.

I recalled visiting an old bee keeper sometimes back with an

honey sample, on receiving the honey his first question was
WHEN WAS THIS HARVESTED, then he said he knows a new
harvest cant be like this , as it should be like this especially in
this part of the south west. This is an example of knowledge.

An average bee keeper wont and cant have honey all year
round, and usually will always have different colors (depending
on what the bees forage on at those times), flavors (nectar and
forage determined), taste and viscosity. This implies no 2 honey
can be the same from a bee keeper, except they are mixed
together during harvest or process. (Although I realized not all
honey can be mixed together). But true the come in different
color, taste, flavor, viscosity depending on the nectar,
environment, season and other foraged places by the bees.

A. YOU CAN BE A BEE KEEPER: here one needs to have a coach,

mentor to get trained (knowledge) and orientated on this
venture. You can start small with one or two hives.

B. YOU CAN PARTNER WITH A BEE KEEPER to start out your

bee keeping business either has a retailer, wholesaler or bee
keeping equipment merchant.

C. JOIN A BEE KEEPING COMMUNITY if you are yet to discover

which you you would want to do; watch, observe and ask
questions.
It is essential to join a local bee keeping group or community,
as there is room for everyone in the world of the bees, even
technologists, ICT, and artisans. Upon observing, you know
what to do, and how you can earn in the industry.
 6. Challenges
Like every other business, bee keeping has its varying
challenges, and learning to overcome them is very essential or
important.

Sometimes ago, I was discussing with a bee keeper friend, I

asked him on a particular challenge when he was sharing his
own bee keeping experience with me, he said since I got to the
south south I have gradually learned how to be on top on my
games against all of this issues. You likely may be guessing his
challenge already.

In one of our training we identified some certain of this

challenges:
1. Theft and vandalism
2. Ants invasion
3. Little or no knowledge of the bees
4. Fire out breaks
5. Late colonization
6. Termites destruction
7. Colony absconding etc.
As bad as it may sound there is always a solution to all, and
there are limits to what one can do depending on some factors
like MONEY, RESOURCES, LOCATION, KNOWLEDGE.

Over the time, some folks now recommend these:

1. Use of bee houses

2. CCTV camera
3. Painting of hives
4. Hiring night watch
5. Electrical fences etc

However this is a challenge that need a solutions.

 7. THE BEE KEEPERS DIARY: Real Life Story

In 2009, in the city of Akure, Nigeria, a young man who loved

gourds and makes sekere for himself found one of his
overturned gourds colonized by the bees, this prompted him to
make research, ask questions from friends and other people
about people about the bees. He later moved from that one
gourds to making hives for himself based on what he has seen
or learned while seeking for knowledge, since he cant afford
buying at that time. But today he has moved from that one
gourds to owning About 60 hives across different states, and
locations. He has helped different people start their own apiary
or bee keeping journey, consulting and training interested
people to rear bees. His son has followed suit as he has been
the mans Bee keeping partner from since inception of the
studies: today, they are nicked name BABA OLOYIN (The man
that rears bees for pure honey)

Ii. This is a story of a young lad who started out bee keeping, he
explored YouTube to be his own self teacher: the lad happened
to be a student of a federal university in Nigeria. He has not
only explored to self train himself but he has also grown to
teach , mentor others with his grown knowledge over the time,
exploring the various opportunities to make money from the
industry.

Iii. This is the story of a young man from the south western part
of the country , Nigeria, who has made a name for himself
across the continent in different countries, and has pushed
fellowships and opportunities for bee keeping from outside of
the shore of Nigeria to the country to let others be informed
about bee keeping. His interest for bee keeping heightened
during his undergraduate studies, and this has blossomed, that
several years down the line, across the north, around the
country - Nigeria, he has planted his interests and passion
inside the heart of many to rear the golden insect, The bee.

This stories is to explain the profitability of the industry, seeing

the possibility of a future even without the millions and billions
in the bags yet.

THE CHOICE OF SUCCESS LIES IN OUR SACRIFICES AND DECISIONS.