BEEKEEPING K- DEVELOPMENT 39 FACTS ABOUT "A FRAME FOR THE KENYA TOP-BAR HIVE"... ...a reply to previous articles by Stanely K Mbobua, Kenya * ' PRACTICAL 5EEKEEPING In developing the Ruai frame the idea was not: • to be able to centrifuge honey out of the frames, • to make it easy to move Kenya top-bar hives, • to prevent migratory swarms from building fresh wax combs. the contrary the idea is to: encourage bees to build fresh wax combs, • leave the hives where they are, » market honey in sections of honeycomb, not as liquid honey. I am not claiming that this is the best way to do it, but it is the way we are doing it at Ruai!,. HOW TO PRODUCE SECTIONS OF COMB HONEY USING THE RUAI FRAME Time to insert frames - at the start of the honey flow. Colonies to select - those colonies with at least eight honeycombs. Where to place frames - at the far end of the hive away from the entrance. Position - Six honeycombs after the brood, .and at least two places before the end of the taV'e Bees will reduce comb building in other areas and quickly build combs on the three frames and fill them with capped honey in two weeks. COMB QUALITY Unlike suspended combs and the Nightingale frame*, the comb will be attractively filled at the margins and around the wires. During slicing of the comb relatively little damage is done to the comb. HARVESTING AND TRANSPORTING Remove the honey frames and transfer them to catcher boxes. Replace the removed frames with top-bars from the catcher box. Seal the entrances of the catcher box. Leave the Kenya top-bar hive where it is and transport the honey inside the catcher box. *]itn Nightingale invented a method of using bamboo stick to support the comb built from a top-bar COMB PROCESSING AND PACKING Place the frame flat on a tray. Slice the comb along both sides of the wires, then all along the wooden frame leaving at least 0.5 cm of comb with the wire and wooden frame. You should end up with three triangular sections of about 14 x 22 x 22 cm, each weighing about 600 g. Dry the comb sections by suspending them on some clean nylon mesh. Wrap the sections with self-clinging clear food wrap. This film should be crystal clear and cling tightly to seal in comb freshness and flavour. We place the sealed combs in triangular olive wood containers then seal them further with food wrap. We label them. We are thus able to have an appetisingly fresh and attractive product for our customers. Mr Mbobua, Beekeeping Officer for Laikipia District writes: "I have read the articles by Mark Luckhurst (B&D35) and Bernhard Clauss (B&D36) with concern. I am in charge of beekeeping extension in the district where Ruai is situated. Beekeeping here is practised mainly by the poorest of the poor. If you use strong words like 'fiddling' you may threaten this group of innovators. This category of 'have nets' may, if threatened, slip easily to the more dangerous level of 'expect not to have'." COMB HONEY PRODUCTION WITH THE KENYA TOP-BAR FRAME 48cm Kenya top-fear frame 16.5cm Kenya top-bar frame with capped honey Packed comb honey from one Kenya top-bar frame You can barely get two such combs from one suspended (frame-less) comb A Bees for Development publication THREE
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BEEKEEPING K- DEVELOPMENT 39
FACTS ABOUT "A FRAMEFOR THE KENYA
TOP-BAR HIVE"......a reply to previous articles
by Stanely K Mbobua, Kenya *
' PRACTICAL5EEKEEPING
In developing the Ruai frame the idea was not:
• to be able to centrifuge honey out of theframes,
• to make it easy to move Kenya top-barhives,
• to prevent migratory swarms from buildingfresh wax combs.
the contrary the idea is to:
encourage bees to build fresh wax combs,
• leave the hives where they are,
» market honey in sections of honeycomb,not as liquid honey.
I am not claiming that this is the best way todo it, but it is the way we are doing it at Ruai!,.
HOW TO PRODUCE SECTIONS OFCOMB HONEY USING THE RUAIFRAME
Time to insert frames - at the start of thehoney flow.
Colonies to select - those colonies with atleast eight honeycombs.
Where to place frames - at the far end of thehive away from the entrance.
Position - Six honeycombs after the brood,.and at least two places before the end of the
taV'e Bees will reduce comb building in otherareas and quickly build combs on thethree frames and fi l l them with capped honeyin two weeks.
COMB QUALITY
Unlike suspended combs and the Nightingaleframe*, the comb will be attractively filled atthe margins and around the wires. Duringslicing of the comb relatively little damage isdone to the comb.
HARVESTING AND TRANSPORTING
Remove the honey frames and transfer themto catcher boxes. Replace the removed frameswith top-bars from the catcher box. Seal theentrances of the catcher box.
Leave the Kenya top-bar hive where it is andtransport the honey inside the catcher box.
*]itn Nightingale invented a method of using bamboo stick tosupport the comb built from a top-bar
COMB PROCESSING AND PACKING
Place the frame flat on a tray. Slice the combalong both sides of the wires, then all alongthe wooden frame leaving at least 0.5 cm ofcomb with the wire and wooden frame.
You should end up with three triangularsections of about 14 x 22 x 22 cm, eachweighing about 600 g. Dry the comb sectionsby suspending them on some clean nylonmesh.
Wrap the sections with self-clinging clear foodwrap. This film should be crystal clear andcling tightly to seal in comb freshness andflavour.
We place the sealed combs in triangular olivewood containers then seal them further withfood wrap. We label them. We are thus able tohave an appetisingly fresh and attractiveproduct for our customers.
Mr Mbobua, BeekeepingOfficer for LaikipiaDistrict writes:
"I have read the articles byMark Luckhurst (B&D35) andBernhard Clauss (B&D36)with concern. I am in charge ofbeekeeping extension in thedistrict where Ruai is situated.
Beekeeping here is practisedmainly by the poorest of thepoor. If you use strong wordslike 'fiddling' you may threatenthis group of innovators. Thiscategory of 'have nets' may, ifthreatened, slip easily to themore dangerous level of'expect not to have'."
COMB HONEY PRODUCTION WITH THE KENYA TOP-BAR FRAME
48cm
Kenya top-fear frame
16.5cm
Kenya top-bar frame withcapped honey
Packed comb honey from oneKenya top-bar frame
You can barely get two suchcombs from one suspended(frame-less) comb
A Bees for Development publication THREE
MARKETING
The Ruai Club motivates beekeepers toproduce honey of excellent quality by offeringattractive prices to compete with externalhoney brands. This has been doneconsistently since 1977. The price for combhoney is double the price of liquid honey, andtriple the price of crude honey.
EXTENSION
Bark hive beekeepers here are teaching us animpressive lesson. In an area with a lot ofEuphorbia candelabrum and Acacia mellifera someinnovation is required to harvest both bitterand sweet honeys from the same hive.
In September bark hive beekeepers harvestbitter Euphorbia honey and then prepare theirbark hives to harvest sweet Acacia melliferahoney in October. Then there is mixed florahoney, locally called "grass" honey, inDecember. If you are lucky there is even afurther crop in January.
The consistent market for fresh, white combacacia honey by some commercial ranchershas motivated beekeepers to produce thesecombs.
In farmers' search for sources of income,brood renewal in these bark hives is regular,and the crop higher per year than from Kenyatop-bar hives.
Our Beekeeping Department is keen tointroduce this technique to Kenya top-barhives by means of the Ruai frame. Worker be^ihatching from new, white combs are biggerbodied and more active.
We have staged a number of fielddemonstrations and tours at Ruai and inEwaso area, to allow bark hive beekeepers andKenya top-bar hive beekeepers to meet withone another.
THE RUAI FRAME IS THEREFORE PART OFOUR SEARCH FOR MORE ATTRACTIVEMARKETING - IT IS OUR GATEWAY TOEXTENSION AND DEVELOPMENT
Rio Bamba Beekeepers' Co-operative, Ecuadorphotograph b\j Alan Morley
THIRD ASIAN APICULTURALASSOCIATION CONFERENCE
6-10 October 1996 jI Ho Chi Minn
Museum, Hanoi,Vietnam
Conference subjects includeBiology of Asian bees
Beekeeping development programmesBeekeeping management and economics
Melliferous flora and bee pollinationBee product marketing: the
Asian perspective
Further details are available fromThe Organizing Committee of the
Third AAA ConferenceMrs Nguyen Thu Hang,
Bee Research & Development Centre,Lang ha, Dong da, Hanoi, Vietnam
Fax: 84 435 2725/84 435 1103Beekeeping & Development is proud to be the
official newsletter of AAA
A Bees for Development publ!
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