Beehive Donations: How a Hive Grows Into a Home

 
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Beehives are central to the mission of Maasai Honey. Not only do they provide homes for bees, they are also essential tools for beekeeping education and honey production. Furthermore, a hive is an investment with growing returns - as the bee colony grows stronger, so will the honey production. Adding beehives to the apiaries is not a simple process, but the yield is worth the effort! Here's the story of a hive, from where it is built in Arusha city, to our apiaries on the edge of the Serengeti.

 
 
A diagram of a Langstroth hive.

A diagram of a Langstroth hive.

What kind of beehives do we use?

There are different types of beehives and beekeeping techniques that differ across the world. Here at Maasai Honey, we use Langstroth commercial beehives, made of solid wood, that are built and sold in Tanzania. We believe not only in supporting the local bees, but also local businesses. Thus, hive donations support our women beneficiaries and staff and also the carpenters and small businesses that make the hives.

WHERE DO THE HIVES COME FROM?

Maasai Honey purchases beehives from a local supplier in Arusha city, Tanzania. The company is called BDTL, a Tanzanian run small business that builds bee hives using locally sourced materials. Hives may appear as simple structures from the outside, but their design involves many different parts that carefully fit together. Because they are constructed from solid wood, the entire hive structure is heavier than one may think- each one weighs over 50 pounds!

Once hives are purchased, they need to be transported from Arusha city to our headquarters in Ololosokwan Village. Due to the remoteness of the village, it is a long journey; it takes about 14 hours depending on road and weather conditions! Fortunately, we have been able to partner with safari companies. such as AndBeyond and Taasa, that support us enormously in our transportation efforts.

 
A hive is ready for the journey to the apiary!

A hive is ready for the journey to the apiary!

Once the hives arrive in the village…

The next steps are to bait the hive frames with beeswax and to transport the hives to an apiary site. Baiting the hives helps to attract a bee colony since the bees are lured by the scent of natural beeswax. To do this, beeswax is melted, then carefully poured on the base of each wooden frame.

Once baited, hives are transported to one of our 5 apiary sites in Ololosokwan Village. To reach these locations, one must navigate the winding trails of the bush - crossing rivers, dodging acacia trees, and journeying over rough terrain. Hives are secured to a motorbike for the adventurous journey.

Next, the bottom box of each hive is hung in the forest to attract a colony. Only the bottom boxes are hung because this part of the hive will become the home of the colony (upper boxes are reserved solely for honey production). Hives hang in the forest near to the apiary, waiting for wild bee colonies to move in. By populating hives with wild bees, we support native, East Africa honeybees that forage in their natural habitat. We do not import any bees to the village like some commercial honey producers.

The bottom box of a donated beehive hangs in the forest, awaiting a colony of wild bees.

The bottom box of a donated beehive hangs in the forest, awaiting a colony of wild bees.

Depending on weather conditions and environmental factors, it could take a few days or a few weeks for beehives to be colonized. When this happens, wild bees will move inside and begin building their own comb on the baited frames. Hives are closely monitored so that once they become colonized, they can be moved into the “bee cage” on the apiary site.

How are colonized hives moved to the apiaries?

Moving the colonized hives into the apiaries can be exhilarating, frightening, and extremely labor intensive. A team of beekeepers will lower each hive from the tree, positioning it on the head of a team member to move it into the bee cage. This needs to be done carefully and gently, so as not to disturb the colony within the hive. Even if using protective gear, a colony of African bees buzzing around ones face and head can be a bit frightening… The hive is carried directly into the bee cage, to be placed alongside the other beehives.

 
 

Once the hive is in the bee cage, it has reached its final destination where the colony can grow and develop. All of our apiaries have bee cages on site, so as to protect the hives from wild animals and natural elements. If hives are left alone in the forest without protection, they can easily be destroyed by harsh weather or scavenged by wild animals. The biggest threat to our hives is the honey badger, an animal that can easily destroy a beehive in pursuit of honey. Cages are guarded at night by Maasai guards to ensure the safety of the apiaries.

Depending on weather conditions and environmental factors, it will take about a year for a hive to reach honey production capacity. In early stages, bees lay brood, store pollen, and also make honey, but the honey is only enough to feed the colony. Once the colony grows big enough, super boxes (for honey production) are added on top of the bottom box of the hive. There is a screen between the bottom box and the upper box, which allows only worker bees to pass through. In this way, the upper boxes are designed solely for honey production, while in the bottom box the queen lays eggs (brood) and the colony stores food.

 
Two Maasai Honey guards stand outside of our bee cage at the Mairowa B apiary in Ololosokwan Village.

Two Maasai Honey guards stand outside of our bee cage at the Mairowa B apiary in Ololosokwan Village.

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In their language of Maa, “Ashe oleng” = “Thank you”, from the women of Maasai Honey.

In their language of Maa, “Ashe oleng” = “Thank you”, from the women of Maasai Honey.

Over time, colonies will continue to grow, increasing their capacity for honey production. Our team regularly monitors the hives, making sure that the colonies are healthy. When the timing is right and weather conditions are favorable, all of the hard work will pay off - in the form of honey!

YOU too can give a gift that grows with time!

When you donate a hive to Maasai Honey, your donation will arrive in the form of a brand new, Langstroth beehive. We can also write your name, or the words of your choice, on the hive. Each year we will send you updates on how much honey your hive has produced!

Our growing apiaries help to support the growing families of Ololosokwan Village. The Maasai women that benefit from the project use their earnings to buy food, send children to school, buy livestock, and build their homes. The benefit of each hive is expansive; supporting native, East African bees as well as our women beekeepers, their families, and communities. Every hive bring rewards for years to come.

To all of our supporters who have already donated - we are immensely thankful!

DONATE A HIVE