Successful Apiary Management

Successful apiary management needs a beekeeper to devote some time in managing his/her Apiary. We recommend the following practices:

• Fence the apiary well with barbed wire or a live hedge to keep off animals and people.
• The hedge should be more than 2 meters high so that bees can fly high when leaving or returning to the apiary.  This height reduces exposure and risk of being stung.
• Clean the apiary and by cutting overgrown and undesirable vegetation around the hives to prevent pests from accessing the hives.
• Hung the hives properly frequently grease the hanging wires to keep off crawling pests.
• Plant more bee plants in and around the apiary to ensure that the bees have enough forage.
• Dilapidated posts should be repaired or replaced.
• Provide a bee house to enhance security of the hives and provide shade especially in hot areas.
• Successful apiary management requires control pests and predators.

Construct the bee house using locally available materials, such as:

• Grass thatching for roofing.
• Rafters and mud for walls.
• Any available timber for hive stands.

References
1. The Backyard Beekeeper
2. The Practical Beekeeper
3. Technical Beekeeping Handbook 2013

By Isaac Adala.