Pirate bees threaten honey industry in Zimbabwe

Lazarus Sauti

Silas Sibanda, a beekeeper at Njanjanja village in Lupane, a district in Matabeleland North Province in Zimbabwe, enjoys a charming relationship with bees.

In a colony of bees, the proud owner of 15 hives sees trusted partners, comforters as well as life transformers.

“I am not formally employed; therefore, beekeeping is my full time job. It transformed my life and helped my family to escape the vistas of poverty. For instance, money for basic necessities as well as school fees for my grandchildren is no longer a problem because of this business of beekeeping,” he said.

Interestingly, Sibanda’s romance with bees for the past five years is not unique as almost everyone in Lupane seems to have an attraction with bees.

Sihle Khumalo, a passionate beekeeper in the area, also runs a thriving bee project.

She boasts 10 hives with a single one, as per her voice, producing more than 25kg of honey after three to four months depending on weather and other conditions.

“Bee keeping is a life changing trade as my 10 hives have revolutionised my life for good. I produce at least 30 bottles of unprocessed honey per day, and it costs less than US$1 to produce a single bottle,” she said.

After processing, Khumalo packages her honey into 500g bottles, and sells a bottle at US$3.50 or US$4.

She added that her priceless beekeeping project provides nutritious food to her family of six.

“Honey keeps my six children healthy, and the healthy benefits include healing wounds as well as fighting off chronic wounds infections. Even in the Bible (Old Testament), King Solomon said, “My son, eat thou honey, for it is good,” she said.

Another avid beekeeper, Masotsha Dube, says the financial opportunities from his honey industry are expanding to an average profit of more than US$1 000 per months as he is also selling by-products of honey.

“Like most beekeepers in this area, I used to extract the honey and then throw away everything else, but I have since changed my approach. I am selling wax to companies as well as individuals who manufacture soaps and floor polishes. As a result, my financial opportunities are increasing,” said the owner of 12 hives.

Beekeeping is not only a big business in Lupane, but in most parts of the country, both urban and rural, as most people are embracing it to increase their incomes as well as enhance their capacity to respond to shocks occurring in the country due to climate change.

“The honey industry is thriving in Zimbabwe as most people and companies need honey for cooking and baking. Some use honey as desserts as well as sweetener in tea and some commercial beverages,” noted the Beekeepers Association of Zimbabwe Trust director, Chaipa Mutandwa.

He added: “Honey sales are shooting, and the market is healthy as there is an enviable demand for honey locally, regionally and globally. In 2015 alone, there was a desirable 1.9 ton global demand for honey.” However, despite the benefits of the honey industry both to local communities and the country at large, Zimbabwe’s honey industry, a precious gift to the country, is under threat from a menacing killer insect that feeds on its bees.

Known as the pirate bee or cuckoo bee, and first discovered by Dr. Jakub Straka of Charles University in Prague and Dr. Michael S. Engel of the University of Kansas some years back in Cape Verde, an island chain off the western coast of Africa, the insect infects beehive entrances and sucks juices out of the bees – killing them in the process.

This forces the bees to lie dormant inside the hives, thereby limiting the time they should spent collecting nectar used to produce honey.

“The insane killer insect affects most parts of the country, but it dominates areas that are sandy,” said Njovani Ndhlovu, a beekeeper and kraal head at Njanjanja village.

He also said this killer insect is not only a treat to the bee population, but to the production of honey as well.

“Following the invasion by gigantic pirate bees, the honey harvest circle has declined from three times a year to twice a year,” said Ndhlovu. He added: “The pirate bee or cuckoo bee has come while we are also struggling with adequate forage and water for the bees. Further, several insects, among them beetles and wasps, are also impacting on yields during the production of honey by infesting hives and forcing bees to abandon their hives.”

Cliff Maunze, who is heading a team called Forest Forces, urges beekeepers to upgrade their hives from the traditional ones, which they are using.

“What we have advised beekeepers in Lupane is to upgrade their hives from the traditional ones (mukoko), which they used.

“We have also imparted them with technical know-how on how to address the challenges to do with pirate or cuckoo bees,” he said, urging all beekeepers in the country to use sticky substances to trap the killer insects when they land on hive entrances before killing them.