But the real work "with the hands in the bees" they generally prefer to be performed by others. Strange? No, because these bees are stinging! And, to my surprise, a bee-suit and a smoker are not really known tools for these entrepreneurs. "Those people from Malawi, they know how to deal with bees".
The bottom line is that these enterprising beekeepers are until now dependent on others, which makes it difficult to get a profitable product from the hives. They still have to learn how the bees are to be cared for and how they can "harvest" safely. Just like the chickens, pigs, fruit trees and other activities in their busy, versatile farms.
The training
The presentation I have given at Jacana is aimed at discussing a first step that the beekeeping entrepreneurs have skipped in their enthusiasm.It is important that they first get to know the new farm animal. You also have to make sure that your material and tools (bee suit and smoker) are in order before you think about increasing the number of hives.