Honey Harvesting with the Queens of Bees

Clara, Rejoice and Florence are receiving training from Bees for Development Ghana to become Beekeeping Extension Agents and empower rural women through beekeeping. Perhaps one of the most vital lessons they have learned is harvesting honey from their busy bees.

Instructed by Kwame Aidoo, director of Bees for Development Ghana, they learned how to safely extract delicious, ripe honey from their beehives.

Florence says, “My first experience with honey harvesting was fantastic and fascinating, as the bees buzzed all around me. For the first time, I saw brood combs, honeycomb, propolis, pollen and bees energetically defending the colony. I also understood how the bees build combs, store honey into each cell, and seal the cells when the honey is ripe. I really appreciated nature and the wonderful architecture in the beehive.”

The first time opening a beehive and extracting honey can be daunting. Fear of bee stings can be a barrier to some women wishing to take up beekeeping. However, Florence, Rejoice and Clara act as ambassadors and role models to show that beekeeping can be for everyone, women included.

Clara says, “We tell them that knowledge is power, and it is knowledge we want to give them so they can handle the bees and reap the benefits of beekeeping. Personally, I use myself to encourage them; I tell them that if I can keep bees, why can’t they?”

With the right training, beekeepers in the region can harvest honey up to three times per year, providing more money to support their families. Rejoice recounted a quote from some local beekeeping women who told her, “Our children’s school uniforms have changed. First, our children used to wear torn uniforms to school, but now, we are able to provide them with good uniforms.”

Bees for Development Ghana purchases honeycomb from local beekeepers through their Honey and Beeswax Trade Centre in Donkorkrom. There, the combs are processed to extract valuable honey and beeswax. This saves beekeepers the job of extracting honey and gives them a reliable buyer for their raw products. Florence, Rejoice and Clara got to visit the Centre as part of their training and learn about the process of turning raw honeycomb into delicious, saleable honey. Quality control is an important part of the process; the higher the honey’s quality, the greater income a beekeeper can achieve from it. This starts with the beekeeper; Clara, Rejoice and Florence train beekeepers on good honey harvesting and storage practices to keep their honey in pristine condition and ensure they pass the rigorous testing of the Trade Centre.

Bees for Development Ghana supports local beekeepers throughout their beekeeping activities, from training to harvesting support and sale through the Honey and Beeswax Trade Centre. This ensures local beekeepers achieve the best possible price for the time and care they put into beekeeping.

The ‘Motorbikes for the Queens of Bees’ campaign aims to raise £10,000 to purchase motorbikes for Clara, Rejoice and Florence to use in their day-to-day work as Beekeeping Extension Agents. Motorbikes will help them more quickly and regularly reach the communities they are supporting and to empower more women through beekeeping.

To support the Queens of Bees, please visit our fundraising page at https://www.beesfordevelopment.org/motorbikes/.