By Felix Ochieng Akech

A Migori farmer who was getting only a few kilos of smoky honey from log hives is now earning over Sh70,000 a year after changing how he harvests and protects his hives, stopping the bees from running away after every harvest.

Kenneth Otieno, a farmer in Nyatike, Migori County, started beekeeping in 2019 using log hives because he could not afford modern hives. “I saw my neighbour harvesting honey from a log in the bush and I said, let me also try,” he said. “I had no money, so log hives were the only way I could enter beekeeping.”

He made his first hives from fallen mango tree logs, cutting them into one metre pieces and hollowing them using a chisel and fire. He closed both ends with wooden covers and mud, then made small holes for bees to enter. “Each hive cost me about Sh300 only, for nails and labour,” he said.

Getting bees into the hives was not easy at first. “For almost two months nothing entered,” he said. “Then someone told me to smear melted beeswax and a little old honey inside. After that, bees came within three weeks, but only two out of five hives were occupied.”

When he finally harvested, the problems began. Kenneth used fire and heavy smoke, opened the whole hive and removed everything inside. “I did not know about brood,” he said. “I was cutting even the baby combs. After harvesting, the bees would leave completely.”

Because of ash, dirt and dead bees, his honey was dark and dirty. Brokers paid him very little. “Sometimes I sold at Sh200 or Sh250 per kilo, and sometimes they refused to buy,” he said. “From one hive I was getting only about three to five kilos in a whole year.”

The biggest change came in 2021 after he watched a television programme “That is when I learned you should not destroy the hive when harvesting,” he said. “They said remove only full honey combs and leave the brood so the colony remains strong.”

After the programme, Kenneth completely changed how he handled his log hives. He stopped using open fire and began harvesting at night using a smoker. He also started opening only one side of the hive instead of breaking both ends. “Now I disturb them less, and they do not run away,” he said.

He also fixed the problem of ants, which were killing many colonies. He raised the hives higher on strong poles and smeared used engine oil on the wires so ants could not climb. “Before, I would find hives empty because of ants,” he said. “Now that problem is very small.”

Around the apiary, he planted sunflower and pumpkin to give bees more food near the farm. 

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The changes made a big difference. Bees stopped absconding, and more hives stayed occupied. “Now almost all my hives have bees all the time,” said Peter. “From one log hive I can get about 10 to 15 kilos in a year.”

With cleaner honey, he now sells directly to customers at higher prices. “I sell at Sh600 to Sh700 per kilo because the honey is clean,” he said. Last year, from 10 log hives, he harvested about 120 kilos. “I made over Sh70,000 from honey alone. Before, I was struggling to reach even Sh10,000.”

After starting to earn, Kenneth invested in three Kenya Top Bar hives, but he says log hives are what made beekeeping possible for him. “Without log hives I would never have started,” he said. “They are cheap, but you must manage them well, otherwise you just keep losing bees.”

“When I stopped burning them, stopped cutting everything, and started protecting the hive, that is when money came,” he said.

“You can start small and cheap, but you must learn how to harvest and how to protect your bees,” he said. “If you destroy them every time, you will never move forward.”

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