Kabale District Entomology department gives beekeeping equipment to Apiary farmers.

By Alex Byakatonda

Communications officer-Kabale

12/07/2023.

Kabale District local Government under the entomology department has donated beekeeping equipment to Apiary farmers worth millions of shillings.

According to the Senior Entomologist for Kabale District, Honest Tumuheirwe, the equipment includes, 95 Kenya top beehives, 10 overalls and 28 buckets among others, valued at 11,450,000 million shillings.

Tumuheirwe, explains that the equipment was given to 10 selected apiary farmers, as demonstration on the use of these Kenya top beehives in Kabale District.

Speaking during the handover of the equipment at Kabale Municipal yard, several farmers expressed worry that they are risk of losing their businesses, since bees are being killed by the pesticides used by farmers dealing in Agriculture, while trying to prevent pests and diseases.

Rev. Capt. Wilson Byarugaba, a bee farmer from Kaharo Sub County, said farmers who spray their crop gardens with pesticides kill bees without knowing and asked the government to reduce the use of toxic pesticides. He said the use of toxic pesticides does not only affect the bees, but also affects the market as a result of contamination.

Gideon Atwongire, another bee farmer from Karujanga parish in Kibuga Sub County says that more than 30 of his beehives are empty due to the decline of bees in the area, resulting from pesticides used by farmers. He explained that the smells of chemicals used to spray crops force bees to leave bee hives and leave others killed.

In response, Tumuhirwe noted that both farmers dealing in crops and beekeeping must co-exist and advised farmers to consider spraying their crops late in the evening when bees are not foraging.

Handing over the equipment, the sectary for Production, Marketing and Natural resources, Ronald Bagamuhunda, implored the beneficiaries to go and use the equipment to improve on their household incomes.

Bagamuhunda, who represented the district chairperson, said that beekeeping in one of the ventures, that Kabale district local is promoting, because of the inadequate land brought about by land fragmentation in the district.

END