We went into the hives twice yesterday in order to feed the bees- once in the morning and again in the evening. The bees were considerably calmer in the morning and Kwao attributes this to the bout of rain we had in the early hours of the morning. I was able to inspect my first hive which I really enjoyed. Many of the combs we inspected in the morning were laden with honey. Kwao harvested some of this honey comb which we enjoyed later with our breakfast. It's a really cool feeling- consuming something basically straight from its source.
In the evening, the going was not so easy. Some of the hives had combs that were laden with honey while a few suffered from queenlessness or robber attacks. A completely robbed out hive is a really depressing thing to see. It is essentially widespread massacre of the bees by other bees. Their home becomes a massive tomb with dead bee carcasses lining the bottom of the hive. Two of the hives we encountered yesterday were like this and both were also riddled with wax moth eggs and ants. It was a startling reminder that laws of nature often boil down to the survival of the fittest. It was also in the evening that I received my first two bee stings. It was more startling as opposed to painful and I was glad that it happened. Being stung was something that I was nervously anticipating so it felt good to get that out of the way. One of the stings has swelled quite a bit and I feel a little feverish but otherwise, it's all good.
We boiled the wax from the robbed out hives and rendered it into solid blocks of pure wax. We then melted this down and made candles of all shapes, colors and scents. I hadn't realized how easy it was to make candles and it was especially cool to watch something transform directly from its source into a marketable product. This is a very good example of why apiculture can prove profitable in more ways than one. Emmanuel, the eldest son, managed to sell his own homemade candles at the local market and amass a total of around $1,000! Agape was telling us that because these are handcrafted and made from sustainable, natural, and homegrown materials, people are willing to pay more. Emmanuel told us he managed to sell a single candle for $10. Sounds like a natural businessman!
The hours pass by at a seemingly slow and steady rate but amazingly, already a week has elapsed. There are things to be endured (bee stings! ant bites! mosquito bites!) but they are far outweighed by all that there is to enjoy. So with that, I bid adieu to the first week and look to what lies ahead in the weeks to come.
We boiled the wax from the robbed out hives and rendered it into solid blocks of pure wax. We then melted this down and made candles of all shapes, colors and scents. I hadn't realized how easy it was to make candles and it was especially cool to watch something transform directly from its source into a marketable product. This is a very good example of why apiculture can prove profitable in more ways than one. Emmanuel, the eldest son, managed to sell his own homemade candles at the local market and amass a total of around $1,000! Agape was telling us that because these are handcrafted and made from sustainable, natural, and homegrown materials, people are willing to pay more. Emmanuel told us he managed to sell a single candle for $10. Sounds like a natural businessman!
The hours pass by at a seemingly slow and steady rate but amazingly, already a week has elapsed. There are things to be endured (bee stings! ant bites! mosquito bites!) but they are far outweighed by all that there is to enjoy. So with that, I bid adieu to the first week and look to what lies ahead in the weeks to come.
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