Safeguard Bees and Beekeepers in Madagascar

Honey bees need nectar to produce honey. During the winter months, the lack of flowering plants means beekeepers can’t harvest honey. Bees also need to make up for the loss of nectar in their diet so honey bees eat the honey stores in the hive, and beekeepers may even need to feed their colonies with sugar water to prevent them from absconding.

With the transition from winter to spring in Madagascar has come an abundance of flowers, resulting in the start of the honey harvesting season. One of our beekeepers in Tsagnoriha has already harvested 20 litres of honey from just four of his hives! During this more productive season, more and more beekeepers have been adding ‘supers’ to expand their beehives. A super is a second level placed on top of a strong hive. Adding a super to a strong hive gives the colony more space to make honeycomb.  The bees have more space to fill with honey and wax, providing the beekeeper with more to harvest, without disturbing the brood chamber in the hive body.

To harvest honey, the beekeeper uses a smoker. Smoke calms the bees, so honeycomb can be removed and cut away from the top bar. The honey and wax then need to be separated from one another. To do this, beekeepers scrape off the caps that seal honey into each cell of the honeycomb, and put the pieces into a cloth or a fine mesh colander over a bucket, to collect the clean, filtered honey. This filtering process removes contaminants from the honey and ensures that it is of good quality. After filtering, the honey can be put into bottles or jars to be transported to the market and sold.

Once the honey has been harvested, only the wax caps are left. Beekeepers can then melt these together to sell or use in making household items, like candles and soap. Unfortunately, using beeswax isn’t common in the Anosy region yet, but SEED is hoping to change that! Increasing knowledge and understanding of how to use wax is one way for our beekeepers to expand their income. The Renitantely team is exploring how to increase the use of beeswax, such as showing beekeepers how to make candles to sell or use within the household. SEED will also look for possible buyers to further expand the beekeepers’ options for their wax harvest.

Like everywhere in the world, Madagascar is impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 cases are now rising rapidly in Madagascar, where access to testing is limited and knowledge of the virus is minimal. Over the past four months, the Renitantely team had to be flexible and creative in adapting project activities, not only to protect themselves and the beneficiaries, but also to match the needs of the communities as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are revealed. A major concern is the economic effects of the pandemic. It is becoming more and more difficult for our beekeepers to buy enough food for their families, as the prices of staples such as rice, oil, and cassava rise. 

Many livelihoods are becoming less viable during this time. Travel to Fort Dauphin, the region’s urban centre, is restricted, resulting in prices of goods, such as woven mats, and food, such as fish and lobster, drastically decreasing. Project Renitantely is uniquely positioned to meet the economic and food needs of communities that are affected by COVID-19. Beekeeping not only provides project beneficiaries with a sustainable source of income, but also with honey, a food source rich in calories and highly regarded for its natural medicinal effects. As a result, honey is one household staple that has maintained its price and demand, even in rural markets. Thus, it is important that our beekeepers continue to get the support they need. To make attendance safer for the beekeepers and our staff, meetings are held outside and in small groups, physical distance is maintained, and it is required to wear a mask. SEED has distributed 178 masks to Renitantely beekeepers and their families.

Trainings have also proven to be great opportunities to provide rural community members beyond project beneficiaries with essential information about COVID-19 that they might not otherwise receive. The Renitantely team has directly reached more than 200 individuals through COVID-19 information sessions. Topics covered in these sessions are symptoms, and the importance of physical distancing, wearing masks, avoiding physical contact, and frequent handwashing. Community members have shown great interest in learning more about how the virus is transmitted and about prevention measures that they can take to keep themselves and their families safe.