As Kenya battles a deadly locust\ninvasion mowing down acres of cropland, the buzz of a more beneficial swarm is\ngrowing low \u2013 honeybees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
African Beekeepers Ltd director\nErnest Simeoni has sounded the alarm over the rate at which honeybees are\ndeclining, citing climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At stake is not only honey\nproduction but the country\u2019s food security as bees play an important role of\ncrop pollination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Simeoni, different climate change-induced factors are to blame for the bees’ decline. In an interview, he said that climate change is causing habitat loss as the pollinators fail to migrate to cooler areas and establish new hives. Equally, as average monthly temperatures rise, flowers tend to bloom earlier, creating a potential mismatch in timing between when flowers produce pollen and when bees are ready to feed on that pollen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This mismatch carries the\nrisk of negatively affecting bees\u2019 health, making them less likely to reproduce\nand less resistant to predators and parasites, said Simeoni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currently, nearly 80 percent of\nhoney consumed in Kenyan homes is imported, largely from neighbouring Tanzania.\nLocal players like African Beekeepers fill the remaining share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bee problem isn\u2019t just\nlimited to Kenya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Globally, about 10 million\nhives have disappeared over the past three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Population growth and rapid\nurbanisation are equally contributing to the drop in bee farming as a source of\nlivelihood and income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Previous agricultural and\nforestlands are being cleared faster that they\u2019re being replenished to create\nhuman settlements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Simeoni now wants the government to offer bee farmers incentives so that the sector becomes attractive and rewarding enough for them to continue farming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n