Living beehive legs

Living beehive supports are being used by traditional beekeepers in Uganda in order to support both traditional and topbar type hives. In the tropics hive supports can be easily damaged by termites or rot. If hives are kept in trees they are usually not easily accessible for frequent inspection. So Ugandan beekeepers have developed live supports. They cut two large stakes, with a suitable 'Y' shape, from either the bark cloth tree, Ficus natalensi, or a species of coral tree, Erythrina abyssinica. The stakes are placed in the ground at a distance apart to suit the hives. Hives can be placed firmly in the Y or they can be suspended by wires strung from the posts. In time the posts will sprout and the branches and leaves will shade the hives from the sun. It is also possible to use the leaves as a fodder for livestock, or as a mulch. The living hive supports are a good example of agroforestry and apiculture coming together. Source: November 1987 newsletter International Bee Research Association 18 North Road Cardiff CF1 3DY U K

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
Format:	News Item biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation 1988
Online Access:	https://hdl.handle.net/10568/44823 http://collections.infocollections.org/ukedu/en/d/Jcta14e/
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