Rain, bees and coffee

One of the things I learnt in Uganda was beekeeping, a major source of income to smallholder farmers in the area. Honey, beeswax and other products are sold at a much higher price compared to other crops, often to tourists. During my stay, I donned on the beekeeping suit three times, helping with the hive inspections and even honey harvesting.

Myself inspecting a comb. Photo: Yi Xi Kang.

Beekeeping, or apiculture, has been practised in Uganda for millenia, and is currently being promoted in the areas surrounding Kibale National Park (KNP) as a deterrence to elephant incursions (Montgomery et al., 2021). However, the arguably most important function of bees is their role as pollinators: the economic value of bee pollination in Uganda was US $149 million for coffee alone (Munyuli, 2014b). In fact, most farmers are unaware that bees increase coffee yield (Coffea arabica & C.canephora) significantly (Munyuli, 2011). Besides coffee, other important crops that bees regularly pollinate include bananas, beans and avocados. Wild social bees are the most effective pollinators of coffee, with up to 98% of fruit being set by a single species Meliponula ferruginea (Munyuli, 2014a).

An East African lowland honeybee (Apis mellifera), the most commonly used honeybee for apiculture in Uganda. Notice the small pack of pollen on its hind left leg. Photo: Yi Xi Kang.

Bees respond to flowering peaks in the vicinity - when many plants are in flower, they increase their colony size and vice versa (Gregory & Waring, 2015: 36-37). Traditionally, most plants in KNP flower between May to June, the transition period from rainy to dry season, but this is changing with the erratic weather caused by climate change (Chapman et al., 1999). When bees become active despite low forage availability, death rates increase drastically (McNally & Schneider, 1992).

Coffee fruit (left) pre-roasted and (right) roasted. Each fruit contains two beans. Photo: Yi Xi Kang. 

Another reason why bee populations have declined is the increasing use of pesticides (Staudacher et al., 2020). Pesticides seep into the groundwater, damaging both the ecosystem and human health. Without healthy bee populations, many important crop yields will decline, threatening food security in Uganda.

Coffee tree with flowers. The flowers had a distinctive jasmine-like smell, attracting many bees. Photo: Yi Xi Kang. 

Coffee farmers would need to diversify their farms, including planting wildflowers that provide forage for bees when the coffee plants are not in flower (Karanja et al., 2010). They should dedicate at least 20% of their farm to natural vegetation in order to provide habitats for bees (Munyuli, 2011). Another strategy is agroforestry, where the coffee is grown below large trees as coffee is an understory plant. Not only is coffee yield increased (Kiyingi & Gwali, 2012), but carbon storage is also much higher (Tumwebaze & Byakagaba, 2016). These canopy trees are often a significant source of nectar to bees, such as Cordia africana (Gram et al., 2017). Protecting bees is of paramount importance to Uganda and further research needs to be conducted.

 Left: Expert beekeeper Vallence holding up a comb of honey. The top section with wax is considered 'capped honey' while the bottom section is 'uncapped'. Right: A small jar of honey harvested on my last day helping with the hive inspection. Best honey ever! Photo: Yi Xi Kang. 

References

Africa Uganda Business Travel Guide (2022). Pollination and the honey bee in Africa. Available at: https://www.africa-uganda-business-travel-guide.com/pollination-and-the-honey-bee-in-africa.html (Accessed 18 Nov 2023).

Chapman, C. A., Wrangham, R. W., Chapman, L. J., Kennard, D. K., & Zanne, A. E. (1999). Fruit and flower phenology at two sites in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 15(2), 189–211.

Gregory, P., & Waring, C. (2015). Bee Keeping. Flame Tree Publishing: London, United Kingdom.

Kiyingi, I., & Gwali, S. (2012). Productivity and profitability of robusta coffee agroforestry systems in central Uganda. Uganda Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 13(1), 85–93.

McNally, L. C., & Schneider, S. S. (1992). Seasonal cycles of growth, development and movement of the African honey bee, Apis mellifera scutettata, in Africa. Insectes Sociaux, 39(2), 167–179.

Montgomery, R. A., Raupp, J., Mukhwana, M., Greenleaf, A., Mudumba, T., & Muruthi, P. (2022). The efficacy of interventions to protect crops from raiding elephants. Ambio, 51(3), 716–727.

Munyuli, T. (2011). Farmers’ perceptions of pollinators’ importance in coffee production in Uganda. Agricultural Sciences, 02(03), 318–333.

Munyuli, T. (2014a). Influence of functional traits on foraging behaviour and pollination efficiency of wild social and solitary bees visiting coffee (Coffea canephora) flowers in Uganda. Grana, 53(1), 69–89.

Munyuli, T. (2014b). Social and Ecological Drivers of the Economic Value of Pollination Services Delivered to Coffee in Central Uganda. Journal of Ecosystems, 2014, 1–23.

PennState Extension (2023). Beekeeping around the world: East Africa. Available at: https://extension.psu.edu/beekeeping-around-the-world-east-africa (Accessed 30 Nov 2023).

Staudacher, P., Fuhrimann, S., Farnham, A., Mora, A. M., Atuhaire, A., Niwagaba, C., Stamm, C., Eggen, R. I. L., & Winkler, M. S. (2020). Comparative Analysis of Pesticide Use Determinants Among Smallholder Farmers From Costa Rica and Uganda. Environmental Health Insights, 14.

Tumwebaze, S. B., & Byakagaba, P. (2016). Soil organic carbon stocks under coffee agroforestry systems and coffee monoculture in Uganda. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 216, 188–193.

University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture (2010). Plant of the week: Coffee. Available at: https://www.uaex.uada.edu/yard-garden/resource-library/plant-week/coffee-1-22-10.aspx (Accessed 30 Nov 2023).