Rioba, a one-time tobacco farmer who abandoned the cash crop after its fortunes dwindled, owns 300 hives from which he harvests at least 400kg of honey every two to three months. “I started keeping bees in 2014, investing Sh30,000 after being frustrated by little earnings from tobacco and maize. I had grown tobacco for over 10 years but prices would always drop despite the heavy work,” says Rioba, who keeps bees on his six acres. He has also constructed a small fish ponds around his apiary to provide water to the bees. UNSCRUPULOUS TRADERS“I normally attract the bees into empty hives with a variety of flowering plants.

Source: Daily Nation April 21, 2017 16:52 UTC