Imagine travelling with bees in a bus – for over 300 kilometres!
That’s exactly what a beekeeper in Nairobi did when he decided to transport thousands of bees to his village home for his bee keeping project.
In pictures seen by Mwanahabari.co.ke, one can tell that the beekeeper took utmost care when packing and loading the bees into a safe metal box.
It is not clear how the beekeeper managed to convince the bees to enter the box – and travel for over 350 kilometres to their final destination in his village home.
The man shared a picture of the bees – in their final destination – in the village. From the picture, the bees are doing just fine.
“They arrived safely. There was no drama. These are harmless bees often hired by firms for pollination. It’s cold modern beekeeping,” said the beekeeper who only preferred we call him Ken.
Knowing what bees can achieve when provoked – one can only guess what could happen should the bees decide to take a tour of the bus.
But Ken noted that this was not the first time he was relocating bees to different places.
“I have relocated bees for customers seeking my services. I am a professional,” he said.
“Moving hives a short distance for a short distance is not difficult, and is likely to have very minimal safety issues. Bees should be shifted during the day…” Dan, a bee expert, told Mwanahabi.co.ke.
Intense heat
On relocating bees in a public bus Dan said:
“That can be dangerous to not just the bees themselves, but also to the passengers.
The bees can run a mock and sting passengers or the bees can die under intense heat coming from the heating of the vehicle.”
“You must be careful when moving bees. You will have to do it before sunrise or after sunset, then close the entrance of the hive. Also, ensure that the box is well ventilated before you relocate,” said Dan.
Beekeepers are advised to transport bees in a box, possibly in a truck especially if it’s an aggressive hive.
A truck is well ventilated and creates a separation between the bees and the driver.
Poses danger
“Minimize the number of people in the truck or car when relocating a colony,” said Dan.
A bus operator plying the Nairobi-Kisumu route told Mwanahabari.co.ke that people are not allowed to move bees in public vehicles as it poses danger.
“I have never seen such a thing… but I won’t be surprised that some people would attempt to do that. That’s because sometimes we don’t inspect what every passenger is carrying,” said the driver.