Projekt Beekeeping in natural honeycomb

In contrast to beekeeping in Germany, beekeeping products in Tanzania are mostly obtained in the traditional way, which is also possible for the financially weak rural population. The renunciation of the greatest possible profit and queen breeding leads to a natural approach to beekeeping, which on the one hand has a positive effect on the health of the East African honey bee, but on the other hand makes handling the bees more difficult and reduces income.

This contrasts with professional beekeeping in Germany. In the “All about Bees” project, we learned that there are considerable differences in beekeeping between the two cultures.

We use these different beekeeping methods in a cultural, practice-oriented exchange between beekeepers from both countries in order to adapt beekeeping with a view to conserving existing resources in the long term against the backdrop of climate change.

For the first part of the project, two beekeepers from our Tanzanian project partner “Tanzanian Bees & Trees Africa” visited Kiel in June. The “Immenstolz” apiary in the municipality of Friedrichsort acted as host and organizer of the project week.

The beekeeping business was presented on the first day of the project. The various pieces of equipment in the extractor room made the difference to Tanzanian beekeeping particularly clear.

But the considerable amount of honey harvested also made a big impression.

Over the next few days, various bee locations were visited. The urban locations in particular showed the Tanzanians that bees are held in much higher esteem by the German population than in Tanzania. While the fear of bees is widespread there, the city dwellers of Kiel love “their” bees and their honey.

The “Immenstolz” approach of introducing primary school children to beekeeping was very well received by the guests. The work with the Fritz Reuter School's bee club was fun for everyone and encourages imitation in Tanzania.

At the end of the project, the focus was more on the technical part of honey processing. In Tanzania, the honey is only used pure, further processing such as stirring to a creamy consistency is hardly ever practiced. And of course the small, local beekeepers cannot afford the technical equipment available here.

Let's see how the German beekeepers adapt to the circumstances in Tanzania...