Bees for Development - Conservation in Malawi and Ethiopia!

Bees for Development is the global charity which makes life better with bees. They promote sustainable beekeeping to combat poverty, build resilient livelihoods and benefit biodiversity.
 

Malawi Update

Bees for Development has been in Mount Mulanje, Malawi this month – advising forest conservation organisation, WeForest, about their beekeeping work. Yamikani Wasili (left) sees beekeeping as a profitable business that will raise capital for other ventures, helps pay school fees and is a tool for forest management. Beekeeping students were unsure about the correct dimensions of the top bars in top-bar hives (right) – they resolved it!

Ethiopia Update

For almost a year, Bees for Development have been working with Ethiopian farmers to grow crops without the use of chemical pesticides. This work was instigated by the beekeepers with whom they work, who were so frustrated seeing their colonies dwindle when pesticides were used. Addressing this topic has been multi-faceted and included testing Integrated Pest Management approaches and teaching farmers and beekeepers about the essential role played by different groups of beneficial insects, not just bees. Read some of the feedback shared by farmers below:

“Except for honey bees, I did not know about beneficial insects. Now I have learnt about pollinators, natural enemies of crop pests and I will protect them as my family”

– Farmer Bilata Asefa Alelign, Kuhar-Micael-Kebele, Fogera

"The training helped me to differentiate beneficial insects and crop insect pests and identify ways to control crop pests without using chemicals.

– Farmer, Sifrash Mesfin

Bee Garden Party Auctions online

Head over to the Bees for Development auction site to see the huge range of prizes, with more being added every day.  How about Afternoon Tea with Martha Kearney in the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason, or seats in the Rolex Box on the Grand Tier at the Royal Opera House?  See all the amazing gifts online now!