Walia Special Edition on the Bale Mountains (2011) - Zoologische ...

HOROqqA (Bersama abyssinica, Melianthaceae family). No hives were found of its wood
and only one participant kept hives in its bow.
GUDUBA (Aningeria adolfi-friederici, Sapotaceae family) Mature trees of Guduba used for
hanging hives but only one beekeeper had produced hives from its wood. This may be because
the wood is hard to cut and work with.
KORRIIBA (Polycias fulva, Araliaceae family) Exhibits a very distinctive structure of ‘whorls’
(Fichtl & Adi 1994) emulated in the main branch structure which constitute the ‘baboons seat’
providing an ideal place for hives. Attractive to bee swarms (Fichtl & Adi 1994).
DHADHATU (Milletia feruginea, Fabaceae family) Honeybees continue to forage for nectar
from this species even when leaves have fallen, therefore, the species is useful for strengthening
bee colonies during dry periods.
HARBU (Ficus sur, Moraceae family). The flowers are not visited by bees but the juice of the
ripe fruit is sucked by bees (Fichtl & Adi 1994). The species is widely used as a meeting place
or resting place along traditional routes and is not historically cut.
HADDAMA (Euphorbia abyssinica, Euphorbiaceae family). Three specimens of this tree
were found all well in excess of the maximum 10m proposed by Fichtl and Adi (1994).
Two, standing together, were planted by the grandfather of one of the beekeepers. One hive
was found to be made from its wood. It can be helpful for strengthening bee colonies and
maintaining brood rearing in the dry season. The yellow honey produced from its flowers is
said to be poisonous.
Honey gathering
The main period for harvesting honey is at the end of the dry seasons – late May to early July and in
late November - although some beekeepers will collect honey from the remaining hives during the
early stages of the dry season. Although field work was carried out from the beginning of the rainy
season, when little honey is usually produced, it was possible to witness the extraction process on a
number of occasions. The harvests were carried out using smoke from bound lichen to subdue the
bees. No protective clothing was worn and honey collectors commonly sustain many stings. Trees
were scaled quickly using a single rope; a hardened leather bag is usually used to hold the honey.
The comb was mashed into a container complete with comb-wax, pollen, propolis, larvae, bees
and any other matter that was picked up with the honey. The larvae are given to children as sweets
(Fichtl and Adi 1994). Although there are many nutritional benefits to this way of harvesting it does
result in a less marketable product, particularly as the beekeepers are not benefiting directly from
bi-products such as wax, pollen and propolis (MoA 2003; Gebey 2002). Wax is not separated and is
most commonly discarded although the wax from the honey sold to make Tej is sometimes exported
<strong>Walia</strong>-<strong>Special</strong> <strong>Edition</strong> on the Bale Mountains 211