<strong>February</strong> <strong>2013</strong> 2
Article & photos:Keamogetse BoitshepoAt the age <strong>of</strong> 28, ThatoNgome had to suddenlyfill in the big shoes <strong>of</strong>her mother, mentor and rolemodel. Her mother was a woman<strong>of</strong> tenacity who endured manydifficult seasons with grace andthat catapulted her into beingone <strong>of</strong> exemplary bee keepers inKweneng West.Ngome describes her mother’sjourney as one that started<strong>of</strong>f humbly as a veld productsvolunteer. Through volunteering,she got an opportunity to betrained on bee keeping. That wasthe beginning <strong>of</strong> many years <strong>of</strong>countless triumphs and challenges.On her passing the course in June2012, she had established anapiary with 10 beehives. Being theeldest, Ngome knew by defaultthat she has to mature quicklyand continue the project that hadsustained her family for decades.“Honey has always been the onlysource <strong>of</strong> income that my motherhad to raise me and my youngersisters up.”To the Ngome family, honeybusiness has <strong>of</strong>ten proved tobe a reliable source <strong>of</strong> income.According to Ngome, one <strong>of</strong> themost dreadful days were end <strong>of</strong>school holidays for her secondaryschool years. Hailing from a smallvillage <strong>of</strong> Motokwe, Ngome hadto attend boarding school whichrequired her to have transport andpocket money. She reveals that<strong>of</strong>ten she would not have enoughmoney to go back to school.“At such times, I had to put on abrave heart and harvest as muchhoney as I could. It <strong>of</strong>ten happenedthat I would be by myself with noone to lend a hand.”All by herself, Ngome revealsthat she would go around thevillage selling honey. By the end <strong>of</strong>the day, she most times had raisedthe amount needed for school.Wondering how a teenagerwould be able to harvest honeyfrom ferocious bees that areknown to bite to kill, Ngome saysthat bees have been part <strong>of</strong> her lifeas long as she remembers.“Bees are like flies to me. Ourmother involved us in the businessfrom an early age. We all knowthe ins and outs <strong>of</strong> a bee keepingbusiness.”Juggling her entrepreneurshiptertiary studies at LimkokwingUniversity <strong>of</strong> Creative Technologyand running a bee keepingbusiness is obviously demanding.Ngome is grateful to havesupportive siblings who are alsotaking part in business. However,she had to hire someone to carefor the apiary since she staysin Gaborone and only goes toMotokwe on some weekends.Considering the dry spell thecountry is currently experiencing,she explains that hiring anassistant manager was a necessity.“When is dry like it is now withno flowers in the apiary and thesurroundings areas. We have tomake bees syrup. It’s a simplemixture <strong>of</strong> sugar and water.”According to Ngome, beekeeping does not have highoperational cost as most timesthe bees harvest from natural veld.In cases <strong>of</strong> drought, Ngome saysthe cost go higher by a negligibleamount. She estimates that onebox or a beehive produces honeyworth approximately P600.00while a 40g bottle <strong>of</strong> honey sellsfor P60.00.As the bee keeping sub sectoris growing to include producingbee wax byproducts, Ngomeis planning to ride this tide <strong>of</strong>development and make use <strong>of</strong>what its waste at the moment. Awide range <strong>of</strong> byproducts that sheis learning to make is lip balm,candles, body lotion and bath oils.Ngome also celebrates thedevelopments in the sub sectorwhich have made bee keepingeasy for many people. She smilesrecalling their ways <strong>of</strong> catchingbees before introduction <strong>of</strong>protective clothing.“Then we used to burn donkeydung to drug bees with the smokebefore we could catch them. Wewould place it close to the hive.While they are toxicated andless volatile, we caught them orharvested honey.”The District Regional BeeKeeping Officer for Kweneng,Keolege Malema says bee keepinghas improved economic status<strong>of</strong> many families in the region.Bee Keeping Officers teach thekeepers pr<strong>of</strong>itable pricing andeffective management <strong>of</strong> beekeeping. He says the general care<strong>of</strong> bee keeping, include curbingpests from the hive. Such pestsinclude ants, bee parates and beebeetle.“One preventative method is toput a piece <strong>of</strong> mirror in a basinwith a mixture <strong>of</strong> water andparaffin. Then place it in front <strong>of</strong>the hive entrance. The pirates willdrown in the water and die whenthey attempt to enter the hive.”Malema says beetles alwaysfind their ways into the hive sothis makes regular inspections <strong>of</strong>the hive unavoidable. Further,hesays providing bees with syrupduring drought is <strong>of</strong> fundamentalimportance to keep the businessgoing. The solution, he says ismade <strong>of</strong> 1:1 ration, meaning whatever measurement <strong>of</strong> water you putfor the solution, the sugar shouldbe <strong>of</strong> the same measurement.Malema says changes in theclimatic conditions calls forfarmers to carry out projects thatdo well in their regions.3<strong>February</strong> <strong>2013</strong>