To celebrate the first World Bee Day, Dr. Bidemi Ojeleye tells Flora IP about the importance of bees and beekeeping.
Dr. Ojeleye, a nutritional biochemist and a certified beekeeper, is the Founder and Director of the Centre for Bee Research & Development (CEBRAD). He has worked on beekeeping projects with national and international institutions such as the Federal Ministry of Environment, the University of Abuja, the United Nations Development Programme, and the World Bank.
Dr. Ojeleye is the first Nigerian to own over 4,500 hives. His hives are located at Igbeti, in Oyo State, Nigeria.
Flora IP (FI): How did you become interested in beekeeping?
Dr. Bidemi Ojeleye (BO): Although I have always been interested in bees, the turning point for me was during a conference I attended in Kenya, where I met a delegate who had been a beekeeper for a long while. I further developed my expertise in Canada, where I worked with a company involved in beekeeping.
FI: How did you start beekeeping?
BO: When I got back to Nigeria, I met an elderly friend, Late Professor Oladejo Akanbi, a lecturer at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Nigeria and the premier President of the Beekeepers Association of Nigeria. After discussing my professional beekeeping experience in Canada and my intention to transfer it to Nigeria, he introduced me to some of his friends who were beekeepers. I initially constructed about 10 hives. However, some of my hives were vandalised. I subsequently acquired land in Oyo State where I placed my hives. I have been involved in beekeeping for over 30 years now.
FI: Why are bees important to food and agriculture?
BO: Bees contribute to the production of about two-thirds of the food in a nutritious meal. Although there are other pollinators like bats, birds, butterflies amongst others, bees constitute about 70 to 80 per cent of the pollinators. The pollination services of the bees help to improve yields and provide sustainable livelihoods for rural dwellers. There is a popular saying:
If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live.
The role of bees cannot be overemphasised. If there are no more bees, there’ll be limited pollination, which will affect plants, animals and humans.
In addition, the by-products of beekeeping, including honey, bee wax, bee pollen, propolis and royal jelly are either beneficial medicinally or can be applied to other agricultural enterprises.
FI: What do stakeholders need to know about bees and beekeeping?
BO: Beekeeping in Nigeria is still at its early stages.
You need to study the characteristics of the bees to understand how to deal with them. Potential beekeepers need to be passionate about beekeeping. Bees are not as wild as some people think. I want people to disregard the narrative circulating about bees being aggressive. Occasionally, they may be defensive, but that happens only when they are mishandled.
There is only little research undertaken on bees in Nigeria. Most farmers are unaware of the little research on bees due to the absence of extension officers who are supposed to disseminate the research findings to them.
The government needs to design and implement policies and programmes to protect the interests of actors involved in beekeeping. The present Nigerian government’s Anchor Borrowers Programme excludes bees from its identified agricultural commodities. Similarly, the National Agricultural Insurance Corporation of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development fails to provide insurance policies on beekeeping.
FI: Can you share key information sources about bees and beekeeping: books, websites, blogs?
BO: The Raw Materials Research and Development Council has a rich library on bees and beekeeping, including my books – Foundation of Beekeeping in the Tropics, Queen Rearing Demystified: A Handbook of How to Raise Your Own Queen with Ease, and Step by Step Guide to Profitable Beekeeping.
CEBRAD also organises capacity building programmes like conferences, trainings and workshops for both old and new beekeepers.
FI: What do you enjoy most about beekeeping?
BO: I enjoy studying bees in their homes. I learn a lot from how bees live as a community. Bees are social insects, with admirable group integration, proper division of labour and effective communication skills. Humans can actually learn a lot from bees.
Everyone should have at least one hive because without bees there’ll be no food.
My slogan is let the honey flow!
To learn more about Dr. Ojeleye’s excellent contributions to circulating knowledge about bees and beekeeping in Nigeria, please visit: CEBRAD, Nigeria Beekeeping News and Tropical Beekeeping.
