January 2021

The Mswakini Primary school started with 20 hives. 10 of these were big and divided into two compartments, one up and and one down, bringing the total to 30 hives.

Once the hives were fixed to the school ground, Tawiri Research Institute sponsored a formal beekeeping training for 20 students and teachers from the school who learned about beehives, harvesting, and taking care of the bee environment. The school got funding for bee equipments, suits, smokes, gloves, boots.

Currently the beehives are all good. Although, the school lost 2 hives, one due to a small door, and the other damaged by wind. All others are filled with bees. The school is working hard to protect the hives against wild animals, livestock, and the strong wind. One of the major challenges is to protect against the rain and the wind that can bring water inside the hives. Also, the Maasai people sometimes bring livestock grazing on school property that might harm the hives. Hence, the school is planning to plant trees to create a fence. In this regard, the Mali Hai club in Arusha will help plant trees, specifically, the comiphora africana tree.