Oguadimma Chisom
In the recent fast-paced world, it is evident that technological aid has become the latest trend across the globe: setting things and making different tasks easier in all sectors of human endeavor.
The advancement of technology moved beyond imagination, farmers now thrive in farm businesses with the technological means of controlling and rearing their farm products efficiently.
However, with the recent trend, our Reporter interviewed a bee farmer, artful in technological farming.
In this interview, Mr. Thomas Ogbuefi, a manager of a bee farm at the Spiritans Farm Settlement in Adani, Nsukka, expressed that technology has taken place in the farming sector; noting that in recent years, bee farming has improved as a result of innovative methods being employed.
Mr. Thomas, in his early 50s, started his journey of rearing bees when he noticed a bee spot in one of the trees on his farm, did some studies, and began his journey.
Now has experience in technical bee rearing for over 15 (fifteen) years, explained to The Harbinger the use of modern technology has helped to “increase crop yields, improve efficiency, and reduce environmental impacts.”
“Bee-keeping used to be quite challenging in Nigeria. It is a harsh task as not many people risk this type of farming,” he said. Adding that “Good and quality honey is [now] scarce, and the available ones are often contaminated or imported.”
Mr. Thomas furthered that bee farmers had to face the difficulty of dealing with angry bees and the risk of getting stung while harvesting honey. “They used to do it with bare skin, which exposed them to the bees’ aggression,” he told our reporter.
He narrated that in the past, they didn’t have proper bee hives, letting them use buckets and local pots for bees to dwell in. But, fortunately, nowadays there are proper bee hives and attractants to lure the bees into the hives. “These hives are designed with different sections, allowing the bees to separate their eggs and waste products. The hives can accommodate a full colony of 40,000 bees,” Mr. Thomas affirmed.
Citing that they can obtain various supplements from the bees, apart from honey; “now we can get different liquids from the bees apart from honey, there is royal jelly and the bee pollen which has a lot of rare health benefits.”
What Is Royal Jelly?
According to Hunter’s Honey Farm, a honey production farm that produced honey to make life sweeter for over one hundred years; Royal Jelly is a nutritious, milky-white creamy liquid secreted by the hypopharyngeal glands of the nurse bee. With its incredibly strong flavor and pudding-like consistency, queen bees live only from the substance which accounts for their incredible size, fertility, and longevity.
“It has many nutrients. It contains 12-13% protein, 12-15% Carbohydrates, 5-6% beneficial lipids, including important fatty acids, and contains a full spectrum of vitamins. It is also high in Vitamin B pantothenic acid, which has been shown to reduce stress levels. Royal Jelly supplies the minerals, calcium, copper, iron, phosphorus, potassium, silicon, and sulfur. It also contains sterols, phosphorous compounds, acetylcholine, estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, 17 amino acids, including the 8 essential amino acids, and is particularly rich in cysteine, lysine, and arginine.”
Health Benefits of Royal Jelly
Research revealed that the Royal jelly can be obtained from the laid eggs of the bee, and its incredible substance has the potential to cure age-related illnesses, including skin-related diseases.
“Royal Jelly is known to aid in liver disease, pancreatitis, insomnia, stomach ulcers, kidney disease, bone fractures, skin disorders, and as a potentiator for the immune system.” (Prescription for Nutritional Healing: Balch) It has been shown to contain antiseptic, antiviral, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. Studies report that royal jelly fortifies the centers of the hypothalamus, normalizes metabolic processes, and improves the base metabolism. Many other reports indicate that royal jelly strengthens the immune system, increases resistance to fatigue and cold temperatures, elevates the content of hemoglobin in the blood, and stimulates blood circulation. “All the water-soluble vitamins of the B group are found together in royal jelly,” writes Dr. A. Saenz of the Pasteur Institute in Paris.
Similarly, the Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Fish and Food of Argentina, Fernando Vilella, reported that royal jelly aids in the proper transmission of nerve impulses and the proper functioning of the endocrine system. After years of specific research in the field of athletic performance, a team of Italian experts has combined a series of highly invigorating and non-doping natural substances (including royal jelly) to enhance the performance of athletes. “These substances are an authentic ecological fuel” for athletes, preventing them from suffering from psychological and physical stress or depleting their reserves of energy.
Moreso, the research further expressed that new equipment has been acquired to extract the liquid without harming the eggs and various other equipment has been invented to make bee farming a lot easier and faster. For instance, extractors are used to extract honey and remove unwanted materials from it.
The recent innovation in beekeeping has not only made it easier for both bee farmers and aspiring bee farmers to practice beekeeping, but it has also increased the availability of pure, undiluted honey.
This has resulted in students studying and practicing bee-farming: a hands-on skill in the university. And the innovation not only made work easier in the farming sector, but they have also provided employment opportunities.
