M A R C H 2 0 2 1
Peter Koah said wild harvest of queen colonies continue to take place on Tanna Island to boost honey production
Monday 15
Tanna Island, Vanuatu – In an attempt to meet the high demand for honey in Port Vila, Farm Support Association and Tanna Coffee Bee have introduced queen bee rearing to supply beekeepers.
“We’ve delivered 8 sessions of queen rearing conducted on Tanna; 10 successful queens bred, 6 survived and were introduced to 5 new hives in Vila,” says Peter Koah, the Associate Director of Farm Support Association. “Grafting of queen is very new to Farm Support Association and Tanna Coffee Bee, the success rate of the last 8 session was too low.”
“Going forward, we’ve identified areas to be improved with more exercises planned for the year.”
Peter Koah said wild harvest of queen colonies continue to take place on Tanna Island to boost honey production.
“It’s a very challenging exercise and we’re working with local farmers together with Tanna Coffee Bee to harvest any identified wild bee hives on the island.”
Twenty-four wild colonies have been harvested to date with most being transferred to hives at the Tanna Coffee factory.
The activities was funded by the Farmers’ Organizations for Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (FO4ACP) Programme, a joint partnership between the European Union, Africa Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) and Pacific Island Farmers Organisation Network (PIFON).