Beekeeping is a profitable occupation that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and professions. Bees produce cultural sweet food called honey. Other useful products are called beeswax; propolis wax is used in industries in manufacturing of cosmetics, candle, medicine and propolis.
In Kenya bee keeping is mainly practiced in baringo, kitui and machakos districts. In kitui the highest clunting of honey is produced in zombe location zombe is located in mwitika division (kitui west) and about 70km from kitui town. At zombe honey bees are traditionally kept in loghives. Loghives are made from tree track which are dug at the centre to provide a hallow space for the honey bees to built their combs. These hives are hang between branches of trees along rivers and forests.
This product i.e. honey is used for many purposes among others include.
Honey is sweet so is licked by everybody it can be eaten anytime. It contains about 80% sugar that are readily absorbed by the body
It is also used to made a traditional brew called “kaluvu” which many of the villagers especially men take in the evening after work. Traditionally honey is used to cure foot and mouth diseases of cattle whenever there is an outbreak.
Honey is also high economic value to zombe people. The producers sell their honey and use the money they acquire for paying school fees, buy commodities they hence leave in their households.