A strange pest has attacked bee hives in Kyenjojo district affecting over 200 farmers.
The pests have destroyed 300 Bee Hives. The most affected bee farmers are in Nyakwanzi, Hapuyo and Nyantungo sub counties.
Stella Muhanga a bee keeper in Nyantungo whose six bee hives have been destroyed by the strange pests says that she got concerned when all the bees turned black.
Muhanga says that when she checked her bee hives she found that most of the bees had died. Muhanga, who has been a bee keeper for the past ten years, is now worried that she may fail to her children's school fees.
David Katuramu, a bee keeper in Nyankwanzi who has lost twenty bee hives blames the outbreak of the pests on the entomology department which has failed to sensitize bee keepers on the control and management of pests.
Katuramu says that the Entomology department stopped three years ago to train farmers on better apiary practices.
The chairperson of Kyenjojo bee keepers association, Jackson Rusoke says that in the past the district was producing more than 20 tones of honey but their production has dropped to only three tones.
//Cue in: iwe have been producing#i
Cue out: i#problem we are facing.i//
Grace Busingye the director of Honey for Money, a local Community Based Organization, which has been helping bee farmers in Hapunyo Sub County, says that some farmers have lost incomes since they have entirely dependant on bee keeping for income.
Busingye says that they plan to purchase more bee hives to help the farmers who have been affected by the pests.
She blames the entomology department for not intervening in the matter.
Richard Musinguizi an official at the entomology department Kyenjojo local government says that he is not aware of the pests that have attacked bee hives.
However bee keepers in the neighboring Kabarole district have not been affected by the pests.
The Executive Director Kabarole Bee Keepers Association, Adolf Bagonza says that the farmers in Kabarole have been sensitized to control pests.
Bagonza says that some of the farmers in Kyenjojo are not practicing modern techniques of bee keeping, citing lack of funds.
