Amina Kihwelo is on the field. Directly from Tanzania. Advice on African honey bees.

Amina has been interested in conservation projects since her primary school days. Her dream was to work in a conservation institute. In 2019 she got admission to the University of Dar es Salaam and it took her three years to study beekeeping science and technology. Further, she says, “now I understand bees and beekeeping in general. I am so excited to participate in bees-related projects.”

As a field researcher, she is engaged in different activities such as bee breeding, beekeeping management like apiary management, harvesting of honey, and processing and packaging of honey. She is also involved in laboratory tasting of the quality and medicinal properties of honey. During her fieldwork at the University of Dar es Salaam, she tested the antimicrobial activities of honey and concluded that honey has many antimicrobial activities compared to other antibiotics.

Amina works on the field frequently, and her advice to teens and young adults is to wear protective gear if they want to go near hives for African honey bees. According to her, “..it will not only protect you from a bee sting but will also help the bees from dying after stinging you. Be quiet, do not put on any fragrance, and relax since panicking can lead to the release of an adrenaline hormone whose smell can agitate bees and they will start stinging.”

Amina loves bees, honey bees are her favorite. When she thinks of bees, she sees nature, plants, and wealth.