Do you know the Vipingo Ridge bees? Our coastal pollinators
Vipingo Ridge is well known for its sustainable practices. Our focus on Kenya conservation, both on land and at sea have been a big part of the development from the beginning. Through the Wildlife Sanctuary within the development, our ‘winning space for wildlife’ breeding programme with Kenya Wildlife Services and support of the Kuruwitu Marine Reserve project - we have high profile initiatives we are very proud of.
In addition our focus on habitat restoration from a depleted sisal farm to coastal indigenous rich landscape has been a 15 year programme of work, with over 35,000 native plants and trees planted across our 2.500 acres.
These are the big headlines. But there’s depth to our Founders’ focus on the natural world to be found across the Ridge. Here we explore one of the smaller projects: let’s talk about bees.
Global bee population decline
It is well documented that bee populations are in trouble across the world. A combination of industrial pesticide use, habitat decline, new diseases, climate change and even pollution are having devasting effects everywhere.
In Kenya it has been identified that this loss of pollinators pose a significant risk to food security. 75% of the world’s crops rely on some form of pollination.
There is a focus from the Kenya Ministry of Agriculture to use sustainable agriculture practices and innovative techniques to conserve the environment for bees. The impact on the Kenya honey industry and the wider pollinator fertilised crops makes this bee population decline a big issue.
Bee hives at Vipingo Ridge
Did you know we maintain bee hives at the Ridge? In a secret location (to avoid the temptation of harvesting too much honey) we have 60 (yes 6-0) hives. Of those apiaries currently 20 are active with thriving colonies of bees.
The main focus for us is to create sustainable habitats for the bees, supporting the colonies with indigenous plants to pollinate. Though we’re not producing vast quantities of honey to share widely, we are delighted to have some recent small harvests to appreciate. Bees really do give back in so many ways.
Let’s meet our bees here at the Kenya Coast
At the neighbouring Arabuko-Sokoke Forest bee keeping is an important livelihood for the local community. This is an important protected unique habitat of forest and mangrove that works closely with a number of organisations to prioritise the pollinators (and many other rare species).
Sokoke Forest bee - Meliponula ferruginea
The first of our bees in the Vipingo Ridge hives is a Sokoke Forest bee. Small and angry, these red bees are an exciting local species of bee that populates our apiaries.
These are stingless bees, but defensive in nature. They are known to choose indigenous trees, but we’re delighted to have them in our hives, producing their (often considered medicinal) honey.
2. European honey bee - Apis mellifera
Though beekeeping began before the colonial era, it was the introduction of European honeybees in the early 20th century that resulted in a commercialised industry in Kenya. We have a significant population of Apis mellifera in our apiaries.
Hard workers of our hives, the European honey bee can have up to 60,000 bees in a colony producing honey flavoured by the plants that they are pollinating.
3. African carpenter bee - Xylocopa
Often confused for a bumble bee due to the similar size, the Carpenter bee comes in many different colours and combinations. Here at the Ridge we have this stunning black and white species.
So called ‘Carpenter’ bees due to their preference for burrowing into trees to nest, these bees have a particularly painful sting but loud wing sounds can help avoid them. We don’t have these in our hives, but seeing them at Vipingo Ridge is a real treat.
Community collaboration
This is a fantastic collaboration between one of our Founders and one of our engaged Homeowners, leading on the project to make space for this essential part of our ecosystem: the bee. We’re grateful for all their efforts, it is truly making a difference.
Beekeeping is community activity along the Kilifi coast, and this little known project is one of many community initiatives to truly create a sanctuary here at Vipingo Ridge.
