I don't agree that many African beekeepers could not rig up an extractor.
Google 'bush mechanic' and look at the extractor made from a blue plastic
barrel and 2 bicycle tires.  I made one myself and demonstrated it in
Malawi.  The beekeepers I worked with were very handy and ingenious.
However, they are very risk aversive because they have to be.  One seasonal
failure and they pretty much starve as there are few social safety nets.
Thus, I have great respect for their conservative nature and cautious
approach to anything new and different.  However, use of a frame hive vs. a
KTB will raise yields and vastly improve honey quality.  I teach my project
people to grade honey and pay for quality.  Tropical honey is often dark
and smoky straight from the hive and does not improve with more smoke, high
moisture, and crushed bees and brood.

My first exposure to night time beekeeping was from a Zambian graduate
student we had at N.C. State back in the 70's.  The first time we took him
out to a bee yard he started ripping frames out with no smoke and no care
for the bees.  He explained that that was how they did it.  He was a
forester by training too and I recall he said their biggest problem in
forestry was people cutting down trees to get to the caterpillars to eat.
Apparently they are a great delicacy fried up.  Different strokes for
different folks.

Bill Lord
Louisburg, NC

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