Re.  Uganda honey
 
    The honey from Baringo, Kenya is most likely acacia.  I visited Lake
    Baringo and its surrounding area which is dry plateau country of eastern
    Africa where the predominant vegetation is the thorny acacia tree.  For
    most of the year, there is very little else in blooming cover
    vegetation.  This is made worse by browsing cattle, especially goats
    that remove virtually everything up to a height of 2 meters.
 
    In Baringo and other sites in east Africa, the hives are either the KTB
    (Kenyan Top Bar) or traditional log hives.  Because of predators
    especially ants, all hives are suspended in (acacia) trees, where the
    ropes or steel wires are heavily greased.
 
    There are over 30 different species of acacia in East Africa and most
    produce amber to dark amber honeys that have a pleasant aroma and taste.
    Granulation is extremely slow; the jar in front of me contains liquid
    that I harvested in Uganda 10 years ago.
 
    Since no frames are used, all honey is harvested by comb pressing and
    honey straining.  The various steps of handling under often primitive
    conditions pose the greatest threat to the quality of honey.
 
    I believe east Africa could produce superbly fine honeys if it overcomes
    problems in harvesting, processing and marketing.
 
    Paul van Westendorp                         [log in to unmask]
    Provincial Apiarist
    British Columbia