Located 30minutes drive from the Lodge is a Nyori project,run by a group of women led by Mrs B.M Nkini.
Upon reaching the project site you are greeted by the sight of boxes,maybe 300 or more boxes and logs fastened along the walls of almost every construction around the compound-Do you know what is inside the boxes and logs? Bees, yes bees. What’s really special about these bees is that they are stingless – and known as Nyori in Tanzania. They belong to the family apidae. A swarm of these stingless bees (meliponines) can be seen buzzing inside the boxes and around the compound sharing bragging rights with human beings,cattle and chickens , It is quite an amazing sight.
What is surprising is not the bees’ black colour as you may have had seen this species before,but you may wonder that they produce not only edible but also nutritious honey.Stingless bee honey is said to be twice as nutritious as ordinary honey. The other species of honeybees known seem to like zipping and buzzing around with a great sense of urgency to accomplish their work, including to sting. As the saying goes, as busy as a bee.
However, the stingless bees don’t whizz around so much, seemingly much more relaxed, and somehow will not make you feel as tense with their lack of sting during an encounter. They are much smaller – about three to five millimetres in size, and have a slimmer body in total variance with the usual yellow and black sting-capable honeybees. There is a lot to discover about the bees and their honey as you shall learn from the bee keepers.