Bees and Bee Keeping in Kuwait
Also from the Kuwait Agrifood Website – who knew? Who knew there was a family in Kuwait working to build a viable honey-production culture? I came across this accidentally, and love the site.
Growing up, i remember hearing that people with allergies should eat local honey, it helps build resistance (don’t ask me, I’m not a doctor!) and, in addition, we are all trying to shop and live more locally, so having Kuwait honey is – to me – way cool.
Have you seen honey from this farm in the markets? Can you tell me where?
Established in 1996 as a small apiary with 1-15 hives. A year later the apiary was supported with 5 hives imported from Al Yahya Company in Egypt which appeared to be a good start and was of distinguished quality and quantity. That encouraged us to invest in this field and plan to take it as a side job
Ever since that time the apiary grew year after another till the number of hives reached 300 in the year 2002 and it greaw rapidly in the following year till it became 700 hives distributed in different areas of Kuwait
Our production is divided into 3 Seasons. We produce 4 different kinds of honey: These are Cidar honey (main products) lasts from 10/9- 10/11 every year. The second season includes 2 products: flowers honey. (Rhanterium epoposum) and spring honey i.e. flowers of inhabited areas this lasts from 10/3-10/5 every year. The third season started in 10/5- 10/7 and is mainly kina honey
We bread a good kind of bees internationally well known: Crinoboly and Italian, both are originated from AlYahya Company- Egypt. We are producing Italian queens of a very good quality able to adapt with Kuwait environment. A test is being implemented in our apiary upon which we will decide whether we will be able to fill our needs and the needs of local market
We have a specialized team who know how to choose good places, provide wooden hives, import bees and settle it inside the wooden hives and carry out all necessary care such as follow up, supervise, feeding and honey cultivation
FAHAD BIN AJAJ Apiary
Jaber Al-Ali Suburb 7th – block 1 – Street 5
7911796-7192738 7192738 – 7911796 – Tel
e-mail: hunyQ8@yahoo.com
Sarrayat (Weather in Kuwait 9 April – 13 May)
I found this at Kuwait Agrifood Website as I was busy looking for Jasmine Farms, who grow some of the world’s greatest spinach. I love knowing that this season has a name, that it is not just me, it really is HUMID from day to day, and that the temperatures fluctuate wildly in this part of “warm Spring.”
SARRAYAT (9thApril – 13 th May )
This is the season of sarrayat ( Local thunderstorms), they usually develop in the afternoon or during night and are occasionally accompanied with severe dust storms during which visibility may fall to zero.
The resulted rain may be very heavy and usually occur during a few minutes (maximum intensity of 38.4 mm during 20 minutes was recorded on 4th April 1967 at Kuwait International Airport ).
The south – easterly winds during this peroid become hot and humid . Air temperature is characterized by sudden changes and may drop to 10C within one minute .
Temperatures from one day to another are changeble by particularly during the period 11th-30th April;they may rise to the summer mean level for a few days then drop to a noticable degree due to the influence of the north – westerly winds .
Seabreeze is predominant during May, shifting the north -westerly winds of the morning to easterly in the afternoon, tremperature mean ranges between 30C at the beginning of this period and 40 C at the end .
Thunderstorms are likely to occur during the intervals : 8 th – 12th , 16th, 22nd, 26th, April and 7th – 10th May .
Celebrating Cultures – Kuwait!
From today’s Al Watan:
This photo is so gorgeous, it almost makes me weep! Woo HOOO on you, Christopher Sanan; you showed the beautiful face of Kuwait to the world!
Canon Middle East announces Kuwaiti one of the 13 winners of ”Celebrating Cultures”
KUWAIT: Canon Middle East, the worldـleading innovator and provider of imaging products and solutions, has announced the winners of its regional photography competition titled “Celebrating Cultures ـ How Do You See Your World?” With more than 42 entries from Kuwait, Christopher Sanan was announced as one of the 13 winners for his photograph titled ”Drought”.
The Canon photography competition encouraged photographers of all ability to submit a cultural, historical or heritageـinspired photograph of their country for a chance to win a state of the art DSLR Canon camera ـ the EOS 1000 D.
“We were impressed with the overall high standard of photography across the region, especially Kuwait, and were amazed at the depth of talent that exists. The inaugural Canon “Celebrating Cultures ـ How Do You See Your World?” competition was very well received and has created a platform for the region”s talented photographers to showcase their work. Many of the images captured the diversity, beauty and spirit of the region. Winning entries are currently being exhibited at GPP 2009, for all photography enthusiasts to see,” said Hendrik Verbrugghe, CCI Marketing Manager, Canon Middle East.
The quality of entries from across the region made the judging process difficult for the independent onـline panel of experts which consisted of well known photo editors, photographers and a representative from Canon Middle East.
“Canon Middle East is committed to supporting photography in the region and making it accessible to all. The Canon Photography Competition is an ideal platform to nurture and recognise local talent. The tremendous response to the Canon Celebrating Cultures ـ photo competition is a testament to the region”s exceptional photographic talent,” concluded Hendrik Verbrugghe.
To view the winning entries visit the Canon stand at GPP or visit the Canon micro site on http://www.gulfphotoplus.com/canoncompetition/winners.php
Canon is a worldـleading innovator and provider of imaging and information technology solutions for individuals and businesses. Canon provides both individual products and complete networked technology solutions for information input, management and output. Its product range is divided between Business Solutions (developing IT products, solutions and services for both the office and professional print environments) and Consumer Imaging (photography, video and digital camera, Laser and Inkjet printers). Canon Middle East is the operational headquarters for Canon in this region, and is based in Dubai, UAE. Further information about Canon Middle East is available at: http://www.canonـme.com
Last updated on Thursday 9/4/2009
“I Look Deep Inside . . .”
We were at one of those official dinners, and, as is my habit, I found someone even more shy than I am and started asking questions. It’s an old trick; it gets me through the most endless affair. She turned out to be very smart, very witty and entertaining, this Nigerian woman, so elegant, so well-mannered. We were having a great conversation.
“So what do you do in Kuwait?” I asked, almost yawning, I was so ashamed of myself for asking such a boring, common question.
She paused, looking at me like she was measuring me.
“I look deep within people, and I tell them things about themselves they never knew,” she responded.
“Oh no!” I thought to myself, “is she some kind of fortune-teller?” (Fortune tellers are strictly forbidden in my religion.) I’m usually pretty good with the old poker-face, but my eyes probably shifted, looking quickly for a polite exit.
She watched me, her eyes twinkling, grinning like a fisherman with a live one on the hook.
“I’m a radiologist,” she added, and we both cracked up. She really had me: baited me, caught me, hooked me good, and then did the old catch-and-release.
Gigantic Sunrise
It’s not photoshopped, or any kind of shopped – it’s the “light haze” that makes this rising sun appear so gigantic. I can’t even focus as I try to shoot it, there is so much refracted light. I just have to trust, as I snap the shutter, that the camera can figure out how to manage it. Once again, I focused on the reflection; it was the only line the camera could focus on; the rest is just a blur. I am using my smaller Lumix, it doesn’t have a viewfinder, so it is much harder to see what you are shooting.
It’s going to be HOT today. For me, anyway, anything above 22°C / 72°F is getting a little heated up. 😉
Have a great day, Kuwait.
Through the Eyes of AdventureMan
I’ve had some really smart friends in my life, and sometimes, those who are really really smart get confused about normal everyday things.
We had a wonderful friend, Bill. His wife was a high school teacher, and when he saw the sign “Aim High – Air Force!” on Ramstein Air Force Base, he said “Look, sweetie, there’s the high school!”
Another time, on Mother’s Day, we were sitting in church with Bill and his wife and my husband said to Bill “I really like your new Land’s End jacket!” and Bill said “How did you know it was from Land’s End?” and my husband said “Because you still have the label on the cuff.” We were all still crying from laughing so hard when the priest glared at the four of us (troublemakers!) as he processed down the aisle.
AdventureMan is a lot like that. He thinks differently. Driving along the Gulf Road the other day, he said “You wouldn’t think there was enough demand for models here that they would have a special school.”
Then he said “what’s up with that?”
We both started laughing, because to us, it looks like something called an “entrenchment tool” or shovel, and we use them when camping to make a temporary toilet, so it’s not exactly something we would mount on the back of our truck, all gleaming and shiny. But we may be thinking differently, and there may be a really good reason this is done that we don’t know about, so if any of you know why it would be a good idea to mount a shiny shovel, please share!
The other night AdventureMan couldn’t get his at-home wireless connection to work, he’d been trying for several nights and couldn’t get a signal. I moved the stack of books and papers directly behind his laptop, between him and the router, and voila! instant wireless connection. He is a really really really smart man, but just has a little problem with the small things. 😉
(He always looks to see if I have mentioned him in the blog)
Diwaniyya Where No Candidates are Welcome
LOL, he is making his point in such a gentle and delightful way!
Staff Writer
From today’s Al Watan
KUWAIT: Kuwait”s newspapers have been covering the opinions of various former MPs and candidates about the elections and their programs, but the real news and discussions are available in one Kuwait”s oldest traditions, the diwaniya.
Diwaniyas are frequently targeted by political hopefuls to discuss various issues of concern. However, not Bu Hamad”s diwaniya, a retired Kuwaiti customs official who worked at the Salmi and Abdali ports.
Bu Hamid says that that politics is no longer a concern of his after so much disappointment, so it is little wonder that in his own diwaniya in Bayan, Bu Hamid has a large poster clearly saying” “Welcome honorable guests and apologies for not receiving any candidates. May God bless Kuwait. Bu Hamid”s Diwaniya.”
One cannot ignore the sign and equally not be intrigued by its curious message.
Asked about the reasons behind his ban of candidates, Bu Hamid said that in the previous election he discussed an issue of traffic safety near his home, which many candidates promised to sort out.
“I had previously asked candidates who became MPs later to set up speed bumps and traffic lights in front of my diwaniya which overlooks the highway in Bayan, which is notorious for traffic accidents.
“None had carried out their promise after they became MPs. They were only seeking their own interests and the interests of their close circle,” he explained.
“They are good for nothing. They are good for nothing,” he declared.
Bu Hamid expressed his amazement at the MPs whom he has voted for since the 1960’s that continually failed to meet the public’s demands. He is now “fed up with them and their tactics,” adding that when candidates need the voters they are available, “but the minute they become MPs they hardly recognize voters or even bother to meet them, as if they don”t remember them.”
He therefore decided to keep away from candidates and their campaigns.
“I will not cast my vote. I will never vote for any candidate. I have been casting my vote since 1960 and I have seen nothing from them.”
Last updated on Monday 6/4/2009
Cursing Around the Neighborhood
Staff writer Al Watan Law and Order:
KUWAIT: A police patrol car is reported to have been badly damaged in Shuwaikh’s residential area while security forces were chasing an unidentified man believed to be a drug addict. It has been gathered that the chase was prompted by a tipـoff received by police that an unruly person was cursing around the area.
Reportedly, as police officers approached the man’s vehicle he was asked to pull over, but he failed to comply. The security forces accordingly engaged him in a chase which caused the patrol car to crash. The chase is reported to have ended in Jiwan area where the suspect was eventually arrested. He has been since referred to the concerned authorities for further action.
This is Kuwait. I honestly have no idea whether this man was believed to be a drug addict because he was “cursing” around the neighborhood, or “cruising” around the neighborhood. This is Kuwait – it could be either!
Brilliant Sunrise, 5 Apr 09
Goooooooooooood Morning, Kuwait! 🙂
It is going to be another gorgeous day in Kuwait. Don’t let this “heavy fog” deter you. When I got up, the sunrise was so bright, I couldn’t see the sun, it was refracted all over the sky. I was only able to get the shot by focusing on the reflection of the sun on the water.
It is going to be a fantastic week – sweet warm days and cooling off evenings, perfect for sitting outside and drinking coffee, visiting with friends – and a little later in the week, a chance of more rain:
AdventureMan and I saw Journey to Mecca yesterday, along with about 500 others living in Kuwait. The movie is still packing people in! The audience was about 3/4 full with children, and I thought “oh this is going to be great, crying children and people talking on their cell phones.” I was SO wrong. Although the movie theater was full, I did not hear a single phone, I did not hear a single crying child – the movie held us all spellbound. We loved the movie, and we loved seeing it in the IMAX theatre.
(There are special headsets for non-Arabic speakers, with the dialogue in English. We didn’t know; they just spotted us as probably-non-Arabic and handed us the headsets.)
Sometimes, I am just slow. My niece, Little Diamond, had recommended a book called Travels with a Tangerine: From Morocco to Turkey in the Footsteps of Islam’s Greatest Traveller, but it was not until yesterday that I got it – that Ibn Batuta was from Tangiers! Sometimes, I am just slow . . . sometimes I can grasp subtleties but the obvious escapes me totally.
You can buy this book from Amazon.com for a mere $10.17 plus shipping. Yes, I own stock in amazon.com.
You can also probably find it at the Kuwait Bookstore, that amazing store in the bottom of the Al Muthanna Mall, near the Sheraton Circle downtown.
Coming Straight Down
While you are still snuggled safe in your beds, we are having a steady downpour in Kuwait. I didn’t get up until almost 0630 this morning, it was coming down then. It is still coming down steadily more than an hour later. It is not sheets of rain, there is none of the drama we had earlier in the week, but it is steady, and it is exactly what Kuwait needs, a good, soaking rain.
Wooo HOOOOO, Kuwait!
Honestly, there is nothing to photograph. It is just varying shades of grey, melting into one another. Nothing even for the camera to focus on.
The roads are slick with accumulated grease. If you don’t have to drive, just cuddle up, stay home, stay safe.
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