Interview - Ms Luz Zarsuela Gamba entrepreneurial keeper of stingless bees in Sorsogon Province in the Philippines

Q. What made you become interested in bees?

I am worried that not enough people are aware of bees, and 12 years ago I noticed that slash and burn farmers were destroying stingless bee nests.

Q. How did you get started with your bee business?

I began in 2003 with 38 colonies of European Apis mellifera honey bees, however they did not do well in this climate.

Q. Why did you change from European bees to stingless bees?

I was recommended to try working with indigenous, stingless bees by Professor Cleo Cervancia of University of the Philippines Los Banos, and by Mr Tio Ompong Palconitin - he was the ‘father’ of beekeeping with stingless bees here, and invented this coconut shell method of housing them.

In 2004 I obtained five colonies of stingless bees, and I asked slash and burn farmers to bring them to me: I bought 30 this way at first, but still every year I pay for every colony brought to me by a slash and burn farmer, and now 1000’s of colonies have been rescued in this way. We also now divide colonies.

Q. How many colonies do you have today?

We currently have 2,400 colonies – we lost many during Typhoon Nona in December 2015.

Q. What are the forage sources for these bees?

Natural forest and coconut plantations

Q. Do you think the presence of all these stingless bee colonies has improved the coconut harvest?

This is the best thing that happened! I have experienced a 50% increase in coconut harvest and my neighbours say the same. The bees have had a significant effect.

Q. What products do you harvest?

We harvest pollen, propolis and honey.

Q. How do you harvest the pollen?

We remove a coconut shell and take out the contents. We take out yellow-brown lumps of pollen from the bees ‘pots’ that are made of cerumen. We then scatter the contents in partial shade: the bees come and collect the cerumen and take it back to their hive. They do not take the pollen back. After the pollen is dry – about three days, we package it in bags and sell to wholesaler buyers. We harvest bout 230 kg each year.

Colonies of stingless bees are housed in coconut shells and protected from sun and rain by a white painted metal roof8

Q. How do you harvest the propolis?

We just wash it with water and dry it. We harvest about 180 kg each year.

Q. How much honey do you harvest?

We harvest about 750kg per year – we pack in 25 kg containers.

Q. What is next for Balay Buhay Sa Uma Bee Farm?

My staff work with honesty and care, and so many visitors are coming to see us, from all over the world. My plan was just to protect the environment – I did not expect that it would come to this! We also give pride to this community and indeed to our Province – this was not expected. We are now on Trip Advisor, so we have passed the standard!

Q. What advice would you give to anyone who wants to do as you have done?

You need passion and patience and willingness to learn. I have attended every possible seminar, local and international, and I learn everything I can. I want to recreate forest, planted with indigenous trees, and labelled for the next generation. I do not want a single bee to be killed. I wish to establish a training centre – this is my legacy for the next generation – to save bees and to save their lives!

One colony of Tetragonula biroi Friese housed in coconut shells

Yields of coconut have increased by 50% due to optimal pollination by the stingless bees

Photo © Bees for Development