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Bees for Development Journal
ZOOM IN TO NICARAGUA Mexico
ZOOMINTO
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NICARAGUA
Honduras
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CENTRAL AMERICA Custa Rica
Gilles Fert, France
NICARAGUA Population: 5.2 million
Stingless bees The local bee 'jicofe' Melipona beecheii and Trigona sp were kept long before the arrival of the Spanish conquerors in the 16th century. Insects are very much a part of the country's tradition. For example, to prevent bad luck from entering a house, a nest of 'saltecon' Trigona sp is placed over the front door. The bee symbolises sunlight. .
Gilles Fe
NICARAGUA
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The biggest country in Central America, Nicaragua is a land of lakes, forests and volcanoes. Its famous lakes cover an area of 9240 km? and make up Central America's largest reserve of fresh water. Lakes Nicaragua and Managua cover 10% of the country's surface. There are 58 volcanoes, of which six are still active.
A series of economic crises, the civil war during the 1980s and 1990s, as well as a variety of natural disasters including Hurricane Mitch in October 1998 have reduced Nicaragua to the second poorest country on the continent after Haiti. In 2002 income per capita was under US$550. 25% of the child population is suffering from chronic malnutrition, and in some regions like Matagalpa this figure rises to 50%.
(left) Melipona beecheii brood and the queen in the centre
Honey produced by jicote’ bees was highly respected as a medicinal product. It was harvested from swarms in the and from hives. forest local style Today, unlike other such as and countries Brazil this bee used 's very ine 4 nenezvelo, icaragua, but new interest is neeae because of all the advantages it offers. Two types of honey are offered for sale by hawkers in the streets of Managua. One honey is from Africanised honeybees and the other from jjicote' bees. The second type is more expensive, because of its rarity and renown for great medicinal virtues. It is used to cure conjunctivitis by putting a few drops of honey directly into the eye. In some regions of the country, mothers rub a cloth impregnated with honey on their baby's tongue to get rid of parasites in the mouth. In other regions, new mothers ‘purify their blood! just after giving birth, by drinking large amounts of herbal tea made from jinocuago! bark and sweetened generously with ‘jicote'
horse to willingly take the bit by smearing with honey.
it
Africanised honeybees European honeybees were introduced into the Pacific coastal region in the 14th century by German settlers who wanted to increase coffee production by improving pollination. In the 1960s the national agricultural programme
honey.
Beautiful ladies follow the tradition of using a beauty mask made of jicote' honey mixed with powdered milk. Another interesting use is to get a young
An Africanised honeybee queen
developed beekeeping and in 1980 the Canadian government collaborated in development with the NGO CARE. In 1984, the arrival of the first swarms of Africanised honeybees radically changed beekeeping methods and work habits. Beekeepers had to adapt to this new bee, which was much more defensive than the European bee.
