Caribbean round up

HAITI – BEEKEEPING PROJECT

Bo Sterk, St Augustine, Florida, USA

Keywords: Caribbean, income generation, log hive, poverty alleviation, top-bar hive, Varroa

Beekeeping has been part of Haitian culture longer than in any other culture in the western hemisphere. Haiti could be the repository of the first honey bees transported to the New World by early Spanish and/or French explorers. Today, log hives are used and Haitian beekeepers work with colonies using information handed down by generations.

The project that I embarked on two years ago was to aid the beekeepers with additional information and simple beekeeping methods, teaching the use of top-bar hives, bee biology and the importance of bee space in a hive. The aim was sustainable income for families in this crippled nation.

Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, with problems rooted deep in its history. The people have a genuine hunger for education, on which they spend what little money they have. Average wages are US$1-3 per day. Schooling costs US$10 per child each month.

My last visit took me to rural south-west Haiti in the mountain village of Placince de Sud where lectures were held in the local Catholic Church - the largest meeting place in the village. The group of 40 men and women were excited about the information. Beginner beekeeping manuals were printed in French and distributed to the students. One man walked for hours each way to classes for four consecutive days. We built top-bar hives out of newly purchased plywood. Each sheet cost US$80. I laid it out so we could get four hives from each sheet; it would take a month’s wages to buy the wood for just one hive. We applied screen bottoms to the hives since Varroa is present in Haiti.

The bee yard I surveyed increased from 7 to 60 logs in 2+ years. The owner was concerned by having lost 10% of his colonies. Feral honey bee colonies are plentiful in Haiti and easy to catch. Africanised bees have been reported in Dominican Republic, which is on the eastern side of the island shared with Haiti.

This seemed the perfect place to implement the use of top-bar hives. Simple to make and use, limited wood required, and no need for extractors. Like much of Haiti, the beekeepers need to slowly pick up the pieces of their lives with a long-term sustainable income.

Log hives used by Haitian beekeepers

PHOTO CREDIT © BO STERK

End view of the log hive shows how the colony builds comb inside

The beekeepers all made it through the earthquake disaster. Most lost everything and moved to the countryside to survive. I hope to return in the near future when the conditions improve. A new school for apiculture is underway just north of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The school is on the campus of Queensland University. If any culture can survive the hardship of an earthquake, it is Haiti. These are proud people, capable of pulling themselves up. With the right guidance I believe they will recover, especially with the support of fellow beekeepers worldwide.

Smoking a hive ready for honey harvest

Top-bar hives were introduced as part of the project

Honey bees nesting in a log hive

Bees in an Haitian hive

JAMAICA – RENEWED INTEREST IN BEEKEEPING

Unemployed single mothers and professionals seeking additional income are among those getting involved in beekeeping, an industry in which there is renewed interest, according to the Ministry of Agriculture (MA). "The regular profile of the beekeeper is changing with a lot of professionals and a significant increase in the number of women coming into the industry," said Kwesi Palmer, the officer with responsibility for beekeepers in Kingston, St Andrew and St Thomas.

At a recent meeting of the St Thomas Beekeeping Association Palmer said that unlike in years past when beekeepers sold honey by the road side, those involved in the business today are increasingly labelling their products while adopting a variety of other marketing strategies designed to boost their profit margins. The MA has training available for those interested in beekeeping, with the result that there is increased export potential for honey.

Palmer said farmers cannot satisfy the local demand for honey, in part due to the challenges involved with securing investment capital. A colony costs JM$9,000-10,000 (US$100-114), while a bee farmer would need a minimum of four to five colonies for a production of 36-68 litres of honey - in addition to the other costs involved, such as purchasing protective gear. Palmer is optimistic that more financial institutions will fund beekeeping, once they understand how viable it can be. He noted that contrary to popular belief, beekeeping does not carry a higher risk than any other agribusiness. Palmer admitted that theft was a growing concern for beekeepers but encouraged them to continue and invest in the development and promotion of other products such as pollen and wax. With a decline in the global population of bees and an ever increasing demand, Palmer said more people are needed to focus on beekeeping to replenish the depleting stocks.

Delroy McNish, President of St Thomas Beekeeping Association, agreed that more people are beekeeping. This is partly due to a recent United States Agency for International Development (USAID) programme, which supported people to begin their own beekeeping operations.

Under the programme, a parish apiary was established to supply new entrants into the industry with bee stocks. USAID involvement has ended but members of the Association have been able to continue the programme and schedule regular work-days at the parish apiary for new beekeepers. McNish wants greater assistance for bee farmers to expand their operations: "We have a lot of trained people coming in with five hives but how can they move to owning 50 hives so they can sell a drum of honey? This is why we need help." He added that bee farmers have no difficulty identifying markets for their honey and there has never been enough honey in Jamaica: people have the option of selling to the bottling plant in Linstead, which buys honey for both local and export markets.

Source: www.jamaicaobserver.com

6th Caribbean Beekeeping Congress Grenada 8-13 November 2010

Convened by the Government of Grenada and the Grenada Association of Beekeepers, in collaboration with the Association of Caribbean Beekeeping Organizations (ACBO)

Take this unique opportunity to experience the beauty of Grenada while sharing the latest apicultural information, ideas and experiences throughout the Caribbean and wider region.

More information www.6cbcgrenada.gd/Home.aspx

Email: info@beekeepers.gd