Did you know that 75 per cent of the world’s food crops and 90 per cent of wild flowering plants are dependent on the process of pollination for survival?
So pollinators like bees play a crucial role in ensuring food security and maintaining healthy ecosystems.
But the UN estimates that close to 35 per cent of pollinators likes bees and butterflies face extinction globally. As it seeks to raise awareness for the important role that bees play as pollinators, and the threats they face, the UN has designated May 20 as World Bee Day.
The date wasn’t chosen arbitrarily. May 20 is the birthday of Anton Jansa, born in Slovenia, who is widely recognised as the pioneer of modern beekeeping techniques.
To mark World Bee Day locally, the Tobago Apicultural Society is selling 150 European queen bees at $100 each to interested beekeepers.
Business Day recently spoke with the society’s president, Kevin Smith, about the sale and the society’s efforts to promote beekeeping.
“Since becoming president in 2017, I would have received some calls from beekeepers in Trinidad who wished to have some European stock in the apiary for many reasons.
“We have beekeepers over there (in Trinidad) asking for European queens from Tobago,” said Smith, on the inspiration behind the sale.
Set up in 1992, the society is a network of beekeepers across Tobago. However, membership in the group isn’t exclusive to beekeepers. For $100 a year, anyone can become a member and have access to its training programmes to learn more about beekeeping.
The society is "basically the organisation responsible for the voice of beekeepers on the island, but it is also a place where people can get information and training about beekeeping.
“But you don’t have to be a practising beekeeper to be part of the organisation. We opened it up after realising that people can have a passion for beekeeping and not take care of bees, for various reasons.”
Apart from the production of honey – the best-known aspect of beekeeping – the group also wants to promote other byproducts associated with beekeeping, such as pollen, propolis and beeswax.
“These items usually fetch a fair dollar and also can be hard to get.
“So we encourage other businesspeople to be a part of the group so they can be directly in line with the producers themselves so they can guarantee themselves that their product is clean.”
On the group’s decision to sell the virgin European queen bees, Smith said demand from Trinidad for European bees has always been high.
European bees are mainly found in Tobago, while Africanised bees are mainly found in Trinidad.
He explained that people prefer to work with European bees, because they are less defensive and therefore less aggressive.
“I would have noticed the demand for the Europeanised bees in Trinidad and said, this is a market that we (the society) can tap into.
“We are offering to Trinidad a bee that is not as aggressive, but just as pro
