Update on the South-South Apiculture Project
Brasso Seco Farmers in their apiary.
In August 2021, Master Beekeeper Richard Matthias, from St. Lucia, visited Trinidad and Tobago to begin his training with the Brasso Seco Morne La Croix Farmers. He spent five (5) days in the misty mountains of Brasso Seco, evaluating their hives and advising and guiding the beekeepers in addressing the needs of their bees, depending on seasonal changes.
An important inclusion to his visit was the testing of varroa mite at the four visited apiaries. Participants were able to learn first-hand how to test for this important and debilitating disease, as well as how to sustainably, organically treat for the disease.
Mr. Matthias will be back in Trinidad and Tobago in early 2022 to complete training in queen rearing and assist the Brasso Seco Farmers Group to develop their queen rearing lab. It is hoped that through this exchange, Brasso Seco Farmers will inculcate their learning and help to expand and develop their apiaries to produce more honey and other hive products.
This Brasso Seco Beekeeping project is actually part of a regional apiculture project involving seven islands (Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Samoa and Trinidad and Tobago). As part of this project, each country will receive online theoretical training in beekeeping; in-person practical training in beekeeping; twenty (20) complete hives and access to the Caribbean’s first beekeeping app.
This trip represented the first of his field visits across the islands, which is part of the regional project. At least ten (10) members of the Brasso Seco Farmers Group participated in the online beekeeping course, which consists of seventeen (17) modules: ten (10) theoretical and seven (7) practical sessions.
The online beekeeping course is being rolled out online via the link: https://iyanolaapiculture.org/training. Each theoretical module has its own web page which contains a video as well as a summary of the video content. There is also a short quiz that the participant can take to test their learning. The pages are still in development and we hope to have a formal launch of this early next year.
This online beekeeping course differs from other offerings because it contains a module on occupational health and safety as well as gender and social inclusion. The information contained is not only relevant to beekeepers but also to secondary school students, especially those pursuing Integrated Agriculture and Environmental Sciences as well as University students pursuing Natural or Life Science Courses.
Brandon Hernandez, Brasso Seco Beekeepers and Richard Matthias pose with a healthy frame of bees after an inspection and treatment.
The regional apiculture project will be completed in June 2022. Until then, Mr. Matthias will be visiting all of the other countries in order to assist them as well in developing their apiculture skills and sector. It is hoped that at the end of this project that all the participating countries can meet, possibly at the next Association of Caribbean Beekeeping Organizations (ACBO) meetings in order to share their experiences and learning as they develop the apiculture sector together.
