Pollinating Peaches: New Avenues for Beekeeping in Guatemala
Farmer-to-Farmer Volunteers, Carolyn Breece and Ellen Topitzhofer support Guatemalan beekepers from MOSCAMED Keeping honey bees can provide economic opportunity in several different ways, depending on your locale and situation. In areas with intensive agriculture, honey bees are crucial for proper pollination, and crop growers will rent colonies during the pollination period. Everywhere else, honey bees can provide their keepers with honey, wax, and other hive products to sell or consume. When we heard of the opportunity to volunteer with Farmer-To-Farmer, we were thrilled at the chance to learn about beekeeping in Guatemala. How did honey bees fit into their agriculture and local economics? Was migratory pollination a thing in Guatemala? Did their bees produce a lot of honey? How do they deal with Africanized bees? We were matched up with host, MOSCAMED, an organization that is leading efforts to eradicate the Mediterranean fruit fly. MOSCAMED has developed a strong beekeeping pro