Apiculture is receiving increasing focus as a lucrative emerging field in the agriculture sector and stakeholders are finding that their bee keeping interests are being supported on another front – the protection of Guyana’s mangrove forests though the Guyana Mangrove Restoration Project (GMRP). The black mangrove, or the honey mangrove, has small white flowers that produce abundant nectar and because of the benefits provided by the mangrove forests, particularly sea defence protection, they are being protected by the Government and other stakeholders.
Mangroves are coastal forests growing only in brackish or salt water in tropical and subtropical regions. They cover more than 70 percent of the tropical and subtropical coastlines.
The ecological importance of the mangrove is huge. It prevents coastal erosion, and mangroves produce significant leaf litter that benefits estuarine food chains: many among which depend upon the continuously dropped evergreen leaves from the mangrove vegetation for subsistence.  Mangrove creates an important protection, foraging and breeding area for birds, fish, mussels and crabs.
Bee keepers attest that the quality of honey from the honey mangrove is among the best.
One bee-keeper in particular is 33-year-old Ravi Rajkumar, whose operations involving the honey mangrove highlight the link between mangrove protection and community livelihood.
The 33-year-old is a third generation beekeeper who gave the Guyana Chronicle an inside look into his beekeeping operations.
Close to 100 hives are set up in close proximity to the mangrove forests in Fort Wellington, Region Five (Mahaica/ Berbice), and Rajkumar reiterated that the nectar from the black mangrove’s flower makes a high quality honey.
There is little research on the relationship between bees and mangrove. However, from observation of the type of pollen, nectar and scent, it appears that mangrove species are dependent upon bee pollination, and mangrove provides excellent forage for bees and significant honey crops (Hogarth, 1999; Lacerda, 2002).
In Guyana, the main species for pollen and nectar production are the black mangrove, button wood, and white mangrove (Stanford, 1983).
Local beekeepers also regard the red mangrove as contributing to the nectar producing species of importance for beekeeping.
Like Rajkumar, many beekeepers in Guyana set their hives in close proximity, or between the mangrove areas, with the mangrove honey season extending from mid May to early August.
Average honey production from the mangrove is 25-30 kilogram per colony.
In Cuba, there is a tradition of moving thousands of bee colonies to mangrove during its long blooming season.
A plus for bee keepers working with the honey mangroves is that termites and specially adapted ants existing on and in mangrove trees are not a great problem, compared to termite and ant problems in the savannah.
Reports have suggested, too, that hives placed in mangrove are also well protected against seasonal bushfires, although they can be difficult to protect from thieves.
However, between the mangrove trees is black, sticky mud, and it can be a problem to transport and place hives in the area. The hives must be situated above the highest spring tide level, and above the highest level of the river following heavy rain.
Because of this Rajkumar decided to situate his hives near the honey mangroves, rather than placed between them.
He stated that the honey he produces is 100 per cent pure and produced under the brand ‘Nature’s Own Food’.
“It is not only collected from Guyana’s tropical wild flowers but there are no additives. It is all natural,” he said.
According to him, the production process itself has evolved and he posits that the current operations build on the legacy left by his father and grandfather.
Although the hives are located in Fort Wellington, the actual honey production takes place at his residence at Number 3 Village, since the hives need to be secluded away from residential areas.
Rajkumar said that in addition to supplying the local market, he exports to Barbados and St. Kitts, with the hope of soon expanding his market share.
When asked about the challenges he faces with his operations, Rajkumar pointed out that, on the whole, Guyana cannot compete with imported products, primarily because of the packaging.
However, he agreed that collaboration with the relevant bodies, even the formation of a beekeepers’ association, would be able to address this issue.
Great Potential
Earlier this month the Ministry of Agriculture hosted a bee keepers’ forum and coming out of that was a consensus on the great potential in this field.
There are about 300 bee-keepers, with some 2,000 hives in Guyana.
Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud said that estimates indicate, given the layout of the country geographically, that Guyana could have 17 million hives, earning US$800 million per annum.
He acknowledged that there is a constraint of capacity and noted that through collaboration people can be trained in this industry.
“I see that there is great promise in the bee-keeping sector, but there has to be a collaborative approach… In a very urban setting, people tend to see bees as nuisances and threats to health and well-being, and there are calls for them to be exterminated… but it must be recognised the role that bees play in agriculture, in the process of pollination, and we need that to get the necessary productivity from our crops,” Persaud said.
Additionally, a honey production unit is expected to be part of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) to bolster efforts locally in apiculture.