BEEKEEPER Devin Gillard, simply referred to as “Bee Man,” has claimed that his swarm of stingless bees has produced honey which can reverse cataract and glaucoma conditions in the eyes of its users.

Cataract and glaucoma are eye conditions that impair sight.

This writer can testify to regaining her sight after experiencing blurred vision and night blindness for days, after being misdiagnosed with conjunctivitis and receiving an overdose treatment of an eyedrop.

Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the transparent membrane that lines the eyelid and covers the white part of then eyeball.

As a result of my dilemma, my seamstress, who had been battling with glaucoma and had recovered, recommended that I use several drops of the clear, sweetened liquid. The rest is history.

Gillard, a self-taught beekeeper, stumbled upon the swarm of stingless bees while he was in a forested area in Region 10 a few years ago.

Prior to then, he dealt primarily with Africanised bees, which produce various colours of honey, depending on the fruit they pollinate.

His love for bees started in the early 2000s, when a bee exterminator named, “Joby,” would take him along to hold the house ladder at nights as he smoked out and thereafter killed the bees.

“I would ask myself if he continued killing the bees, sooner or later, there will be no honey. I asked him to teach me to keep the bees, Bbt he responded: ‘Are you mad’? My uncle-in-law had a bee-keeping book, which I read. So after several failed attempts, and a ‘vision’ of what strategy to use, the bees started to stay. But after one year the bees were not yet producing honey, and I became discouraged and was contemplating destroying the hives with gasoline; but on opening the bee hive for the final time, I was left amazed. I saw the hive filled with honey…. And from that moment my love affair with bees had begun.”

MANY CHALLENGES
Gillard recalled too, many other challenges, including floods and thieves which destroyed the bee hives, and at another instance the sinking of a wooden vessel he was using to relocate 40 hives across the Berbice River from Islington Village, Greater New Amsterdam to West Bank Berbice.

The incident was a result of the weight and the turbulent waves. He averaged his losses as a result of the unfortunate incident at $4M.

Nevertheless, he said his experience with honey over the years has indeed proven that it is one of the most effective natural products used for medicinal purposes, inclusive of wound and burns healing and coughs, among other ailments.

Further, the bee pollen can be used as a multi-vitamin while the bee propolis (bee glue) can be used to shrink colon cancer cells. If a tooth is lost during an accident, it can be repaired if it is placed in propolis before being pushed into the gum.

DON’T GET TRICKED
He was quick to warn that consumers need not be tricked into using a mixture of corn syrup, but instead, pure honey must be used in order to experience healing.

“As we are well aware, honey is a natural sweetener that is widely available across the world, and its composition varies, depending on the types of plants from which the bee consumes nectar.

“The taste and colours of honey varies….[sic] There is sweet and sour honey, pink, lime green, black, purple, transparent or clear like water… the colouring depends on the flower it pollinates. When the neem flower is pollinated, the honey is brown and bitter, while when it pollinates the mangrove plant the honey has a golden transparent colour…. Our bees are at the mangrove forest,” he told this publication.

With respect to the stingless-bee honey, it is higher in demand and more expensive to maintain due to a lower production level. The honey it produces is also different from that produced by the Africanised bees, with respect to its colour, taste and its viscosity.

Honey from these bees has traditionally been consumed directly and used in numerous medical practices, including traditional methods.

Gillard noted too that stingless bees, that has no stinger, but instead a clipper, can be found primarily in forested areas or farmlands with passion fruit, cherries or soursop, which are acidic fruits.

“The stingerless bees is [sic] all over the place, but, persons don’t know much about it [sic], as it requires specialised care. If they are not comfortable they go away. But those I have had been with me since I lived at another location. I guess they like me,” he chuckled.

While Gillard focuses primarily on honey, his wife, Allison, focuses on the many by-products which are used in her brand “Allison Hair and Skin”, namely lip balm, body butter, body scrubs, hair foods, candles and soaps.

Together, the couple of Glasgow New Housing Scheme, East Bank Berbice, have plans to develop new products and expand their client base in the new year.