Beekeeping with Indigenous People in the Amazon

I just recently returned from the Peruvian Amazon where I was not only working on OnePlanet’s projects in Maijuna lands but also teaching a field course for George Mason University students. The focus of the field course was on the conservation and sustainability of the Amazon and we spent several days learning about OnePlanet’s community-based conservation and sustainable development projects in Maijuna lands.

Hands down, the project that the students were most excited to see and learn about was the stingless beekeeping project. Witnessing the student’s reactions when the Maijuna first opened their stingless beehives was priceless; none of them had ever seen an Amazonian stingless bee beforehand let alone heard that they even existed. With their distinctive honey pots, the hives before them were so incredibly different than any that they had ever seen and by the time they tasted the unique and complex honey they were hooked.

But the thing that was most fun for me to see was how excited the Maijuna were to teach the students about stingless beekeeping. They are born teachers and it really showed. Telmo, pictured here, opened several of his hives and taught the students not only the ins and outs of managing and tending his hives but also detailed information about the ecology and biology of stingless bees. Hearing how much he has learned and what the project means to him and his family was truly energizing.

Telmo and the other Maijuna beekeepers are incredibly excited about the future of the project and we hope that you are too! New families are looking to join the beekeeping project and funding travel costs to their communities to train and support them is only $250. Thanks so much for your continued support – your generosity has helped to make this exciting project possible!

Every time we run a beekeeper training workshop with the Maijuna we always try to do something totally different and unexpected. During our last workshop, we not only taught skills that are critical to improving how the Maijuna manage their stingless beehives but we also had fun by painting shirts with bee designs (pictured here). The Maijuna beekeepers take great pride in their bees and the knowledge that they are learning, and what better way to show that off than by wearing a bee shirt!

During this last weeklong visit to the community, we did more serious work as well. For example, we tested each of the beekeepers theoretical and practical knowledge of beekeeping to date by administering an exam and doing a thorough review of each of their hives. The results of the exam were incredibly encouraging as 75% of the beekeepers met the minimum level of knowledge expected and the management of their hives continues to improve. One of our star Maijuna beekeepers is Duglas (pictured below); he passed his exam with flying colors and his three hives are well-managed and thriving.

Duglas and his family have high hopes for the future with the goal of having over two dozen hives themselves. This would mean a steady stream of sustainable income from honey and other hive products, ultimately boosting his family’s quality of life. Providing a hive of native stingless bees to Duglas or another Maijuna family costs just $50 and is only possible because of the generosity of supporters like you. Thanks so much for your continued support, we couldn’t do it without you!