Claudine Housen, Staff Reporter
Life has not been as sweet for beekeepers lately.
WESTERN BUREAU:
THE AILING bee industry, which was still on the mend from last year's devastation by Hurricane Ivan, has suffered yet another setback on account of Hurricane Dennis, which impacted the island last week.
"There is a setback in the production of honey," said Winston Ashley, president of the Bee Farmers Association. "The blossoms are all blown off and the plants have absorbed too much water in the root so nectar (what the bees take from the plants to make honey) would not be available for another six weeks."
The insects feed on nectar, without which they would starve. Beekeepers thus have to find a nectar substitute when this is not available.
VIOLENT WINDS AND RAINS
Following Hurricane Ivan last year some 1, 500 bee farmers suffered millions of dollars in losses when violent winds and rains associated with the hurricane tore off hive covers and drowned thousands of bees. Another setback was suffered earlier this year when droughts and bush fires in the western parts of the island led to starvation of bees as well as the destruction of some hives.
Yesterday, Mr. Ashley, told The Gleaner that while he was not able to speak to the level of damage in terms of loss of bees and apiaries as a result of the passage of Hurricane Dennis he was expecting at least a Ja $3.2 million loss in production.
"If bees have died it means that the work force is not in place to produce honey and the loss will be greater," Mr. Ashley said. "We are still trying to assess the information from Dennis - some people have not got a chance to go to their apiary because of flooding."
With the industry still reeling from this series of unlucky events, Mr. Ashley told The Gleaner, that the industry also has to carry the financial loss of having a bottling plant - The All-Island Bee Farmer Honey (AIBFH) bottling plant in Linstead, St. Catherine - that is not producing.
"The plant has to be idling because there is no honey to run it," Mr. Ashley said. "We (recently) had a trial run and because of the absence of honey and we had to use water for some of the sections."
Adding that the machinery was purchased from an Argentinean company to the tune of $9.5 million last November, Mr. Ashley said that the farmer's association made the investment out of a desire to "improve the standard of the honey and be able to get into the world market."
