Introduction
Gbarma is a community in Gbarpolu County in Liberia with an estimated population of two thousand five hundred residents. The community’s main sources of livelihood are artisanal diamond mining and subsistence farming, but most of the residents live in abject poverty. In order to find solutions to the many issues affecting the residents, some of the residents (miners and farmers) have organized themselves into a multipurpose cooperative and they have started working together for their common good. Diamonds for Peace (DFP) is supporting their initiatives.
Although diamond mining is considered the principal source of income for many people, the majority of the artisanal diamond workers do not have funds to run their own mining projects thus they depend on local investors who then buy their mined diamonds at low prices. This perpetuates the miners’ dependency on them and the poverty. Diamonds for Peace thinks that miners need to run their mining projects with their own funds in order to get out of poverty. That’s one of the reasons Diamonds for Peace is promoting beekeeping.
DFP conducted a one-day basic beekeeping training on 22nd June 2024, for thirteen official participants, two of whom were participants from another community (Camp Alpha) within the same county in Liberia. This training aims at not only providing the basic knowledge for the new participants in beekeeping but also improving the teaching skills of the proposed trainers who are two of the best beekeepers in Weasua where DFP has been working.
The training content
The one-day training focused on the very basics of beekeeping, and it helped the participants to understand that beekeeping is an effective and efficient income generation activity. But beekeeping is not always as easy as many new beekeepers expect and the beekeepers need to be aware that bees can sting and they are often unpredictable. Many beginner beekeepers can be very exuberant about beekeeping, and can have high expectations of harvesting honey and making money in a few months after deploying the beehives, but the training made them understand that beekeeping requires the attitude of patience and dedication for success.
The types of bees
The participants learned that there are three types of bees in the bee colony, and these are the queen bee, the drone bee and the worker bee. Each type of bee has its unique function in the colony. The queen bee is the mother of the bee colony, she lays all the eggs and directs the activities of the colony; the drone bee is the male bee in the bee colony, its main function is to mate with the queen bees of the bee colony; and the worker bees are the type of bees that conduct all the tasks in the colony with the exception of egg laying.
Hive building
Building the hive is one of the important and basic aspects of beekeeping; therefore, the participants learned the specifics of how to build a beehive. The beehive has several parts; the two side pieces, the two gable ends, one base/floor, and pieces of top bars. Although a beekeeper can choose the size of the beehive s/he wants to build using personalized measurement, the beehive has a standard measurement. Using the standard measurement allows for the easy and convenient transfer of honey combs from one hive to another during hive management. Therefore, the participants learned to use the standard measurement when they build their beehives.
Hive installation
The participants learned that hive installation is the process of deploying the beehive in the field/bush. The hive cannot be set on the floor, it has to be set on a stand, to prevent it from getting rotted or eaten by termites. The beekeeper needs to make sure that his/her hive is deployed in a secure place to avoid it being destroyed or frequently relocated, as it can be frustrating and can cause a beekeeper to lose interest in beekeeping. The hive installation is followed by its management.
Hive management
The hive management is the process that continues from the day of deploying the hive up to the time the beekeeper might decide to quit beekeeping; it is an activity the beekeeper must make sure to do diligently throughout the beekeeping practice. It requires the beekeeper to ensure that around the hive is always clean, that the stand is strong enough to continue holding the hive, and that the bees are not under attack by any of their enemies. The beekeeper’s success is determined by how well s/he manages the hive after it has been deployed.
The participants’ reaction and progress
The participants have expressed tremendous appreciation to DFP for what they consider a big opportunity to improve their lives. They have hit the ground running from the training to experiencing the practical reality of beekeeping. Their dedication and commitment to the beekeeping process has demonstrated their eagerness to succeed with the beekeeping initiative. Following the training, the eleven new beekeepers from Gbarma Town received and immediately deployed eleven beehives. The beekeepers have been diligently managing the deployed hives and have quickly succeeded in receiving six colonies as of November 2024. This is the fastest in DFP’s experience, and it shows good prospects for success with this group of highly motivated beekeepers.
Testimonies
Joseph (a proposed cooperative member)
I always heard from people that bees can be taken care of for the production of honey, but I didn’t believe it. I only knew that honey can be hunted in the wild. Having the opportunity to experience beekeeping is something wonderful for me; so I am very eager to explore more about beekeeping. I learned from the training that honey is not only consumed, it can also be used as medicine to heal wounds. From the training through to my practical experience so far, I have been able to learn that routine hive management means regularly visiting and cleaning in and around the hive to make sure the condition is right for the bees’ habitation, and regularly baiting the hive to attract bees. I believe the more regularly the hive is visited and taken care of, the higher chance is for success, and it is no doubt that it is the reason why we, the new beekeepers in this community, have been able to get six colonies so quickly.
Although the bees can sting and they are often unpredictable, I am working to make them my friends, so that I can be more confident when working with them.
My dream is to explode in beekeeping in order to significantly increase my income and be able to take care of my family financial burdens. To achieve this, I am planning to increase the number of my beehives from one to ten, to twenty, to thirty and so on. I also want to be able to teach beekeeping to others in the near future when I start to make significant progress.
Lastly, I am happy and thankful to DFP for giving me the opportunity to become a beekeeper; and I wish DFP will continue to provide opportunities for more training.
Bandu (a proposed cooperative member)
I never had any idea about beekeeping, so I never knew if I wanted to do it or not. My motivation came as the result of my participation in the one-day training. One of the trainers, Victoria, testified during the training that she has been making contributions and helping her husband to run their family through beekeeping. Wow! This was my moment, upon hearing this, I immediately realized that I can do the same. I said to myself if beekeeping can empower a woman to make meaningful contributions to her family, then I must get serious with it.
Through the training, I have learned how to build and install a beehive; I have also learned how to conduct the routine hive management which includes regular checking and cleaning, supporting the bees to get rid of their enemies, and making sure the condition of the hive is safe for the bees.
Although my motivation about beekeeping is high, fear of encountering the bees was a nightmare for me. My first encounter with bees following the colonization of my hive was amazing. My fear vanished in just a few minutes after wearing the bee suit and seen that the bees flew all around me but could not find a way to sting me. I then realized that a properly wearing bee suit can boost a beekeeper’s confidence when working with bees as the bees cannot easily sting through the suit.
I want to make a lot of money from beekeeping, not only from the honey, but also from the other bee products such as the bee wax which can be used to make body cream and shoe polish, and probably other useful things as well. So I will work hard to increase the number of my beehive from one to many, maybe up one hundred or more. I am thankful to DFP for the opportunity, and I look forward for more.
Front photo: Participants making beehives under the trainer’s supervision taken by Diamonds for Peace 2024