The guardians of bees

Beekeepers and scientists meet in the apiary of Assentamento Ximenes, in Barreiros, Pernambuco to analyze the hygienic behavior of the Apis bees kept by the female apiarists. If good practices are followed, genetic improvement can increase hive productivity by up to 50% over three generations, according to a study published by the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco.

Sônia da Silva, one of the beekeepers from Assentamento Ximenes, Barreiros, Pernambuco. Many people who now live in the settlement had to leave their homes, their crops and their animal, and were relocated in 2013 as a result of a project to modernize the port of Suape. The settlement is in the middle of a sugarcane plantation that frequently floods when it rains. There are no paved roads, schools, or health centers, and many of the homes are precarious

Pollen from flowers that provide food for the bees seen under the microscope at the advanced studies campus of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco. Pollen from each type of plant has a unique shape and provides clues about the area the honey comes from Right Honey extracted directly from a colony of uruçu bees native to Pernambuco. These native bees do not have a sting and can be kept domestically by anyone.

The beekeepers Maria Iraneide dos Santos, Sônia Maria da Silva, and Alice Virgínia Gouveia go to the apiary of the Ximenes Settlement to collect bee samples to take to the local University. Constant monitoring of the hives enables improved production and increases the income of small rural producers.

A bee’s wing seen through a microscope during an analysis at the advanced studies campus of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco. During the tests, the quality of the honey and the health of the bees are evaluated. Owing to their genetic quality, Brazillan bees have almost no mites or fungi, and produce excellent quality honey

Sônia Maria da Silva, one of the beekeepers from Assentamento Ximenes, Barreiros, Pernambuco.

Left: Different species of flowers collected from beekeepers’ houses and gardens in Zona da Mata, Pernambuco. In order to attract more bees, they started to plant more flowers and fruits around their houses. Beekeeper Sônia Maria da Silva during the cassava harvest in Assentamento Ximenes, Barreiros, Pernambuco. Before producing honey, Sônia lived almost exclusively from handicrafts and agriculture, earning about 0.20 cents for each kilo of cassava she sold in the municipality’s market. With the sale of honey she receives almost 20 times more for the same amount produced.

Women beekeepers work in the apiary in Barreiros, Pernambuco. The sugarcane monoculture in 92% of its territory has been increasing the risk of extinction of native bees, due to the large volume of pesticides dispersed in the air.

The beekeeper Sonia Maria da Silva shows one of the fishing nets she has made. As well as dedicating themselves to apiculture and knowledge of the land, many of the women from the settlement do artisanal work to subsidize the family income

A patch of Atlantic forest preserved in the middle of the sugar cane plantations of the Barreiros region. Only 12% of the original forest remains in this area, which for over 400 years has been used for sugar cane monoculture.

The massive disappearance and death of bees is not a new phenomenon. However, in recent years it has reached alarming numbers in Brazil. In just three months during 2019, at least half a billion bees suddenly died. Among the main suspicions is the indiscriminate use of pesticides.

Bees are responsible for approximately 70% of pollination of plants grown for food, and their death endangers agriculture and food security worldwide. They are also essential for the pollination of native forests, and their disappearance can trigger the death of entire ecosystems.

To preserve these species, since 2020, a group of women farmers in the forest zone of Pernambuco has combined genetic improvement techniques with ancestral knowledge to seek sustainable ways of raising and protecting bees.

Working in partnership with the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, they became the first beekeepers in the region, a job until now done only by men. With the money obtained from the honey, they conquered a new profession and also their financial independence.

In addition to the income, the project generated a new dynamic in the community. In order to attract more bees, the women’s group began to rescue sustainable planting techniques and transform the areas around their houses, previously non-productive areas, into agro-ecological oases.

Today, their pesticide-free, high-quality flowers, fruits and honey sprout from their fields, demonstrating that modern practices such as genetic improvement of bees combined with ancestral rituals of caring for the land can be the key to generating income in vulnerable communities and restoring the planet’s ecosystems.