“If insects vanished from the earth, all common forms of life would die. If humans vanished, all life on earth would flourish.”– Paraphrased by GEF from original quote of Joseph Salk.

This project of the Agroecology program focuses on education and training, and is adopted from the previous independent work of Isis Morrison of delivering training seminars related to Honeybee cultivation. Each training session was attended to maximum capacity, expressing a need for additional sessions. This project continues her effort on the Big Island and expands its scope and range to include other Hawaiian and Pacific islands.

Bees are primarily responsible for pollination of most food-bearing vegetation on the earth, and thus a key controlling element in the survival of mankind. Honeybees have during the past decade come under severe stress; in many cases hives of bees are being attacked by mites, beetles and fungi, severely damaging or destroying the bee colony. The seriousness of this problem is recognized as a national concern by the USDA. Their work has resulted in newly developed techniques to protect hives from invading pests, but these techniques are not known among most small land owners who use bees to ensure fertilization of their produce.

This project is primarily aimed at educating small holders and beekeepers with the knowledge they need to protect their hives. During on-site training activities information is provided through a lecture presentation, discussion forum, and hands-on demonstration using active hives made available for this purpose. The GEF project includes:

• Providing on-site training seminars to the “Big Island” public without charge, eventually expanding to include all the Hawaiian Islands.

• Creating short video films accessible by any beekeeper worldwide, covering the biology of bees, how to manufacture hives and set them up, how to protect hives from invasion and destruction by other species, how to harvest honey, and how to preserve and market hive products.

• Undertaking studies geared toward identifying genetic factors that protect bees from attack by pests and making them resistant to disease.

• Developing new techniques to suppress pest attacks. This may involve development of new hive design, for example, which might allow escape from infestation.

All information is made available to all who are interested through the outreach and training activity of the apiculture program, which includes internet availability.