How it started
It was the end month of the year 2000 when I began my journey in beekeeping. It started as a curiosity,
then a desire to know more, and eventually, mixtures of desperation, anxiety and frustrations,
which I had to endure during those early bee adventure days.
Like worker bee, I'd like to forage and look for new things, or career to try. So often for ten years
I've been in and out in the beekeeping circle. One day, probably out of boredom. While watching a lonely
bee foraging at the ornamental plants in a backyard of a rented apartment; an idea of creating a forum
for Filipino beekeepers awaken (again) my passion about honeybees. Arm with renewed passion, little skills
in webpage coding and more time to spare, I launched a mediocre looking website August of 2006,
and as the saying goes - the rest is history.
From the source
Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist,
and his food was locusts and wild honey. - Matthew 3:4
What we do
Pinoy Beekeepers' Forum is paving the way for change. The mission of this website is plain and simple,
to educate Filipinos and promote honey beekeeping in the country. However, we focus on low-input, natural and
sustainable method of beekeeping. This we believe will truly spark the interest and reach more people,
especially the marginalized ones.
to educate Filipinos and promote honey beekeeping in the country
Sharing the blessings
We're organising a foundation and we expect to launch it any time soon. Basically, what the foundation will
do is to help poor families and out of school youths living in rural or sub-urban areas in the Philippines by
providing them other source of income through beekeeping. The foundation will provide free training, assistance
and starter colonies to these marginalize but deserving families. In return they have an option of selling their
products to the foundation which will then sell it to the public, or have the option of selling their produce
themselves and the portion of the income made will be paid back to the foundation. The money that generate through
this system will allow the foundation support another marginalize family or out-of-school youth in the program.
Conventional beekeeping involves high costs of starting and maintaining the colonies, that's why only few who
have the financial capabilities are into it. The foundation will advocate sustainable beekeeping by promoting
top-bar hive method of beekeeping. This will make the project more viable because top-bar is a low input and
low impact to the environment. The maintenance of top-bar is almost nil because since we advocate natural and
organic way of beekeeping, maintaining and treating the bees for pests is inexpensive, or at zero cost to the
beneficiary.
The foundation will also emphasize that beekeeping will not be the main source of income to the beneficiaries,
but as an added income to them. Since beekeeping in a small scale cannot be considered as a full time and
cannot generate steady regular income to anyone.
The foundation will source their funds through donations and fundraising activities. The trainings will be
conducted and organised by volunteers who are professionals and has experience in their respected fields.