CU honey
Sept 10, 2004

Granma International - Havana - The dew comes to rest on the campanula flowers. The "inspector" bees have traveled two kilometers and returned to the hive to pass on the news. A dance by this marvelous insect will inform the other members of its community how far they need to travel in order to find the springtime discovery and how many members are needed to collect up the nectar. With a rich and exuberant flora, Cuba is reviving honey production at a time when prices are at their highest in years. Nations that were powerful in terms of exporting this product to the European Union were vetoed, following regulations adopted in 1997 by this community banning the exportation of honey with anti-biotic residues. Top-quality, fresh Cuban honeys are highly sought after in European nations, where the purity and quality of this Cuban product is employed to improve blends of this foodstuff.

Cuba collected 7,200 tons of honey during 2003, a figure that produced the recuperation of this sector with the best figures in the last 12 years. Now, in 2004, conditions have been guaranteed to exceed the record figure of more than 10,000 tons achieved in 1993. Israel Lozada, vice president of the Agricultura de Montaña business group, indicated that the target is to increase the amount of "specific" honey; that is honey produced from one single flowering period.  This year, Cuba looks set to produce more than 700 tons of specific honey from campanula and mangrove plants, products that are highly sought after for their clarity and freshness. In terms of organic honeys, the island now has the certified potential to sell 1,500 tons, according to specialized European institutions. Even when the drought has reduced the productive capacity of the provinces from the center to the east of the country, sterling performances by beekeepers in the west have compensated for the deficit stemming from those regions most lacking in rainfall. The southern regions of Matanzas and Havana province, which have not been so greatly affected by the drought, have produced the largest amount of honey in the country. Israel Lozada stated that the purity of Cuban products is guaranteed by way of biological controls and systematic inspections.

Research carried out into the current possibilities for honey-producing flora revealed that there are 200,000 hives on the island but only 144,300 are currently functioning, explained Lozada. The increase in the number of apiaries has been conceived in both a horizontal and vertical sense by increasing the number of containers in order to raise the amount of honey stored. Dr. Adolfo Rodríguez Piñeiro, director of the National Center for Beekeeping Research, stated that a digitalized geographical information system has been developed to pinpoint where to locate the hives with more precision. This digitalized map of Cuban vegetation will also allow then to know which zones have the greatest amount of space to install more hives. Lozada and Dr. Pérez Piñeiro both emphasized how improvements in the payment system for the island's 2,500 plus beekeepers have contributed to the freshness and quality of honey produced. The payment method takes into account the quality and speed with which the product reaches the factory in question. Within the domestic hard currency network in Cuba, several honey-based cosmetic creams are on sale. Nutritional products such as blended honeys, wax, royal jelly and pollen are also being manufactured. Currently, the quality control process for honey exports is complex due to the fact that samples must be sent to European laboratories to certify their purity and hygiene. In order to provide a system for the country itself, a facility is under construction with the collaboration of the Honey Laboratory in Bremen, a center of renowned international prestige. German professors are also training Cuban beekeepers in improved methods of apiculture management, a millennial technique that is under constant renewal.

Bees resolve complicated problems of architecture, mathematics, chemistry and communication. Their community - the hive - can accommodate up to 100,000 individuals and each one is recognized by a characteristic odor.  There is evidence of these astonishing insects in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and there is even mention of their admirable existence in the Bible. With social divisions based on their labor, there are three types of bee within the hive: the queen, worker bees and drones.  Worker bees live for 46 days on average but their durability depends on the season. From the moment that they are born, they are responsible for cleaning the hive, feeding larvae, and constructing beeswax combs. Although these are the most common roles within this social organization, there are also "guardian" bees that protect the entrance to the hive; those who ventilate the hive, beating their wings 26,400 times a minute; and those who design, construct and seal the cavities where the honey is deposited. But the most captivating function of the worker bees, and one that has the most extensive social range, is the search for nectar, pollen and water, an activity they initiate at 19 days old until the end of their productive life.

The presentation and reception of the foodstuff is a ritual in which the whole community participates. The field bee, with its "honey stomach" full of nectar begins the transfer process by passing it onto a house bee through the mouth. During the exchange, these house bees are assigned the job of adding enzymes from their bodies to the nectar. The enzymes cause the water in the nectar to evaporate-thereby turning the nectar into honey. The queen bee is the most interesting figure in the colony. She is the most prolific "mother" in the insect world, laying 3,000 eggs a day, each one of them in their own corresponding cell. The queen's "power" is maintained by her ability to produce royal jelly and when this nutritious product diminishes, worker bees are responsible for preparing the conditions to rear another monarch to lead the colony.