Children don't try this at home... Lyndon Stewart attending to one of his hives.
Local beekeeper Lyndon Stewart is keen on developing honey production in the Upper Mazaruni area as a means of income generation for indigenous communities.
"Beekeeping is the way to go", Stewart declares although acknowledging that he is one of only a few apiarists now practising.
Stewart, who was at Kamarang to train interior residents in the art of beekeeping, is angling for donor funding for a project to set up some 100 beehives.
The area is already populated by several swarms of bees but only has around ten hives many of which are over-populated. He says the existing bee populations in the interior are hugely responsible for the quality and size of produce by activities that promote pollination.
He says Guyana produces about 600 gallons of honey per year, which is not enough for local demand and exports.
According to Stewart, "Banks DIH Ltd imports some 4000 gallons of honey per year... for its malt production" and he says this could be filled by increased local output. Pointing to the quality of local honey, he says its rich colour comes from the various flowers the bees collect pollen from.
Apart from the Upper Mazaruni area, the Pomeroon River was identified as having some of the best quality honey.
According to Stewart, it takes about six weeks for a fully populated hive exposed to trees blossoming in large quantities to produce around three to six gallons. Honey sells for around $6000 per gallon and requires little overhead since the bees are doing a lot of the work. A typical hive costs about $20,000 to build.