Happy World Bee Day!
Today we celebrate World Bee Day and are featuring CAEP alum and recruiter, Hugh Miller! Miller shares his training experience and what he learned about bees during his CAEP apiary program.
“Through pollination, bees contribute to 1/3 of the fruits and vegetables produced are pollinated by honey bees. Albert Einstein even suggested that if bees were to disappear from the earth, humans would have four years to live,” Hugh shared.
“My training at Honeyland Inc. in Wolf Point, Montana included many activities from lawn mowing the bee yards to harvesting honey. When the hives returned from California where they were contracted to pollinate crops, we had to split the hives and prepare them to be taken to the bee yards located across Montana. I learned about feeding, medicating and adding honey supers.”
The goal of the CAEP Apiary training program is to increase the knowledge and skill level of the trainee in the field of apiary production which includes learning terminology, equipment operations, beehive nutrition, handling of beehives, surveying yards, hive management, how to extract honey, and preparing bees for winter. These little critters are so crucial to our world’s ecosystems, but unfortunately are going extinct at alarming rates.
“I was treated with respect and gained some invaluable knowledge. Since returning home to Jamaica, I have managed to secure several contracts to manage beehives for clients who are confident that I know what I am doing. Thanks to this program I can lift my head with that confidence.”
Upon completing his CAEP program, Hugh has opened his own apiary business in Haiti and has become a CAEP recruiter in Haiti.
If you are interested in gaining hands-on skills and traveling the world like Hugh, visit our website www.caep.org to apply.