Lingisasa fights back against invasive bees and revives honey project

The presence of Asian bees in the Western Province has raised fears for a local Beekeeper like Betti Lingisasa.

The arrival of the Asian giant hornet, also known as the ‘murder hornet,’ has been a devastating blow to Simbo Island’s long-standing honey production.

It has the ability to destroy entire beehives, killing off adult bees and devouring honey and larvae.

The 60 year old father of 5 children from Nusa Simbo Island loves beekeeping, however, his passion could have faded until he joined forces with the Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Program (PHAMA Plus) and Gizo Women in Business to implement new strategies to stand against the invasive species.

With community support and the backing of local agricultural experts, this resilient beekeeper is now poised to revive his honey project and restore hope to his island home.

In an interview with SIBC News, Lingisasa shared his story on how he lost his honey project, not from any natural disaster affecting his community.

“We were producing hundreds of kilograms of honey each year, enough to supply the local market and even export some.”

“But then these hornets came and wiped it all out. It was like someone had just pulled the rug out from under us,” Lingisasa said.

Determined to fight back, Simbo Women reached out to PHAMA Plus, supported by the Australian and New Zealand governments, to help the community to revitalize the honey project a week ago.

“This year, I would like to thank the Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Program (PHAMA Plus) in partnership with Gizo Women in Business to revitalize the honey project in Simbo.”

“I am very happy about this revitalization honey project,” he said. The loss was not just financial – it was personal with my family. “Beekeeping isn’t just a job for me, it’s a lifelong passion,” he said. “To have that ripped away, it was heartbreaking.”

“We believe that Asian bees were transported by logging companies. They traveled a few kilometers from Ranonga to Simbo.”

He said another big reason for the losses is an infestation of varroa mites, brought on by logging. The parasitic mites weaken the bees and have caused a higher number of losses since 2014 than before.

“It’s something that we’re really sad about, but there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Today, I am happy with the PHAMA Plus project, a collaborative effort aimed at revitalizing the local honey industry in Simbo.”

He recalled his first honey production, which he enjoyed not only with his family but with most people and communities in Simbo who were doing their own honey projects for a living.

“We really benefit from the honey project, so when we heard about this project to revive honey, we were all happy, and it’s good news for all of us,” he said with a smile. He said that since his family won their project, it has been very helpful as they produce their liters of honey and earn a living.”

“During my production of honey, Lingisasa recalls he sold almost 40 to 50 liters of honey.” He said that since their honey was being destroyed, he was crying because only honey gave him hope to tackle most of his financial crisis.”

“All of us in my family, we’re really sad about the situation, but there’s nothing we can do to overcome it. We just accept it and go back to our normal routine of fishing and doing our market in Gizo.”

“This brings sadness because, as he compares honey with other resources they use to earn money, Simbo Island is just a volcanic island, and they survive only by fishing, gardening, and selling megapod eggs. But in recent years, these resources have started to decline due to population growth.”

Now, with a new season on the horizon, Lingisasa is determined to bounce back. He’s been working closely with his local communities to start breeding their honey project.

His community members will be working closely with local agricultural experts to implement new strategies to defend against the Asian invaders, including enhanced hive protection and intensified pest control measures.

He thanked the Australian and New Zealand governments for funding the project and is looking forward to working closely with PHAMA Plus, Gizo Women in Business, and the Simbo community.