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Jackson Beekeeper Takes His Knowledge To Haiti
By Lauren Puglisi
 | | --Photo Courtesy Of Laryssa And Gerd Boehnke Jackson beekeeper Gerd Boehnke shows beekeepers in Haiti the correct way to build effective frame work for beehives. |
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When Jackson beekeeper Gerd Boehnke emigrated from Germany to the United States, he quickly learned the importance of preserving the lives of honeybees.
"When my family moved to Freehold, New Jersey after the war in Germany, I learned about beekeeping from my father when I was just a young child," Boehnke said.
Boehnke has been busy in the time that he has lived in America. After joining the Army, taking college courses at Rutgers University and relocating to Jackson, he spends much of his spare time teaching lessons to children about the importance of good beekeeping.
"The kids really like learning about honeybees. I show them pictures and offer fresh honey jars to their families for an affordable price," Boehnke said.
In 2001, Boehnke made the decision to take his devotion of protecting honeybees to a new level.
With the help of the international program Farmers to Farmers, Boehnke and other volunteers throughout the United States have been given the opportunity to educate natives from underdeveloped countries on how to manage endangered beehives.
"When Sam Less from Farmers to Farmers in Trenton first contacted me, I liked the idea of educating those that needed help," Boehnke said. "This year, I was asked to go to Haiti. In the past, I also traveled to villages in Bangladesh and Malaysia."
According to Boehnke, beehives throughout the world have been severely dwindling due to a lack of education and money for hive upkeep equipment. Beekeeping can be an important source of money, jobs and even food. That makes education important not just for the bees, but for the people who benefit from the jobs and money they provide.
Approximately one week ago, Boehnke and his wife, Laryssa, spent 14 days in villages across Haiti teaching aspiring beekeepers about the severe decline of honeybees.
One of the most important factors that impacted the Boehnkes' trip to Haiti was learning how important increased honey sales in each village were to the lives of young children.
Those living in the area informed the Boehnkes that the profit made from honey allows for more children to be granted the opportunity to go to school.
"A normal day in Haiti is about 85 degrees. We would stay in a hotel until our driver, who was also our coordinator and interpreter, would take us to various beehive inspection areas, where we would tell local beekeepers changes that needed to be made," Boehnke said.
Boehnke said that many of the students in the Farmers to Farmers co-ops teach are initially enthusiastic about making changes in their beehives but do not continue to maintain them after the instructors depart. That can be a problem.
"The only way to promise change within the beehives of these underdeveloped countries is to establish a center that will fully be devoted to beekeeping. Students would then be able to learn how to make hives from models and training programs," Boehnke said. "I also think it would be a good idea to send students to the U.S. to learn about different beehive maintenance techniques."
Volunteers who offer their time and expertise with the Farmers to Farmers program are provided free transportations, lodging, food and a translator.
In the future, Boehnke said he would like to continue educating people throughout the world and also looks forward to visiting villages in Panama and Costa Rica.
"Traveling provides me an outlook on the ways that others live. I enjoy interacting with people that are in need of my beekeeping expertise from different places in the world," Boehnke said.
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