A bee farm recently acquired and run by Pestkil is helping to protect the biodiversity of the Cayman Islands, as well as producing delicious honey.
The enterprise has been a long-time dream of entomologist and wildlife enthusiast Dr. Peter Fitzgerald, who set up the pest control company with his wife Pansy in 1982.
“My father has always had a love of bees and an interest in keeping bees,” says daughter Ceili Fitzgerald, who runs Pestkil with her dad.
When operations technical manager Ryan Carosello joined the company a few years ago, they discovered that he, too, had an interest in bees.
“So finally, after many years, the stars aligned, and with the added team member to assist, we were able to implement our goals to be more involved in the beekeeping community,” says Ceili.
Working closely for a year with the then owners of the hives to learn the skills of beekeeping, the Fitzgeralds’ team now has Cayman Bee Farm up and running, producing raw, natural honey.
BIODIVERSITY
“Getting interested in honeybees opens up an amazing world of biology and behaviour of these fascinating insects,” says Ceili. “We look after our bees as someone with goats or cows does – we water them, make sure they have food when nectar is not available, and basically ensure the bees have good health.”
Ceili and her father want the farm to help raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity in the Cayman Islands.
“One way to increase this awareness is to emphasise the importance of our pollinators of which the honeybee is just one,” says Ceili. “Besides honeybees, we have several species of solitary bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, bats, and birds. Without these pollinators our little island would look very different; without these pollinators the world would look very different.”
Bees, like other insects, are vulnerable to habitat loss, use of pesticides in agriculture, and aerial spraying. They are also vulnerable to diseases that spread from one hive to another.
“Learning about bees opens up our understanding of biodiversity and the importance that everything in nature is connected, and it is our role to protect this connection,” adds Ceili.
RESCUE SERVICE
Pestkil has always provided the services of inspecting and removing unwanted bees from properties around-island.
However, in the past, without a location to which they could relocate the bees, the control team relied on other local beekeepers to perform the actual removal of hives from residential and commercial properties.
Now they can offer this service by relocating the insects to Cayman Bee Farm.
“The removal and relocation of wild hives from properties is not a straightforward endeavour as some may think,” says Ceili. “It comes with risks, and oftentimes a lot of labour to safely remove an existing hive. The process can take anywhere from three days to a week, with night visits needed when the bees are in a calmer state. There are times when our guys are left with multiple stings, while having to work at heights; every removal job is different and comes with its own complexities.”
SUPPORTING OTHER HIVES
Cayman Bee Farm is also offering a monthly maintenance service to help other beekeepers who may like or need support in maintaining their hives.
“A lot of people have an interest in keeping bees, whether it be in an attempt to play their part in saving the bees, or for their interests in housing pollinators for their gardens,” says Ceili.
“However, there can be some work involved in ensuring the bees are thriving and it’s important to recognise that the Cayman bees are an Africanised species, which can make them quite aggressive.”
Ceili describes the bee farm venture as exciting for the Pestkil team.
“I am proud to see my father living out a dream,” she says. “Knowing that we can play a significant role in Cayman that helps to protect our local bees is a rewarding feeling.”
Cayman Bee Farm honey is available for sale at various retail outlets around the island as a well as a stand at the Pestkil office on Walkers Road.
This article originally appeared in What’s Hot, Autumn 2023 issue.
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