"I feel like a fraud, I do not have any bees myself!" Jeanne Smith said when I emailed her about her booth for last year's Heifer Happening. It turns out Jeanne is just a willing volunteer with a fascination for bees. Her lavish display included a beehive she borrowed from a friend. However, beekeeping might be in her genes, her great-grandfather was a beekeeper.
From India to the Dominican Republic, bees from Heifer International help struggling families earn income through the sale of honey, beeswax and pollen.
Beehives require almost no space, and once established, are inexpensive to maintain. As bees search for nectar, they pollinate plants. Placed strategically, beehives can as much as double some fruit and vegetable yields. In this way, a beehive can be a boon to a whole village.
Although most Heifer partners keep bees as a supplement to family income, beekeeping can be a family's livelihood. Your gift provides a family with a package of bees, the box and hive, and training in beekeeping.
Jeanne and her husband Phil will bee back again at this year's market, ready to help you understand and support Heifer's special helpers--Bees!
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