Newsletter - January, 2007

The Least of These My Brethren
January, 2007

Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." Matt. 25:40

Published by the Society of the Good Shepherd, P. O. Box 122, Amberson, PA 17210

Miguel the Honey Man

Miguel Garcia

When Deborah and I were in Honduras in August, we were able to meet one of the new loan recipients named Miguel Garcia. His business is different than any of the other businesses we have started or augmented up to this point—in that he is a beekeeper.

Miguel has an enormous amount of experience in beekeeping. That’s because he used to manage the beehives and honey production for a large honey supplier who owned 800 beehives. However, in order to better provide for his family, Miguel decided eventually to strike out on his own with the limited funds that he had. With a loan from the Society of the Good Shepherd, Miguel has been able to expand his business to better provide for his family.

Miguel’s Roadside Stand

Presently, Miguel owns twenty beehives. He uses a homemade machine to extract the honey from the beehives. He then strains the honey and pours it into sterilized recycled bottles that he purchases. He sells his honey at a roadside stand in front of his house, as well as at the market in Siguatepeque. Miguel also sells bee pollen—from his own bees and from the bees of other beekeepers.

During the early 1990’s, I remember reading that once the Africanized bees from Brazil (also known as “killer bees”) reached Central America, they would destroy the honey production in those countries. Obviously that has not happened, so I asked Miguel how he’s been able to continue to keep bees with these Africanized bees around.

Honey Separator

He explained that the Africanized bees have interbred with the more gentle Italian honeybees, which has minimized their ferocity. Also, if a given beehive is too aggressive, he can replace the queen with an Italian honeybee queen, which will soon make the entire hive more gentle. On the plus side, the Africanized bees are hard workers, so their genetic presence has actually been a boon for the beekeepers.

Miguel and his family are committed Christians, and we are thankful to our various readers for enabling the Society to bless the Garcia family through an interest-free small business loan.

Some of Miguel’s hives

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