Victoria's Honey Bee site hosted by
Barry's Bees
Victoria BC, Canada
Home Bee Hotline
250.213.2894
or by EMail
Sponsors
Acheson and team
ICO     CRBA
First Unitarian Chuch of Victoria
Donations greatly accepted
Please send us an EMail for more information.
Barry the BeeMaster Barry
is a local beekeeper serving the Greater Victoria area on the southern end of Vancouver Island, BC Canada. He is an accredited Bee Master and BCHPA certified instructor of Beginner's Beekeeping. He has been keeping bees for more than 10 years.

Project support throughout Greater Victoria and around the world is integral to our vision for promoting beekeeping.
Rwanda
February 2015 was an absolutely amazing experience for me. I spent 3 weeks on the ground in Kibogora, Nyamasheke district, western Rwanda teaching beekeeping. Planning is in progress for a return trip during November of 2015. Donations for this project are greatly appreciated. Please send me an EMail for more information.

This was my first ever visit to Rwanda and the continent of Africa. Regardless of how much preparation one does, it takes several days to adjust to a new culture. I was fortunate to assist John Jordan with his continuing work of several years involving orphans and widows of Rwanda through InnovativeCommunities.org foundation (ICO). More information on John's work can be found on the ICO Rwanda Community page. This beekeeping project is an extension of John's work in the Kibogora area supported by ICO. More recently the local bee club of Victoria, Capital Region Beekeepers, has also provided support to this beekeeping initiative.

Western Rwandan Country SideWestern Rwanda

The Kibogora area at an average elevation of 1,800 metres (6,000 feet) supports an agrarian culture where cultivation is done by hand on steep hillsides. The coffea plantations and introduced flowering Eucalyptus trees support two major nectar flows each year. There are two distinct growing seasons each year with an abundance of wild flowers in this tropical environment. Definitely a great place to raise honey bees, providing honey as an excellent high quality food supplement for the local peoples.

Barefoot Beekeeper
The Barefoot Beekeeper

Beekeeping in Rwanda starts with minimal resources. A large part of our project is to bring basic equipment, such as a smoker, in addition to knowledge to advance local beekeeping skills.


Intermediate Beekeeping GraduatesIntermediate Beekeeping graduates

My first class of intermediate beekeepers
. I found the Rwandan people extremely kind, courteous and especially open to learning. Please note the two female students. Female beekeepers are now allowed to wear long pants under their skirts while handling honey bees.

Queen Rearing GraduatesIntroductory Queen Rearing graduates

The interest and response to the Intermediate Beekeeping course was so strong that I held a second course on Introductory Queen Rearing for 9 of the original Intermediate class.


Rwanda November 2015
November 2015 was a return to Kibogora, Nyamasheke district, western Rwanda teaching beekeeping. My February visit was such a great experience, I had to accept their request to return. Donations for this project are greatly appreciated. Please send me an EMail for more information.

This being my second visit to Rwanda and the continent of Africa, I found it only took a couple of days to adjust to their culture. It was great to see old friends made during my February visit thanks to John Jordan and his continuing work of several years involving orphans and widows of Rwanda through InnovativeCommunities.org foundation (ICO). More information on John's work can be found on the ICO Rwanda Community page. This beekeeping project is an extension of John's work in the Kibogora area supported by ICO. More recently the local bee club of Victoria, Capital Region Beekeepers, and the firm of Acheson Sweeney Whitley Foley has also provided support to this beekeeping initiative.

Intermediate Class
Intermediate ClassUpon arrival my job was a class of 16 intermediate beekeepers. The man standing at the back is Jean-Marie, an experienced beekeeper and my interpreter. Although it is hard to see, there are two female beekeepers near Jean-Marie.


AdvancedClassAdvanced Beekeeping Class
The advancced beekeeping class consisted of 13  students of which 4 were female. Topics included optimizing brood growth, maximizing nectar collection, queen rearing and candle making.

Beekeepers in the FieldBeekeepers in the Field
Following a full week of classroom training, I was able to meet with small groups of the beekeepers to inspect their colonies of bee. Most of their bee hives were Kenyan top bar construction with a rather aggressive population of bees.

Beekeepers SharingBeekeepers sharing their knowledge
After working with the bees, checking their health and honey storage, it is always great to move away a safe distance. We can then remove out protective safety gear and share our ideas on how to become better beekeepers. Talking is a great way to share knowledge anywhere around the world.
Yes, we are nowing planning a third trip for November 2016 to reach more beekeepers throughout the Nyamasheke district. Donations for this project are greatly appreciated. Please send me an EMail for more information.