Daniel Mason
For long-time practitioners in the field, apiculture is more than just an agricultural pursuit. It is a sustainable, highly lucrative way of life.
Daniel Mason, a seasoned Jamaican beekeeper with nine years of hands-on experience, decided to enter the industry after recognizing the untapped commercial potential of pure honey and its valuable side products.
“It seemed like a productive way of making a living,” Mason shared, pointing out that local demand for pure honey remains consistently high regardless of price. “Everybody uses honey, and then you have the byproducts… you can make a whole lot of beauty products and all of these things.”
However, transitioning from an interested observer to running a productive apiary required structured training. To lay a proper foundation, Mason enrolled in a specialized four-part training course focused on practical hive management. The curriculum covered essential skills such as monitoring colony health, supplementary feeding with sugar syrup during harsh drought periods when natural forage is scarce, and the detailed process of queen rearing, a vital skill taught in the final module to sustain and expand hive populations.
While the financial rewards are clear, Mason warns that maintaining a successful apiary demands constant vigilance against local operational threats. Beekeepers must routinely inspect hives to defend against natural pests like toads, red ants, and mites. Without proper monitoring, pests or poor hive management can cause a colony to swarm and permanently abandon the hive.
Despite these challenges, Mason continues to advocate for more Jamaicans to join the industry, pointing to the economic value of high-value yield products like propolis, beeswax, and bee pollen. Beyond the economic benefits, he emphasizes honey’s appeal as a natural, unrefined alternative to processed sugars, offering consumers a healthier option rooted in local agriculture.
KEITH MONTAGUE
While formal training offers one path into apiculture, passion and self-directed learning can prove just as potent.
For Keith Montague, co-owner of the local apiary business Stinging Sweet, entry into the beekeeping world was completely accidental. He now operates the business with his cousin Desmond Lowe.
“When I started doing this… I knew nothing about bees, absolutely nothing,” Montague recalled. Seven years ago, an unexpected offer to take over a hive introduced him to the sector. Despite getting stung roughly 20 times during his very first encounter, he was immediately hooked by the inner workings of the hive.
Without attending formal agricultural schools, Montague and Lowe built their business from the ground up using digital resources and direct observation. Armed with YouTube tutorials, television programmes, and a process of trial and error, the duo mastered complex apicultural practices including box splitting and queen rearing. What began as just three hives in a backyard has expanded into seven distinct apiary sites across the island, with ongoing plans to grow further.
For Montague, navigating local regulations meant connecting with government officers at the Ministry’s Apiculture Unit, located at the Bodles Agriculture Research Station in Old Harbour, St. Catherine. Rather than a restrictive license, he explained that beekeepers receive a farm identification and an annual site inspection. Registration certifies the number of active hives, granting apiaries access to crucial government support, such as emergency sugar allocations to feed colonies following major weather events like last year’s hurricane.
Addressing prospective entrants, Montague stresses that building a profitable beekeeping operation requires patience, capital investment, and year-round labour. While many get into the industry focusing strictly on the honey harvest, which locally spans from December to around June, maintaining a healthy hive demands continuous care during the off-season. Beekeepers must consistently supply clean water, protect hives from pests, and feed colonies sugar syrup during nectar-dearth periods to keep populations strong.
“In the beginning, most people were like, ‘No, I’m not seeing nothing from this,’ because you have to buy boxes, frames, and feed them,” Montague admitted. “It does cost, but in the long run, it will pay off for itself… You have to put in the work.”
Beyond the financial payoff, Montague hopes to see a cultural shift in how Jamaicans view bees, urging people to recognize their irreplaceable role in crop pollination and national food security rather than treating them as pests. For those eager to enter the field, his top recommendation is simple: shadow an active beekeeper, utilize online learning tools, and fall in love with the work before taking the plunge.