BSU Buguias campus promotes queen bee rearing

Mr. Julius M. Abyado of the BSU Buguias NARTDI Sattelite Center introducing the queen bee to fellow BSU Buguias faculty, Anna Cris L. Gabol.//

The Benguet State University-Buguias Campus is now a Satellite Center of the National Apiculture Research Training and Development Institute (NARTDI) based at the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial University State University (DMMMSU), La Union.

Dr. Basito Cotiw-an, the Campus Executive Dean, said that the center is promoting queen bees as unique product for the beekeeper’s organizations under the Campus' supervision. He added that queen bees reared in Buguias are of better quality and quantity, which are attributed to the local climate mentioning further that studies are being encouraged among BSU Buguias faculty members to validate such trait.

Before becoming a NARTDI satellite center in 2011, the Buguias Campus started its apiary in February 2009. As a satellite center, Dr. Cotiw-an explained that the main focus of the activity is to supervise beekeepers and to record their organizations’ activities and production since the center was initiated so that Buguias beekeepers will not have to go to DMMMSU. The center also maintains facilities for the use of the beekeeper’s organizations.

To date, there are three beekeeper’s associations all in Loo, Buguias alone with close ties to the Satellite Center. These are the BSU Buguias Beekeepers Organization; Buguias Beekeepers Organization, Incorporated; and the GATELEY Women’s Organization.

Mr. Julius M. Abyado who is in charge of the satellite center shared that during this year alone, the Buguias Beekeepers Association, Incorporated has already produced 2,000 kilos of honey and sold 66 mated queen bees each of which sells at PhP89.00.

However, Dr. Cotiw-an emphasized that the business part is still secondary to instructional and outreach programs of the Campus.

“As far as we are improving our center, we still focus on the extension and instruction part,” said BSU Buguias Department of Agriculture faculty, Mr. Florendo P. Comila.

The campus offers Apiculture as one specialization in the secondary agriculture curriculum and a Diploma in Agricultural Technology-Bachelor in Agricultural Technology (DATBAT). The 20-colony apiary serves as a laboratory for the students.

Likewise, one of the Center’s aims is to establish Buguias as a bee colony producer in the country.

Incidentally, the Satellite Center has recently received PhP300,000 funding grants from the Benguet Representative, Congressman Ronald M. Cosalan for the beekeepers' organizations .

Moreover, aside from beekeeping as outreach activities to the communities, the BSU Buguias Campus offers flower arrangement, food processing, swine and poultry raising seminars, which are all demand-driven along with providing assistance on sow artificial insemination and boar castration.

For instructional purposes the Campus also maintains animals like sheep, cows, turkeys, geese, ducks, and a lemon orchard.//Jen Sabado-Tabangcura