VALLADOLID.— The U Yits Ka’an School of Ecological Agriculture presented three books it produced and which talk about apple growing, an activity that few families in the region practice compared to traditional beekeeping, because there is a greater economic interest in health and that moreover the honey of this type of bees is produced little a year, as explained on the occasion of the event.
Present at the presentation of the books was the priest Atilano Ceballos Loeza, director of the School of Agriculture, who explained that about 20 children took part in the exhibition of the drawings of everything they observed by visiting the production points. The books are called “Ujuum báalan cab”, “The Melipona Bee” and “Mayan Codex”.
As is known, this city has a campus for the School of Organic Agriculture, whose headquarters are located in the municipality of Maní, in the south of the state.
It was reported that for some time they started with the project to create the books, but due to the pandemic there was a delay which was subsequently reactivated.
A large number of children were summoned, whose families dedicated themselves to the project for the production of honey from the honey bee, pollen, propolis and other derivatives of the same activity.
Visiting the production centers, the little ones have aroused their feeling of living with bees through some drawings.
At that time they had the support of a drawing artist, provided by the Spore Foundation, from Germany, who got involved in the project and guided the children. In the end 20 of them were accepted who expressed their feelings, and then, with the support of experts in the field, books were designed in which you can observe everything related to the melipona bee and the Mayan code.
The Mayan code can be considered as updated information compared to that found in Madrid, Spain, which has been carried over from the time of the Conquest.
Only 500 copies of each of the three books have been printed, but it is expected to reach official schools, although unfortunately there are not enough resources to make more prints.
Francisca Moo Yam and Adolfo Pech Pech, who have more than 70 bojones in the courtyard of their house where the melipona bees produce honey and its derivatives, explained that for some years they have dedicated themselves to this activity, they are even part of the School of Organic Agriculture and testify to the activities they carry out.
They explained that compared to traditional beekeeping, few are dedicated to the production of the melipona bee, for different aspects, since economic interests take precedence over health care.
Another aspect is that the production of melipona, bojón, trunk or wooden box, produces just one liter of honey per year, but it is compensated with the pollen and propolis that can be extracted from it and that its prices are higher. of the traditional one.
For example, they explained to us that a bojon can cost up to 6,000 dollars, a liter of honey between 1,500 and 2,000 dollars, which makes it more difficult to sell, but who knows the quality, the genuineness of the product, but above all the nutritional properties they repay it without problems, especially tourism.
A jar of pollen sells for around $ 400, but you can also make other products such as creams, sweets, among other things, so it is profitable for those who are dedicated to this activity, as in the case of Ms. Severiana Pat. Tun, who commented that this is an activity she has been living in for some years, even gave her testimony and an explanation of the actions she carries out.— Juan Antonio Osorio Osorno DiariodeYucatan
