A lifelong livelihood
Once afraid of bees, Ligia Elena now treasures these creatures that have given her a livelihood for the last 17 years, a livelihood that began with an FAO programme in her village.
©FAO/ Pablo Varela Cuervas-Mons
In the central plains of Venezuela, Ligia Elena Moreno Veliz gets up at 5:30 am to meet her bees. She likes to go when it is dark out, when the bees are less active; so she either goes first thing in the morning or in the evening after nightfall.
After a 40-minute walk to the beekeeping centre, she and her colleagues dress from head to toe in their protective garb, prepare the smokers, which are used to calm the bees, and enter the apiary. After that, they clean the hives, monitor the health of the bees, quarantine any sick ones and do the procedures to extract the honey.
From once being afraid of these stinging, flying insects, Ligia Elena now treasures these creatures that have given her a livelihood for the last 17 years.
At 39 years old, Ligia Elena has lived almost all of her life in the village of La Fé. She is now married with two daughters. Over the years, she has become a figure and leader in the community because of her beekeeping talent. She hopes to pass these skills down to her own daughters, teaching them from an early age to respect and not fear bees.
Ligia Elena remembers when she made that mental switch herself. It started with an FAO programme that came to her village.