The bees raised in Haiti are mostly golden Italians with many black hybrid bees and some copper-colored Italians. They are kept in hollowed tree trunks and in holes in rocks, and in a few places in regular hives with frames. At Pourcine, in the Massif de la Hotte, coffee blossoms are the chief source of nectar, while on Île-à-Vache, coconuts, mangroves, West Indian almonds and limes provide the bees with dextrose. Mango, logwood, avocado, and mariglode have the flowers most frequented by the bees on the Les Cayes Plain. Where there is a cane mill, there are many bees gathering juice from the bagasse to make honey that tastes like molasses. Swarming is frequent. In an effort to stop it, the beekeeper strikes an iron bar. Loss is also caused by a disease called teigne and by the predations of the flycatcher (Myriarchus stolidus). The beeswax is saved and melted in small plates that serve as molds.
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