Operation Apiary

2015-2016

Our first project began with a gift from Hoa 'Āina O Mākaha in March of 2015 when we became partners. An educational structure designed for observation of honeybees was given to us to restore. Gigi Cocquio, caretaker of HAOM, kept bees for many years until pests like the African small hive beetle and Varroa destructor mite killed his colonies off.

After a month of dusting cobwebs and refurbishing old beekeeping equipment, another gift was bestowed upon us. Laurent Pool of Waimea Valley donated a swarm that he captured in one of their botanical gardens. A year later… skylights and clear corrugated roof panels were installed by carpenter, Dick Shearer, so the bees could have more sun exposure. His sweet wife, Amy, helped us finish the project with a fresh paint job. Our biggest hive named, DNA (a pun on Dick & Amy’s initials), is kept in honor of their devoted volunteer service.

Pollinator Program

2015-2017

Established at Hoa 'Āina O Mākaha, the Pollinator Program was an educational experience outside of the box. The partnership between Makaha Elementary and HAOM (the farm next door) made it possible for Miss Jasmine to mentor about 200 third graders in two school years. Teamwork was centered around the idea of a honeybee colony communicating as a super organism with a hive mind full of imagination. Miss Jasmine played the role of Queen Bee by teaching students about pollination, how to ethically care for the land, and cultivate pollinator-friendly habitats. Every class started with a vocabulary lesson that prepared the students for a Spelling Bee on the last day of the program.

Check out the Outside the Box feature →

Solstice Metamorphosis Women’s Retreat

June 21-23, 2019

Mother Earth has been Jasmine’s muse since she started writing poetry at 11. The symphony of elements reminds her to sit, be still, and listen. Earth, water, fire, air and ether represent the solid, liquid, radiant, gaseous and etheric forms of matter which make up the outer world of experience. Through the spiritual sciences of Ayurveda and Yoga, Jasmine has learned how to heal herself physically, mentally and emotionally. Her clairsentient connection to all relations is a gift she was born with. She can only hope that some are inspired by her benevolent perception of oneness. 

After seven years of gathering with women in moon circles and attending retreats — Jasmine felt called to host her own event welcoming the season of summer through ceremonial tradition, self-care, sisterhood, adventure and the arts. She wove ancient honey bee and butterfly symbolism throughout the retreat to activate the inner goddess in all participants. Each day had a theme that tied into specific workshops like “Plant to Print Dying” and “Flower Essences & Honey Infusions”. An intro to Ayurveda provided a weekend cleanse with farm-to-table meals, sound healing, and Bhakti Yoga. All of this yumminess was possible with a stellar team of six co-facilitators:  Jaime Schrack, Ruby Lee, Sarah Ford, Jacey Joern, Carol Quesinberry, and Sydney Coelho.

Pollinators in Paradise

2019-2020

Pollinators in Paradise is a conservation and outreach project focusing on the Hawaiian yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus) and is sponsored in part by the Disney Conservation Fund through Bishop Museum.

As a partner, Beelieve Hawaii contributed assistant research by monitoring the protected Ka Iwi coast for Hylaeus activity. The ancestors of the Hawaiian yellow-faced bee arrived in Hawaii before humans did. They spread to many habitats throughout the Hawaiian Islands and developed into over 60 species. Unfortunately, due to invasive insects and habitat loss, several species of Hylaeus are disappearing. In 2016, seven of their species became the first bees in America listed as Endangered species.

You can help in conservation efforts by joining our online citizen science project and upload photos of bees or wasps you see in Hawaii to iNaturalist.org. Your observations will help us understand where the bees are found, what plants they visit, and the spread of introduced species.