KINGSTON, Jamaica – In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa’s devastating passage, Jamaican agricultural authorities are issuing an urgent appeal to citizens to assist in preserving the nation’s critically important bee populations. These vital pollinators suffered substantial habitat displacement and resource depletion during the recent extreme weather event.
Francine Webb, Senior Plant Health and Food Safety Officer at Jamaica’s Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), emphasized the ecological crisis unfolding within the insect ecosystem. The hurricane’s destruction of flowering plants has created severe nutritional shortages for bee colonies across the island, threatening their survival and recovery.
Webb provided practical guidance for public assistance, noting observations of citizens already providing sugar-water solutions to starving bees. “When you encounter bee swarms, understand they’re not displaying aggression but desperately seeking nourishment,” she explained to JIS News. “These insects pose no threat to humans when approached calmly during their foraging activities.
The agricultural expert recommended maintaining feeding stations using simple household items like shallow saucers or disposable plates containing sugar-water mixtures. This emergency nutrition support provides crucial energy for bees until natural flowering patterns can reestablish themselves.
Beyond immediate humanitarian concerns, Webb highlighted the insects’ fundamental role in Jamaica’s agricultural recovery. “Bees serve as essential pollinators for approximately one-third of global food production,” she stated. “Their preservation directly impacts our national food security and agricultural restoration efforts post-hurricane.”
The campaign represents an unusual intersection of disaster response and environmental conservation, recognizing that ecological rehabilitation remains inseparable from agricultural and economic recovery in hurricane-affected regions.