In Mexico’s mangroves, this family protects trees and bees

A group of Cab family hives sits in a small clearing that opens into the dense mangrove forest of Isla Arena, Mexico. Dressed in a protective suit, the head of the family, Elma Guadalupe Cab Xochin, lifts the lid of one of the hives and explains that until two years ago she had no interest in bees. Not to mention that her father was a beekeeper and that Cab's last name, coincidentally, means “bee” in the Mayan language.

“I was very afraid of them as a child,” she says. “I was stung once, and I never wanted to accompany my father again.”

Today she is a passionate beekeeper. This transformation occurred after her son Santiago Francisco Tucuh Cab, an agroecological technician specializing in beekeeping, was injured in a motorcycle accident. He could no longer pursue the experimental apiary project he had started at Isla Arena to raise bees to pollinate the environment and protect the mangroves. “The rest of the family took part in caring for his hives,” says Elma, referring to her husband, Mario Humberto Gómez Martin, and youngest son, Humberto Emanuel Gómez Caba.

Why did we write this

Mangrove forests, which capture and store carbon dioxide, are critical to combating global warming in Mexico. Through pollination, bees ensure the reproduction of mangrove trees.

Santiago, who is still recovering, also installed a meliponarium in his parents' backyard, a wooden structure with a roof made of dried palm leaves to protect from the sun and rain. The stingless bee species found in Meliponaria have been present in the area since pre-Columbian times. “They are part of our identity and we must continue to nurture them so they don’t disappear,” Elma tells a group of tourists visiting the meliponarium.

Last year, family-owned cooperative Honey Kaab and four small-scale beekeepers from the states of Campeche and Yucatan created the Mangrove Honey Producers Network. This allows beekeepers to share their knowledge and experience in conservation, while also finding distribution channels for mangrove honey, which is slightly saltier than most other varieties.

Mangrove forests are critical to combating global warming because they capture and store carbon dioxide. Through pollination, bees ensure the reproduction of mangrove trees, the ecosystem of which also acts as a protective barrier to the coastline.

“We won’t change the world alone, but every effort, no matter how small, makes a difference,” says Elma.

FOREST PATROL: Elma and her son Humberto Emanuel Gómez Cub (right) look out over the mangroves as her husband Mario Humberto Gómez Martín (behind) takes them home in his boat. Pollination by bees ensures the reproduction of mangrove trees.

TOOL OF THE BUSINESS: Elma and Humberto unload the hand-held extractor they use to extract honey from hives.

PREPARE THE BEES: Elma helps Mario put on his protective suit before approaching the hives. The Cab family goes twice a week to check the apiary in the mangroves.

GROWTH INDUSTRY: Umberto examines the behavior of bees separated from the rest of the hives as he contemplates expanding his apiary.

GASTRING DREAMS: Fishing is a way of life in Isla Arena, home to 1,000 residents. Beekeeping is only a secondary source of income for Elma and Mario.

SWARM OF TOURISTS: The Meliponarium attracts curious visitors who want to get a closer look at how honey bees are raised.

POTS OF GOLD: The bees raised in the Cab family's backyard do not use honeycombs to produce honey like bees in the mangroves do; instead they make small wax pots which they fill with the substance.