This week, in the context of World Bee Day (May 20), FIFCO highlights the progress of its conservation and sustainable honey production initiative, the Apiario Reserva Conchal, through which it protects and improves the genetics of honeybees (Apis mellifera), while strengthening their role as key pollinators for biodiversity and food security.
According to the Guide to Plants of Importance for Bees in Costa Rica, developed by the School of Exact and Natural Sciences of the UNED (2024), an estimated 60% of the country’s flowering plants (approximately 8,500 species) depend directly on bee pollination to complete their reproductive cycle. In ecosystems such as the tropical forests of Central America, these pollinators carry out up to 95% of pollination in the upper stratum and nearly 50% in the understory, demonstrating their crucial role in forest regeneration, genetic resource conservation, and ecosystem stability.
Transcending the environmental
The impact of bees transcends the environmental, as they support vital processes for food security and the well-being of human communities. In this context, the apiary located in Reserva Conchal, FIFCO’s hospitality division, exemplifies how applied science, conservation, and strategic alliances can be integrated to strengthen the pollinating role of these species and promote sustainable development in the territories and ecosystems where they live.
Evolving comprehensively
Since its creation in 2020, the project has evolved comprehensively. In 2024, a second apiary was inaugurated near the Conchal Mixed National Wildlife Refuge, and a new phase of the project began with an instrumental insemination laboratory and a beekeeping operating room equipped to monitor the genetic origins of queen bees and drones. This innovation seeks to develop more productive bees with greater disease resistance, better adaptation to the environment, and less aggressiveness, promoting their conservation and responsible management in inhabited areas.
Currently, both apiaries have between 50 and 60 hives, housing more than 2.5 million bees, which actively contribute to the pollination of more than 70 hectares of tropical dry forest, one of the most vulnerable and important ecosystems in the country. The density of hives and the scientific work behind its development allows a balance between high quality honey production, ecological conservation and sustainable tourist attraction.
