To 'bee' or not to 'bee'

Space sharing has become the mantra for living in a city. Jostling for a corner not just with other people, but also saving some area to let a hive thrive, is an adventure of sorts in a city.

 A few years ago, one could find a good number of honey bees in urban areas too. But, with a rise in population, paucity of space has led to a fall in the number of bees reared in cities. In response to this phenomenon, however, the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, has introduced ‘bee-keeping boxes’.

“Apiculture, which had been a source of income and always considered a part of agriculture, can now be carried out or practiced in these boxes kept outside homes, on terraces, balconies, etc,” says S N Bhat, of the department of apiculture, Bangalore University.

“We saw several houses in crowded cities like New York and London are equipped with bee-keeping boxes. Many of us felt we could adopt a similar style here to revive apiculture in Bangalore,” he adds.

The most important aspect of rearing bees in the boxes is the number of flowers surrounding the boxes, since the amount of nectar available is the life source for apiculture. There should be enough number of flowers within at least a kilometre’s radius, to support the rearing of bees. 

“In addition to this, another advantage of rearing bees at home is that we can always educate our children about the science of bees, how they gather the nectar from the flowers and other such aspects of apiculture,” says Bhat.

How to start

There are many who build an apiary or bee yard in their homes as a hobby, looking beyond the financial benefits. Either ways, the average annual collection of honey from the beehives in the boxes kept in such residential localities has reached eight kilograms.

The first step at getting an apiary is learning everything about honey bees. It is important to learn about their behaviour, the ways to handle them, among other aspects. It is not practical or possible to rear honey bees in any place. It proves productive only when they are reared in the vicinity of a good garden. Also, not all kinds of nectar from flowers in cities can be converted into honey by the bees. Apis cerana and trigona, for instance, suit the urban areas.

 The best place to install the bee-keeping boxes would be the awning or the terrace of the house. Space for free movement of the insects is an important point to consider before placing the boxes.

Likely hurdles

Rearing bees is a challenging task. Sometimes, a shortage of nectar supply is likely, if the flower production in the neighbourhood falls. The apiculturists will then have to ensure that the bees have at least a supply of sugar syrup. Also, providing protection to the bees is important. There should be no trouble from other insects like ants. In addition to this, it is always considered advisable to keep the bee-keeping boxes out of reach of children and other animals.

Another significant matter to take into consideration would be that the bees should not be exposed to the constant disturbance of traffic or other sounds. The insects should also be protected from other animals. Intense light too has a negative impact on the bees. Very often the first year of bee-keeping does not prove productive. The second year, however, the output generally makes up for investment — the profit adds up to at least Rs 3,000.

People who are interested in taking up apiculture can easily get the bee-keeping boxes at the apiculture department of Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra, dairy farming department of the Beekepers’ Cooperative Society, among other places. The contact number of the University of Agricultural Sciences is: 080-23636364.

(Translated by Chitra Phalguni)