Fence of honey bee hives to check man-elephant conflict

Project RE-HAB not only aims at checking the elephant menace but also increasing honey production

In a bid to mitigate the man-elephant conflict in a manner that does not harm the elephants, a ‘fence of honey bees’ by placing beehive boxes has been initiated in the district.

After the projects like the solar fence and railway track fence failed to yield any results, the College of Forestry and Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), have taken up a pilot project using honey bees to check the menace.

The KVIC president, in March, had flagged off Project RE-HAB (Reducing Elephant – Human Attacks using Bees), wherein honey bee hives were placed on the periphery of forest in Nanacchi and Kedamullur.

The boxes were placed at five locations. The project not only aims at checking the elephant menace but also increasing honey production.

The project aims at reducing human and elephant fatalities using honey bees as a fence against the elephants, without causing any harm to the elephants.

A similar project has seen success in South Africa and other countries. The project is likely to yield positive results. There is a need to conduct more studies into it, said College of Forestry Dean Kushalappa.

A wire is tied to the beehive. When the elephant stamps on it, honey bees wake up and start attacking elephants driving them back to the forest.

The project is taken up on a pilot basis in the district. If it is successful here, then it will be extended to various parts of the country, said sources.

Kushalappa said, “The better result is seen in a few areas. The elephant menace has been checked to some extent in the areas where beehives have been placed. But elephants are intelligent. They are able to cross all the hurdles. There is a need to conduct a study on the impact of beehives.”

A proposal will be sent to conduct a study on the project by placing the beehives by the forest department on the path where elephants pass-through from the forest, said Kushalappa.