Is that huge honeycomb on the tree beside your home giving you the jitters? Worry no more. For, like rescuers for birds, snakes and animals, the Maharashtra government is creating a network of 'madhmashi mitras' (friends of honeybees) to scientifically remove and relocate these honeycombs to their natural habitats.
Is that huge honeycomb on the tree beside your home giving you the jitters? Worry no more. For, like rescuers for birds, snakes and animals, the Maharashtra government is creating a network of 'madhmashi mitras' (friends of honeybees) to scientifically remove and relocate these honeycombs to their natural habitats.
"The number of honey bees is gradually diminishing, thanks to use of pesticides and tree felling. This has affected the yield of crops and fruits as these bees serve as pollinators," said Bipin Jagtap, deputy chief executive officer (CEO), Maharashtra State Khadi and Village Industries Board (MSKVIB).
"Destruction of their habitat and the use of pesticides has led to mortality of bees or their migration to cities where honeybees from the Apis Dorsata variety make their honeycombs on tall buildings or trees. However, people tend to destroy these colonies by spraying insecticides or by setting them on fire due to unfounded fears and lack of knowledge," Jagtap explained.
He noted that 10 years ago, when 100 bee boxes were kept in the jungles at Mahabaleshwar, around 60 were populated by bees, which has come down to as low as 10, indicating their falling numbers.
Dorsata bees, called 'Aagya madhmashi' in Marathi, are found in the Western Ghats, Konkan and tribal pockets like Melghat and yield the highest honey. "Since they are found only in Asia, there is good potential to export this honey to markets like Europe," he said, adding that their wax could also be used.
"We are planning to launch the friends of honeybees schemes to train volunteers in the scientific removal of honey combs and release them in their natural habitat. They will work at state government approved rates. A toll-free number will also be launched. The scheme has been envisaged by MSKVIB chairman Vishal Chordia and CEO Mary Neelima Kerketta," said Jagtap, adding this would save honeybees and generate employment. The combs will be attached to tree branches using pro-polyps. Training for these volunteers is expected to begin in a month at Mahabaleshwar and also at on-field sites where honeycombs are found.
The MSKVIB will also co-ordinate with departments like agriculture, forests, urban development and horticulture.
Apart from Apis Dorsata, whose combs yield around 30 to 40 kg honey based on their size, honeybees from the Apis cerana indica (Sateri) are found in the Western Ghats and are reared by bee keepers. The Apis Mellifera is an imported breed, which gives maximum honey output through bee boxes at around 30 to 40kg versus 15 to 20 kg from Sateri. The colonies of the smaller Trigona bee, yield around 10 to 20gm of honey, which has medicinal properties. However, this stingless bee helps pollinate crops like mangoes in the Konkan. The Apis Florea also yields less honey.
Maharashtra's annual honey production is estimated at around 1 lakh kg of which the MSKVIB collects around 10,000kg for its Madhuban brand with organic honey yielding the highest revenue for honey farmers. Tribals and villagers from areas like Vidarbha extract honey from combs of Dorsata bees and sell them in states like Chhattisgarh. However, much of this is done in an unscientific manner.
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