Bees for Development Journal Edition 52 - September 1999

From Keystone

Dear Friends

ens

This Edition of B&D comes to you from India. This is a special edition, prepared and printed by one of Bees for Development's partner organisations, Keystone Foundation.

COVER PICTURE Andi, a Kurumba honey hunter and head of his clan All photographs are copyright of Keystone unless mentioned otherwise.

Keystone is a group of dynamic young people who work in the Nilgiris mountains of Tamil Nadu in South India. Some of the people that Keystone works with are honey hunters, making a living from collecting honey and wax from huge colonies of Apis dorsata bees, nesting high in mountain cliffs. It was this

in this issue

shared interest in the work of honey hunters that first brought Bees for Development and Keystone together. In recent years we have co-operated ona number of activities and projects. This is the first time that Bees for Development has worked with another group to produce an edition of B&D.

We hope you will enjoy reading this edition prepared with the flavour of South India. Let us know what you think!

Nila

Bradbcar SOUTH INDIA

INDIA 3

Inside Information

2

Bee Diversity

3

An encounter with Apis dorsata

5

4

7

Dear Friends, The articles in this issue have been contributed by various people who work with indigenous bees and people. Information gleaned in this issue is an attempt to bridge the gap, share knowledge and experiences of several thousand indigenous people who are dependent on honey bees for their livelihood.

We express our thanks to Bees for Development, U.K. for giving us this opportunity to put across our perspective to the beekeeping world.

Keystone Foundation Post Box 35, Kotagiri - 643 217 Nilgiris, India Phone/Fax:

0091-4266-72277 E-mail

Marketing of Honey and Bees wox

keystone.ktg@vsnl.com

6

My favourite bitter Honey Todas of the Nilgiris

7

8

Capturing the Kurumba honey gatherers 10 on Film Revival of Apis cerana 12 in South India

Beekeeping in Karnataka

14

Look Ahead

15

BEES for DEVELOPMENT Contact us: By post Troy, Monmouth, NP25 4AB, United Kingdom By fax

+44 (0)16007 16167

By phone

+44 (0}16007 13648

By e-mail busy@planbee.org.uk

World Wide Web 4 http://www. planbee.org

:

PUBLISHER Bees for Development, Troy, Monmouth, NP25 4AB, United Kingdom

EDITORIAL Editor: Dr Nicola Bradbear Co-ordinator: Ms Helen Jackson

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Beekeeping & Development. ~.No 52

bee-diversity

QCrOss omige pical tract - an in

honey bees & people

overview

india

by Pratim Roy piculture in India is diverse. From commercial beekeepers in Himachal Pradesh to local honey collectors in the hills and forests of Tamil Nadu to migratory beekeepers of Kanyakumari - they all practice some form of beekeeping. Tools, techniques and associated traditions in honey bee rearing vary from region to region.

There are several honey bee species which are exploited by communities.

Given below is a brief description of honey bees across the Indian subcontinent.

Apis cerana These beekeepers are found across the breadth and range of the country.

There are rural beekeepers in the high

mountains of the Himalayas who keep log hives in house walls and rivetements. Each family typically owns half a dozen bee-logs and honey combs are only removed for local

consumption.

Beekeeping with Apis cerana has been a growing industry in the central parts of the Log hives for Apis cerana in the Himalayas country with the Centra! & Institute and Bee Research Training Mahabaleshwar located in the Khadi & Village Industries Maharashtra were the pioneering areas for beekeeping training and Commission, located at Poona & Mumbai, respectively. The hills of experiments.

T-

|

REGION/AREA’ |

- Himalayas

STATES

VEGETATION

Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab,

_

MAJOR

BEES SPECIES:

mountains, foothills, agriculture lands

Apis cerana, Apis dorsata, Apis laboriosa, Apis mellifera

dry, scrub forests

Apis cerana, Apis dorsata, Apis mellifera

deserts

Apis florea

Uttar Pradesh tl

-

Central India

Bihar, Madhya Pradesh,

Maharashtra

it

-

Desert

Gujarat, Rajasthan

_

lV - Eastern Coast

West Bengal & Orissa

mangrove forests

Apis cerana, Apis dorsata, Apis mellifera

V

Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Manipur, Sikkim, Mizoram

hills

Apis cerana, Apis dorsata, Apis mellifera

hill areas, forests

Apis dorsata, Apis cerana, Apis florea, Dammar bees

-

North East

VI - South

Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka

-

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Beekeeping & Development - No 52

Beekeeping is a traditional industry in West Bengal and some North Eastern states like Arunachal and Sikkim. In Karnataka & Tamil Nadu - there is a strong tradition of beekeeping with Apis cerana. Areas such as Coorg in Karnataka & Marthandam in Tamil Nadu are famous for their beekeeping culture. In Kerala, especially in the rubber growing areas, beekeeping is a regular activity and large quantity of honey (from extra floral nectar} is being produced.

Apis dorsata The giant rock bees are found in large numbers in the Himalayas. In higher reaches, Apis laboriosa is found and in the lower areas of the Terrai (foothills), Apis dorsata is commonly found. Huge quantities of honey and bees wax are sold to wholesalers from towns in this region. the central parts of the country honey yields are substantial from Apis dorsata, primarily due to good forest patches in and around sanctuaries & In

protected areas. Apis dorsata collectors are mainly tribals. Honey for health and Ayurvedic medicines has been a traditional industry in this region.

The mangrove forests of the Sunderbans are an excellent for Apis dorsata.

The entire southern region is rich in Apis dorsata populations - contributing to a large share of the total Indian honey

habitat

Apis dorsata on trees

market. In Andhra Pradesh, farmers & honey hunters in the hills of the Eastern Ghats collect honey. Significant quantity of honey is passed on to traders.

Intricate technologies and practices have been going on since a long time.

Honey hunting is done on rocks and trees. Any accurate estimates of the

Page

number of honey collectors available.

is not

Apis mellifera Commercial migratory beekeepers with Apis mellifera are

six hundred thousand colonies. Only about 20-25 per cent of the bee flora is

being exploited at present. “(Mishra, R.C, The Hindu Survey of Indian Agriculture, 1999).

steadily increasing in the northern hill state of Himachal, the plains of Punjab, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Rich bee farmers come in trucks bringing hundreds of colonies of Apis mellifera to apple orchards for pollination business in

Himachal

Pradesh. They move ae up the mountains Migratory beekeeping with Apis mellitera during summer and come down to plains for placing the bee Importance of Diversity in Apiculture hives amongst eucalyptus and sun flower during winter. The introduction of Unlike many other countries where on at a is mellifera good going Apis development in beekeeping has been pace in West Bengal. unipolar, in India, due to the diversity in flora, topography and activities of Apis florea people, beekeeping and management is Huge quantities of Apis florea honey is diverse. In this country, beekeeping has collected, commercially, from the dry been adapted to various ecosystems, Kutch belt adjacent to Rajasthan. socioeconomic profiles and habitat Approximately 1,000 tons of honey is preferences. The need for modern collected from this bee, in this area science and technology is to understand alone. this age old traditional system and provide useful inputs for relevant Honey Production modern apiculture.

An interesting parallel can be drawn Rural beekeeping has a role to play as with North - South beekeeping. At both not all can become commercial ends there are large beekeepers, beekeepers. This rural sector needs to practising migratory beekeeping one be enhanced by appropriate tools, with Apis mellifera the other with Apis systems and bring them to the support cerana. Both these sectors have forefront. It is this informal sector which developed strong beekeeping cottage is providing up to 70 % of the honey & industries and today have power to bees wax market in India. Apiculture influence local authorities in areas of needs to retain its diverse pollination policy and honey characteristics - better and more production. imaginative systems need to be for standardization, quality is in India designed only “Honey production control and marketing. Apiculture is an about 27,000 tonnes a year and a area with significant backward linkages major portion of this is obtained from and potential for a very high value high of the share Apis dorsata, though market. volume is apiary honey increasing every year. about that At present, it is estimated 9000 tonnes of honey is produced from

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+

an encounter with apis dorsatain gujarat

A

a real life story of wihang garde keen mountaineer. This is the story he writes of his encounter with Apis dorsata which attacked him ferociously and bit part of his ear lobes - he was unconscious for several hours

Wrers

is

a

was stung by innumerable number of bees and my belly was all swollen. had been lying on the ground for about 32 hours in an unconscious state till the rescue team came and shifted me to the Kidney Institute, Ahmedabad. was declared to be in a bad shape - collapsed since had not passed a drop of urine. was also finding it difficult to breath and was |

|

“We had begun our climb on that

|

|

= e

Natio,

|

|

fateful day of 15th May, 1986 at around 6.00 am ona fine summer morning.

Having climbed for an hour or so, we came across a spot 18 meters above where we spotted massive bee nests.

Each of the size of a truck tyre - these nests house the mountain honeybees (locally called Agya Mohal); a much larger and stronger cousin of the normal honeybee. We immediately decided to change the direction of our climb and found a route well away from the nests. My teammate said : “I wonder what will happen if these nests are disturbed”; to which responded by saying “Boy, that would be real hell”...

And precisely that is what happened.

treatment for Acute Kidney Failure (AKF).

His recovery was a miracle”. He also “ said We have found only five such cases of severe bee stings in the jungles of Africa leading to AKF So yours, it seems, is a unique case in the medical history of India".

|

|

all swollen up.

With a number of rounds of dialysis, the best hope still lay in self rejuvenation. This self rejuvenation of the kidneys is a miracle of nature and the only role played by the doctors is to keep the body functioning well and normal otherwise. Finally, came back from the jaws of death. After that never looked back. was discharged on the 40th day of hospitalization.

-

Today, Wihang is Deputy Manager Marketing with ABB, a multi-national company based in Vadodara, Gujarat, India. He can be contacted at 00-91265-64214]1 extn. 2187 a

|

|

|

Dr. Trivedi sumed up by

saying

“Wihang’s courageous fight was as important and vital as the expert medical

1,000'S of reasons for being at the 68th National Honey Show Cash

11th, 12th & 13th November, 1999 at Kensington Town Hall, London Full details from: Revd.

Capener Baldric Road, Folkstone, CT20 2NR, United Kingdom tel and fax: +44 (O) 1303 254579 F

|

email: nathon@zbee.com Registered Charity 233656

Prizes Trophies and Ingenious Inventions Stunning Displays Lots of Lectures Famous Faces Top Traders The Best of Friends

A Bees for Development publication- Page 5

Beekeeping & Development - No 52 Le

marke T| N O of honey and bees wax

We

by Mathew John A very important step that we took was going in for a bank funding for the

Importance and Relevance arketing is fast becoming integral part of many ince generating projects. It assumes importance especially in today’ context as a means of becomin reliant. Also, income generatin: projects cannot be supported b «

If

funding agencies indefinitely it th ydo ts. not turn into economically viab le However, marketing in a develc pm as context is not easy. There are d that need to be addressed cons ta tl There is one definite limitation not an end but a tool fo achiev e other important objectives. That mak:es th effort more challenging and int resti is all For development organisations as more a the key responsibility have decided to make an intery tion in the lives of producers. Most«of the are small groups of artisans, tri bal communities or farmers who ar extremely vulnerable.

The Experience With Honey Since our primary group was th eh ney gathering community, honey weys the first product that we started with So afghan neacial thinne had ta keep mind - the community, their environment, conservation of habitat, skill and tradition and crucially, a fair deal for the primary collector.

Our initial effort was to explore the local market and build upon it. It gave us a few

advantages:

@

they understood the value of good quality honey

@

we did not spend unnecessary money on logistics to try and sell the honey at faraway places

crucial to understand that profit margins cannot be very high initially as we are moving low volumes and we cannot recover all our costs It

is very

project. It meant standing upto a rigorous scrutiny but also meant that the project could be an economically viable enterprise. Initially, there was a high amount of energy that had to be put into providing information about the honey (even today, the effort has to be on}. The honey was different - in packaging, in taste and aroma. The crucial thing was that it was priced reasonably. Locally, we started attracting a regular group of customers who prefer this ‘different’ honey.

6-

returns

Unique products which can have

5.

a distinct identity

Disadvantages 1.

Economies of scale are difficult

2.

The intensity/amount of effort might not be justifiable packaging, marketing, meeting local government regulations, etc The overheads are too high

4.

Failure of crop or disruptions in production and supply can effect consumer confidence

There was no tradition of collection of bees wax after the honey was extracted. After realizing that they could get good prices for wax, the tribals brought this to us, too.

5.

Impact of sophisticated technologies is not appropriate

6.

Lacking standardization in most products

Here, value addition played a key role as we made different kinds of candles.

This was an item where the supply was limited and had a high value.

Though the candles were made, there were a number of problems that cropped up in quality control.

Persistence in finding solutions at each step has ensured that candles gives us an extremely high return. Today, the product is marketed as a niche product.

7.

Danger of high/expensive inputs making products unmanageable

Bees Wax - Value Addition

Steps to be kept in mind while undertaking income generating projects *

*

* ——

* *

The few points below sum up the experience that we have gained over the past five years.

However, the road does’nt end here - itis a learning process continually.

Advantages Can be more sensitive to

1.

-

2.

immediately.

Page

Adapt products to local tastes Value addition to ensure higher

3.

4.

A Bees for Development publication

market demands and

changes Response can be much faster

Clear focus on developing market oriented/led products Delineate potential customers Initial focus on local markets Adapt and innovate tools and processes for production Consistent and continuous supply Information dissemination on

products/people/area

Neos

ee

trees bees use

my favourite bitter honey

by Robert Leo nformation about the source of bitter

honey

Botanical Family Name of tree

: :

Local names

Myrtaceae Syzygium cumini

Neree mara Nera mara Nerale mara

Floral features: It is densely foliaceous evergreen tree. It grows in a variety of habitats riverbanks, scrub jungles or planted around temples or as avenue trees. New foliage appears in February and March. It grows up to 15 metres and spreads widely. a

smooth in off. bark flakes Dead trees. young Branchlets appear when the tree gains a height of about 10 feet. The diameter of the trunk can be up to 1m. The inner portion becomes hollow in old trees. The wood is dark brown. When the trunk is cut open, the colour can range from brown to reddish. The branchlets are often pendulous. Generally, galls are found on branchlets and

Stem/Trunk: The bark

is

leaves.

2. Leaves: Decussate, elliptic or

ovate-lanceolate 5.5 to 6.5 cm length, coriaceous, glabruos, glossy 3. Fruits: Berry globose, green to dark blueand edible, collected and sold in the market. Juice of unripe fruits can be used for making vinegar.

4. Flower: Flower appears in panicle as bunches, pale or dull white in colour. It is major source ot nectar and pollen. lt blooms in July to August in the plains and April to May in the hilly regions of southern India. The tree starts flowering from the fifth year onwards. a

properties and hence the honey from this nectar source is seen similarly. The local tribal community uses the bark to cure stomach aches & disorders and toothache. It is used as an ingredient for liquor distillation in

It is visited by all Fores. four bee spp. of Indian sub continent, ie. Apis dorsata, Apis cerana, Apis florea and the Trigona spp. (dammar :

bees).

Honey: The honey

is light reddish in

colour and thin. The water content of this honey ranges from 21% to 26 %. It has a distinguishing pungent/bitter taste, which limits the consumption by the villagers. Even for ordinary consumers, the concept of bitter honey is unique and shows them that honey can have varied taste. The granulation period is very slow, almost nil after two years. Sometimes the tribal people store

tribal villages. Ayurveda preparations prefer this honey.

Plant propogation: Through seed dispersal.

Fate of Syzigium in Nilgiris Species under threat, in Nilgiris.

Large volume of honey is harvested during this time from Apis dorsata.

Unfortunately, this tree is a target by the timber market and heavily under threat in private lands and forests.

this honey till the sweet honey appears to mix the two.

Pollen: Pollen grains are very - if it

gets mixed with honey is impossible to separate. The pollen grains accumulate to the surtace ofthe honey, in storage, even alter two years. small

Apiculture value:

It is

a

it

major

source for all bees. It is the first source of nectar and pollen for the bees to build new combs.

Abundant storage of pollen is found in Apis cerana and Apis

Mogens Jensen

Naval/Naga

Kurumba lrula Kannada

Mogens Jensen

-

Tamil

1.

s'

:

dorsata combs.

A Bees for Development publication- Page

7

oas

ot the nilgiri hills WHERE

HONEY

ENTERS

€E

by Tarun Chhabra he Todas are the ancient most inhabitants of the upper Nilgiri plateau - having occupied the Nilgiri highlands for over five thousand years.

The Todas as honey gatherers is a role

that has never earlier been

investigated. Something strange, if one realises that Toda life down the ages has had ‘honey’ as a focal point.

Honey and its gathering can be found mentioned in all aspects of Toda life; in mythological stories, in ancient songs, in various life time rituals, in prayers, in personal and clan names, in names of plants, birds and even in the beautiful embroidery motits.

The most sacred river (now sadly dammed} to the Todas is the Mukurti sacred tnat has river specific Pykara names at different sites, but is generally called ko. lyxi.n (pron:kawlykheen). The origin of this river has an ancient mythological account rendered most interesting from the honey aspect.

There is another mythological story of the God who ordered that a nearby tree (Michelia nilagirica) that was over 80 feet high should attract the Posto.n (peshtein) bees (Apis dorsata) and in time, around 300 colonies were formed on this huge tree - making the tree bend down under the weight. One day, the Todas, Kurumbas and Irula tribals decided to jointly harvest this honey. While the Todas lit the fire to

Page8-

4 Bees for Development

ov

RY

FACET

OF

LIFE

smoke the hives, the Kurumbas and lrulas climbed up and started to gather the honey. Unfortunately, when most of the honey had been harvested, the tree that was bent under the weight of the hives, now straightened up and the Kurumba and Irulas were catapulted off and some killed. The Todas went back home with all the honey!

various rituals too, honey plays an important role: honey is one of the items placed in a bowl in the embroidered cloak of the deceased during the funeral ceremonies as a requisite for the departing spirit to consume en route to the after world.

During the wedding ceremonies, the bride is expected to place some food stuff at the base of the tree - Eugenia arnottiana, including a piece of honey comb.

In

Honey

is

traditionally added copiously

to sacred food during important dairy temple festivals. Needless to add, honey still remains an important regular source of nourishment to the

Todas.

The Todas have also observed that seven species of pollinating bees favour certain wild flower species that are in bloom and this gives the honey harvested from that area a distinct flavour. There is an ancient song that mentions this. It describes the 6, 12 and year cyclic flowering strobilanthes and many other different flowers and which bees are attracted to which flower. This explains the deep knowledge that the Todas have as regards the specific honey bee pollinators of different wild flowers.

The cyclically flowering species of strobilanthes or kurinji are known to produce exceptional medicinal properties in honey harvested in their environs.

18

ground orchid Calanthe triplicata which means honey leaves.

These large perennial leaves can be fabricated to hold harvested honey when no other vessel is at hand and the hence the name. There is a bird (the shikra) which means honey drinker.

There are stories of how this bird located hives of rock bees and in turn leads the Todas to these hives hidden in deep rocky crevices! In Toda embroidery, there is a traditional motif which is based on the honey comb There is

a

pattern.

Although down the ages, the Todas have harvested honey from different species of bees and locations, today it is only collected from tree sites. Most Toda males know of several ancient hives that are shown to them from one generation to another. These hives (of Apis cerana) are located within hollows of ancient trees and the orifices are covered with cap stone(s) that leave an opening large enough for the bees to go in and out. Every year, during the dry season, the Toda

by over flying bees. It is fascinating to see Todas finding ‘new’ hives by following these ‘pekk’ pollen markings.

Once discovered and harvested, he finds a stone that will fit the orifice and puts it in place. In time, this will become a traditional hive.

There are several ritualistic rules of purity to maintain the sanctity of traditional honey gathering.

Transgression of these rules can result even in death.

Very close to an ancient funeral site, there are some magnificient pre-historic rock paintings on sheer rock faces that portray distinct honey gathering sequences. If the Todas were indeed the creators of this very ancient rock are, then we know that honey hunting is tirmly embedded in the Toda genes.

visits these tree hives often situated in remote areas. He removes the cap stone, puts his hand up into the

hollow and draws only the outer portion of the honey combs. The brood portion is left untouched. No smoke or other irritants are ever used. it is a very eco-friendly way of honey gathering. After

harvesting and performing some rituals, he replaces the cap stone of the tree orifice and he will not return until another year.

New hives in the hollows of trees (without cap stones} can also be detected

-

usually by looking for’pekk’ or droppings

4

os

ca

of pollen onto leaves (esp. Rhododendron)

A Toda observing Apis cerana

in his traditional bee tree

for Development puluics!:

-

Page?

capturing the kurumba honey gatherers

on film

aclose

look

By Shibani Chaudhury

May 1999, Nilgiris, India: Wiry, bronze faced Malli squats in the sunshine below a honey cliff, encircled by tea bushes, reminiscing. She speaks of a time when her people, the Kurumbas hunter gatherers and honey harvesters, lived off the Nilgiri forests.

A time when the modern world had not caught up with them; when the forests fulfilled their every need; a life that was exquisitely interwoven with the rhythms of nature.

We had come across Malli while walking to a remote honey cliff, laden with film equipment. She fell into step with us, muttering to our Kurumba

companions, doubting our capacity to walk all the way to her hut, where the honey hunting team was waiting. time for the bees to migrate to lower areas this is honey gathering time for the Kurumbas.

This was our third visit to Kurumba country. We already had a lot of footage for our film, HONEY HUNTERS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS; this time we were looking for the soul.

Just before the rains arrive,

While we waited for Raju, the honey hunter and his band to set up their honey collection, we decided to interview Malli. She spoke from her heart. As she chanted a bee song - her words dissolved into tears. We did not realize that she would distil the entire experience for us. Our impromptu rendezvous with her crystallized our thought, made her loss poignantly palpable to us.

bewildering realities confronting many indigenous tribes and their territories in India today. Utterly marginalized, drawn into the alien whirl of economics and politics these nimble forest dwellers often become penurious pawns in the outside world.

A spate of colour and fragrance surges through the Nilgiris in May. The forests abloom, the bees forage in a frenzy. It is nearly time for the monsoon clouds to descend on the mountains. Deep in the crevices of the Nilgiri cliffs the rock bee colonies are saturated with honey.

Page

it is

Documenting the Kurumba way of life, we came face to face with the

External factors such as land use change, government policies, forest department regulations, alternative economic opportunity; have impaired their original socio economic and cultural identity.

The ecology of the Nilgiris is also similarly threatened. Wild bees such as the Apis dorsata are crucial indicators of the ecology that sustains them. With forests diminishing, the quantity of

10-A Bees for Development publication

correspondingly lower.

Still; come the honey hunting season, the Kurumbas cannot resist the primal urge to mount the cliffs, hanging precariously on forest vine ladders suspended from the top of 300 foot cliffs, to gather honey from the massive combs of the Apis dorsata.

Hands and feet bare, face uncovered, protected only by a layer of clothing and a column of smoke, the honey collector balances confidently on the free swinging suspended ladder. His feet grip the rungs woven with forest vine. His hands wield a smoker and a bamboo spear with which he jabs off thick slabs of the honeycomb into a suspended basket. Thousands of bees swarm around him as he harvests their sweet treasure. Honey gathered off these cliffs is rare often made trom blossoms found only in the deep forests.

Beekeeping & Development - No 52

honey straight off a Nilgiri cliff. The buzzing of the bees disturbed by the hunters had still not died out, even as we drew the last drop out of the chewy remains of the comb in our mouths. The Kurumbas had shared their first harvest of the season with us.

We had been accepted.

Usually 6 to 8 Kurumba men comprise each honey hunting team. They collect forest vine, weave the ladder according to the height of the cliff, prepare the smoke and suspend the ladder. We were amazed at their agility. Sure footed as the Nilgiri Tahr (a mountain goat), they walk on branches, tread on the edge of precipices, heedless of the endless drop.

They come alive on the rock face this extraordinary ability of the Kurumbas enthused us to capture every nuance of their craft.

My colleague, Rita Banerji lay prostrate ona rock on the edge of the cliff, half hanging over, filming. A Kurumba youth hung onto her shirt as a safety net! Way below us, Mike Pandey our director and camera person perched precariously halfway down the cliff beneath the colonies to be harvested, camera whirring. The rest of the precipice plunged into the valley below.

As the smoke smothered the combs, armies of bees shot up at us, while thousands rocketed downwards in explosive bursts. We were in the thick of a bee storm. It was our first honey hunting shoot.

It was dusk by the time they had gathered all the honey on the cliff. As we waited to walk single file in the dark along the edge of the cliff, following the unerring steps of the Kurumbas leading us, they handed us sticky bits of comb dripping with honey, urging us to put it whole into our mouths. We did. It tasted divine bitter

But acceptance did not necessarily mean co - operation, we learned soon

enough. We fixed schedules, set up our camera positions, waited for hours.

Sometimes they would arrive with their paraphernalia, on time, but would then dawdle lighting fires, brewing coffee. We waited, action stations, listening to forest sounds, observing minute insects in the fallen leaves around us. The day would go past, then they would start just as the sun went down so we had barely any light to shoot in, sometimes they would call it off after whole day’s wait, often they would just not show up. The Kurumbas redetined “time” for us. a

We of the modern world are the anomaly. Left to the uneducated, barbaric tribals the forests would never have sutfered. Their world probably would have continued in ecological safety and plentitude into the next millennium. That is something to think about.

Over a decade of making films on the natural world in India: witnessing

ecological devastation, documenting habitat loss and dwindling animal population, watching indigenous people being marginalized had inured us. We were beyond shock, not past caring.

Malli’s tears her voiceless lament, rekindled our belief in humanity, in the nobility of simple human values, in the primal wisdom of living by the natural order.

Riverbank Studios is a film production unit based in New Delhi, India. At its helm is Mike H. Pandey well known filmmaker and nature conservationist.

The Riverbanks production THE LAST MIGRATION - Wild Elephant Capture in Sarguja was the first Asian film to win a Green Oscar at Wildscreen 94.

Currently they are working on a documentary on the Kurumbas of the Nilgiris, with Keystone.

When we returned again this year, they knew we meant business. They were ready to let us in, it made filming much easier. The Kurumbas showed us around this time. We went to Catherine Falls, a sight we will cherish always. At the thundering head of the waterfall, watching the Kurumbas wander along the stream flowing swiftly, inexorably towards the chasm, you could obliterate the traces of human encroachment and let yourself live one timeless moment in an un-violated space; witness to man and nature in symphony.

That is how we met Malli the wise, wizened, expressive woman. She was the voice of the Kurumbas a being that fitted perfectly into the human place in nature. She embodied ancient natural wisdom steadily being laid to waste submerged in a deluge of human greed.

A Bees for Development publication- Page

11

1

Beekeeping & Development - No 52

revival of apis cerana in south india

by Keystone eekeeping in Southern India has been a traditional activity with large groups of beekeepers earning their living from the indigenous Indian hive bee, Apis cerana. The Western tracts of this region provide plenty of floral sources from the tropical forests of the Western Ghats. However, during the early 90s, the situation changed completely with the attack of the Thai Sac Brood Virus (TSBY). It

,

Soe SB

a v

virtually wiped out the entire industry. This virus, which attacks colonies at the larval stage, even affected natural colonies of Apis cerana in the forests.

The first signs of the disease were apparent in 1990-91. However, it was still believed that the disease would be overcome with manipulations and better management methods. Several methods were tried - from Ribavirin, a verazide, recommended for paediatric Year

No. of Beekeepers

|

pee

oN

i

Pa

been able to recover from this loss and today, it is again a thriving industry in many southern districts.

Over 10,000 beekeepers were working full time withApis cerana bees ;

use to traditional recipes of tobacco and neem mixtures. Intensive migratory

beekeeping by beekeepers of Kanyakumari district was also responsible for the quick spread of the disease in large areas of Tamil Nadu.

According to information available from the Khadi Village Industries Board (KVIB), YMCA and Marthandam Beekeepers Cooperative Society (MBCS), about two hundred fifty Honey Extracted {in kgs)

Wax Collected

data not available

{in kgs)

1988-89

1,842

152,186

1989-90

1,842

127,451

—

1990-91

1,842

129,083

;

1

1

1

4

H"

1991-92

}

842

72,265

1992-93

1,842

19,189

1993-94

1,842

598

26.00

1994.95

1,842

nil

nil

1995-96

1,842

90,480

864

1996-97

1,263

103,672

|

1997-98

1,263

149,255

4,072

1998-99

1,35]

290,910

2,630

Page

thousand colonies were lost due to TSBV, of which two hundred thousand colonies belonged to migratory beekeepers. However, the following example of beekeepers shows how through sheer determination and better management techniques they have

12-A Bees for Development publication

,546

during the early 90's in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. The onset of the TSBV disease destroyed all their hives.

Some beekeepers committed suicide, some mortgaged their land and house to purchase mellifera boxes. Officials and scientists from Central Bee Research and Training Institute, Pune as well as other institutions could not provide much of an input. Local beekeepers tried treating with herbal plants, neem, turmeric, etc. in the hope of finding a remedy. Requeening was also tried but it was effective only for a short period.

However, some of the small beekeepers and farmers did not give up hope and started again with the remaining colonies that had survived the attack.

Today, 5-6 years later, the Apis cerana

beekeeping is thriving, with a good amount of honey production. The figures given relate to one particular

society - MBCS but this is just an indication of the rapid revival of beekeeping There are a number of private honey traders too, who collect from beekeepers in the district. .

Beekeeping & Development - No 52

Given below

is a

Beekeepers

sample of beekeepers in the district of Kanyakumari and details of their the presently empty hives would be housed with bees. The beekeepers beekeeping: themselves were eager start atresh and rebuild their beekeeping

..

No. of bee boxes

Ao BS 7 Cc 400

300

t

0

150

i

110

250

250

1200 ,

—

Not working

190

350

125

110

50

25

110

910

160

1200

40

90

800

-

,

In working hives:

4

°°"

.

Diseased colonies:

8

90

30

2

30

60

10

5

0

8

2

120

_

Swarming boxes per year

Absconding boxes per year |

Honey produced per year

. Colonies getting new. “queens every year +

100

"While in Karnataka, we learnt that the Food and Agriculture . . ti of United Nations Organization was considering grant of a project to the State Government to revive beekeeping mostly with the indigenous bees. That surely was good news! "Revival of Apis cerana Beekeeping in Karnataka - A Tour .

+

.

.

Working

enterprise...

Report" - M.C. Suryanarayana, Indian Bee Journal 58(1) :25-30: 1996.

~The Indian

Bee Journal 58(4) editorial, mentions again, there is an increase in that *

2

20

24

8

5°

20

20

300

in its

. ~

yn

500)

650510

>

790~S«500~—«6000

migration practices contributing to the revival of beekeeping withApis cerana in Tamil Nadu.

Andhra Pradesh, Apis cerana beekeeping continues to thrive in local districts. In TSBV affected 1200 :, areas of Srikakulam and * In

~

190 .

350.195.:

198

160.

Vishakhapatnam districts, the

continued and expanded with the colonies that had survived, they might have developed a certain resistance to the virus. However, all this does not detract from the

Mogens Jensen

An interesting information is that the hives are made to local specifications which are different from the normal Indian Newton Hive. At the moment, very few diseased larvae are found in these hives and do not seem to pose a problem. Most probably, due to a cyclical behaviour of the disease, there has also been a natural break in the spread. Also, since beekeeping

90

abilities of the beekeepers who carried on.

colonies showed revival and

According to Mr. Suryanarayana of the All

Similar information from different pockets, show that there is a slow

beekeepers reestablished apiaries.

India Beekeepers

but steady recovery of Apis cerana

Association, Pune, in 1996, "There is every

beekeeping.

chance that Apis cerana would revive and soon all A Marthandam Hive (left) and Newton Hive

A Bees for Development publication- Page

13

Beekeeping & Development

-

No 52

revival of beekeepin in

Karnataka

by M S Reddy

The majority of beekeepers keep 2-5 bee boxes only. Very few are commercial beekeepers. Beekeeping with Apis cerana bees was greatly affected by the Thai Sac Brood Virus disease (TSBV) during 1990-91 and virtually destroyed 75-90% of bee colonies. To revive the beekeeping activities, the following schemes are

Honey production With the efforts initiated by the

Year(s)

Honey production

1989-90

785

1990-91

750

1991-92

285

1992-93

210

1993-94

235

being implemented through the Department of Industries and

Commerce and Zilla Panchayats of various districts: *

Apiculture Annual Plan

*

Western Ghat Development Programme

.

(in tons)

*

Special Component Plan

1994-95

285

*

Tribal Subplan

1995-96

325

*

Central Sector Beekeeping Development Programme

1996-97

385

1997-98

410

1998-99

448

*

FAO.-asssisted Apiculture Development Project

Page 14

-A Bees for Development publication

M. S. Reddy

Programmes These have focused on (i) establishing model functioning demonstartion apiaries, (ii) creating the required infrastructure with the locally available material, (iii) training of extension staff and beekeepers on queen rearing, (iv) extension methods, (v) simple and low cost methods of beekeeping and management practices to check further spread of the TSBV disease and (vi) importance of the honey collected from wild species (Apis dorsata).

Methods for control of TSBV disease, particularly the short and long term, have been adopted to produce disease tolerant bee colonies. in addition, awareness is being created on the importance of bees and beekeeping through workshops, seminars and honey festivals.

Department of Industries and Commerce of Government of Karnataka through various beekeeping schemes, in general and FAO assisted Apiculture Development Project, in particular, the honey production has increased.

Product development Honey: Interestingly, greater awareness has been created about the value and diversity of bee products, particularly on the classification of the different varieties of honey. Some of

S. Reddy

modern beekeeping with box hives has been in practice since 1935. Although several species of honeybees are available viz., Apis cerana, Apis dorsata, Apis florea and stingless bees, the beekepers and honey hunters exploit bee products only from the first two bees. About 52,000 beekeepers are keeping bees under 13 Beekeeping Cooperative Societies. A state level Karnataka State Beekeepers’ Federation assists the beekeepers by providing marketing facilities, financial support and awareness generation.

Beekeeping Development

M.

eekeeping in Karnataka, India is being practised in traditional hives like clay pots, log hives (particularly the coconut trunk), mud and basket hives. The concept of

Diverse honey exhibited at Festival

a

Honey

.

being produced by Ankola and Honnavar Beekeepers’ Cooperative is

Societies.

Beeswax candles: For the first time Karnataka, an awareness on the importance and usefulness of beeswax has been created and three NGOs have been trained in the preparation of candles. This manufacturing unit also in

provides employment and generates subsidiary income not only for the entrepreneurs but also for the

beekeepers.

Efforts of the beekeepers The progressive beekeepers who were earlier, fully dependent on beekeeping,

and had lost most of their Apis cerana bee colonies due to TSBV have now been able to maintain a good number of bee colonies. Mr Radhakrishna Das who had 650 colonies in 1990 and lost 90% of them, today has 280 Apis cerana colonies. Similarly, Mr. Puttanna Gowda who was maintaining 450 bee colonies during 1990 and lost most of them during the last five years, has 160 bee colonies at present. His son is also picking up beekeeping skills.

FAO Assistance With the efforts put in under the technical cooperation programme cf FAO, there is a renewed interest in Apis cerana beekeeping and beekeepers are re-establishing colonies in almost all the areas of Karnataka.

M. S. Reddy

them are uni-floral golden soapnut, mango, sunflower, eucalyptus and multi-floral forest honey. Diverse honey

AHEAD

LOOK GREECE

SOUTH AFRICA

NEVIS

First Conference on Organic Beekeeping in the new Millennium - Hazards of Genetically Modified Crops to bees 22-24 September 1999

XXXVII Apimondia International Apicultural Congress ]-7 September 2001, Johannesburg

Second Caribbean Beekeeping Congress August 2000

Further details from: APIMONDIA, General Secretariat, Corso Vittorio

Further details will be announced in future editions of B&D

Further details from: Thiele und Thiele Consult, Franzrasen 2, D-37242 Bad

Sooden, Germany Fax

(+49) 5652 917992

E-mail thiele.consult@t-online.de

HUNGARY 8th International Symposium on Pollination 10-14 July 2000, Mosonmayarovar Further details from: Professor P Benedek, Faculty of Agriculture, Pannen University of Agricultural

Sciences, H-9201 Mosonmayarovar, var 4, Hungary Fax (+36} 96 215 931

NETHERLANDS Specialists’ Meeting on Insect Pollination 30 September - 2 October 1999, Soesterberg Further details from: Ambrosiushoeve,

Ambrosiusweg 1, 5081 NV Hilvarenbeek, The Netherlands

Emanuele

Il

101, |-00186 Rome, Italy

(+39) 6685 2286 E-mail apimondia@mclink. it Fax

Second International Congress Africanized Honey Bees and Bee Mites 10-12 April 2000, Tucson

on

THAILAND Tropical Bee:

USA

,

Management and

Diversity Fifth AAA/7th IBRA Conference 19-25 March 2000, Chiang Mai Further details from: AAA, c/o Honeybee Science Research Center,

Tamagawa University, Machida Shi, Tokyo 194-8610, Japan Fax (+81) 427 39 8854 E-mail hsrc@agr.tamagawa.ac.jp

Further details from: Eric Erickson, Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, USDA Department of Agriculture, 2000 East Allen Road, Tucson, AZ 85719,

USA

DEVELOP

UNITED KINGDOM

INDIGENOUS

National Honey Show 11-13 November 1999, London Further details from: Revd H F

Baldric Road, Folkestone, Kent CT20 2NR, United Kingdom Fax +44 (0) 1303 254579 E-mail nathon@zbee.com Visit the Bees for Development stand here

Capener,

1

PEOPLE AND BEES

A Bees for Development publication- Page 15

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-UNITED KINGDOM/TANZANIA Beekeeping in Rural Development August 2000, Cardiff University and Njiro Wildlife Research Centre Further details from: Bees for Development at the address below

UNITED KINGDOM Bee biology 14-16 April 2000 Queen rearing 30 June - 2 July 2000 Further details fram: Peak Bees, The Old Manse, Great Hucklow, Tideswell, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 8RF, United Kingdom

E-mail peakbees@angus.co.uk Your conferences, workshops and meetings can be included here. Send details to: Bees for Development, +44 Troy, Monmouth, NP25 4AB, United Kingdom Fax (0)16007 16167 E-mail busy@planbee.org.uk

Chunbo International:

importers and distributors of bee products want to import a total of 100 tonnes of crude propolis annually from beekeepers world-wide.

Specifications are: # Purity - over 50% # Total flavonoid content - over 5% # Heavy metal content - below 10 ppm # Colour - red, brown or green (grey may be accepted on inspection) Prices negotiable in accordance with purity and quality Contact:

NOTICE BOARD CALL FOR CORRESPONDENCE

Vitaliy Petroskiy a Russian beekeeper who would like to contact English speaking beekeepers in other parts of the world is

E-mail chunboprppp.kornet?1 .net and chunbopr@kotis.net

BEEKEEPERS’ SAFARI IN SOUTHERN INDIA

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Fax (+82) 2 555 8439 Tel (+82) 2 555 8402/3

His address is: Gagarin Str 5-12, Emangelinsk City, Chelyabinsk 456580, Russia

10 Quay Road, Charlestown, PL23 3NX, United Kingdom for your new and second-hand books. 01726 76844 or www.honey.mcmail.com

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Bees for Development is organising a Beekeepers’ Safari to Karnataka State in Southern India. The adventure is jointly organised by Bees for Development, UK and Dr. M.S. Reddy, the Apiculture Officer in the State of Karnataka, India.

Karnataka, a State known for its diversity of culture, ecology and environment, you will be able to Visit beekeepers associations, taste the golden soapnut honey, identify and study the different honeybee species of India, visit Mysore, a city of palaces and handicrafts, etc.

In

The dates for the Safari are 29th January to 13th February 2000. If you would like to participate in this special event, please write to

Bees for Development

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