‘Bee’ing eco-friendly
Apiculture, also known as beekeeping: A way to earn your living and contribute to environmental welfare at the same time

By Divyadarshini Patel
Humans have been culturing honeybees since a long time, exploiting the species for the honey and beeswax that it produces. In many parts of the world, including India, apiculture has more to it than its mere economic value; beekeeping contributes a lot to commercial pollination. At times, it also helps to maintain the flora and fauna of an area. My recent visit to a bee farm (also known as bee yard or apiary) helped me gain a lot of information about the business; but the following paragraphs will talk more about the person I met and less about the beekeeping process – you will find out why.

At the bee farm
In India, when you travel north during the winter, if you take the Delhi-Moradabad highway, you will be amazed to see the colors littering the entire landscape; dead leaves in shades of red, brown, grey and gold carpet the sparsely-wooded forests. The fields are covered with young green wheat, black and gold sugarcane and shining yellow mustard flowers. At some places you may spot an empty area in between or near the mustard fields, with strange white boxes resting on four-legged wooden stands arranged linearly at equal distance. This marks the presence of an apiary in the vicinity.

I visited one such apiary that belongs to Laxman Gurijala, a 29-year-old native of a small village, Athsaini, near Garh Mukteshwar. With the minimal education he received, Laxman can just manage to read and write enough to sail smoothly through his business deals. We exchanged introductions, and over a cup of tea, he told me the story of how he started beekeeping and what keeps him going.

The beginning
Laxman spent all his childhood years working in the fields with his father. Being a hard worker and a quick learner, he used to learn about fertilisers, new technology etc. by attending Gram Panchayat meetings; and then implement that knowledge to get a better crop yield every year. Seeing his dedication, his father took early retirement and left him to look after the family farms when he was only 17 years old. Taking care of everything singlehandedly was not easy at first, but he adapted well. That year, he took the produce to the Delhi markets alone. He spent the day in the city and came to know from fellow farmers that they keep poultry and bees in addition to growing crops in their fields.

He had found food for thought. After six months of research, he decided to start a small poultry farm with 500 chickens. He got government aid to cover his start up costs, and in a year and a half he noticed that his profits had increased twofold, which only motivated his adventurous spirit further. At the age of 21, he was all set to start his own apiary.

Blueprint for the apiary
As the first step, he started bee handling training at the farm of one of his friends. He also hired two helping hands to attend to the crops and poultry while he concentrated on his newfound interest. He took one month to collect and assemble the necessary beekeeping equipment. He cleared a small piece of land in the middle of the mustard crops grown that year and started with five brood chambers (the strange white boxes that I mentioned seeing earlier) nine years ago, with an investment of Rs 50,000.

In the beginning, Laxman had to struggle to keep pace with all that was going on at his farm. Slowly, things began to settle down as he involved himself more with the management of his farm and less with the work to be done. “Beekeeping is not easy,” he said. “At first, the stings do not let you sleep for many nights but then, I guess, the human body becomes immune to the bee venom. With all the experience I have, I can say these insects can sense a person’s touch. Once they become used to your touch, the stinging activity decreases automatically.” He also mentioned that most beekeepers smoke the apiary to reduce stinging while extracting honey, but he feels that smoking is a torturous activity and so he tries to avoid it on his farm.

Growth graph
Today, Laxman owns three times the land that was handed down to him by his father, and provides employment to fifteen young men of his village. One part of his farm is exclusively used for poultry. The remaining two parts are used to grow crops and vegetables. His bee farm keeps shifting from place to place. During the flowering stage of his crops, the bees help him by making several thousand forages for pollination when pressed in to service. This helps the early setting of seeds resulting in a fast, uniform crop yield. During the harvesting season, his apiary is moved to other farms/gardens where pollinators are required. This ensures constant honey production, and Laxman is also paid handsomely for providing pollinator services to the farmer! Laxman emphasised, “Beekeeping and poultry farming are a constant source of income for me. Crop rotation happens twice a year but it is dependent on the seeds used, climatic conditions and most importantly, rains. Doing these three things together ensures that my funds are safe and we are able to manage even when something goes wrong with one of them.”

What next?
Laxman is living a peaceful and happy married life with his wife, and is the father of two children who are studying at a boarding school in Delhi. His management skills have helped him build a secure future for his family and himself. The story of this farmer turned agricultural entrepreneur does not end here. He has planned more adventure for himself in the coming years. He did not want to send his children to Delhi to study, but the lack of a good school in or near his village forced him to send them to the city. He has initiated talks with the Gram Panchayat to build a boarding school in this rural area that would not only let his children enjoy being home but also provide a cheaper education alternative for the rural families who cannot afford to pay high fees for their children’s schooling. What a noble thought!

In the end
There are many farmers in India who have taken up beekeeping along with crop production just like Laxman. It is a good investment option as it involves lower start up costs, only 15-20 days of primary training and huge profits. Laxman’s story is an inspiring example of what a person is capable of achieving, with or without education; and beekeeping is one more example of a small-scale business idea that is meant to succeed.

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