Birds and other wildlife need bees to pollinate the wild berries that they eat. Without bees vegetable gardens will not produce quality fruit. Watermelons will not fill out nor ripen fully without adequate pollination. Beans and tomatoes will not produce as much fruit. Serious crop farmers are learning that they must now lease bees from beekeepers to get a good harvest. The queen, with a lifespan of 2-5 years, is the mother of all the bees in the hive and the only bee without which the colony cannot survive. She may mate with up to 17 drones over a 1-2 day period of mating flights and stores the sperm in her spermatheca. Thus she has a lifetime supply and never mates again. She can lay upto 2000 eggs per day. Thousands of worker bees, infertile females constituting 95% of the hive population, do all the work. Not all bees are busy bees. The stingless males (drones) do no work!

The worker bee has a short lifespan of 40-50 days. In the flowering season when the work is hard, the lifespan of this delicate and diligent creature is further reduced. Though the bees sting is feared, it is known to cure ailments such as Rheumatism and Arthritis.

Normal individuals are not much affected by stings and after the first few, acquire partial immunity from its undesirable effects. When the bees pull away after stinging, barbs retain the venom sac in the victim's flesh. The bee cannot live without its stinger and dies. If you get stung, extract the stinger immediately without squeezing it.

Anyone can keep bees for profit. Bees are the labourers and the beekeeper only needs to undertake a few intelligent manipulations three or four times a month. Bees can be kept in one's garden; courtyard, verandah or the roof. One square meter is sufficient for a single beehive. The beekeeper earns from the sale of bee products like honey, bee-wax, pollen and propolis. Larger revenues are generated by providing pollination services to orchard owners and selling bee colonies.

Keeping bees is one way to save and preserve the environment. The honeybee is more than just another insect on this planet. It is part of a wonderful harmony that we call nature. Make honeybees a part of your life.

Readers interested in beekeeping can contact:
Dr M S Reddy, Project Officer,
Department of Industries and Commerce,
Bangalore.
Phone: 221 9205, 221 1355, 211 0866

Chandrakala Manel,
Hon. Secretary,
Bangalore Beekeeper's Association
Bangalore.
Phone: 334 3270

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