“Where there are bees there are flowers, and wherever there are flowers there is new life and hope”.
― Christy Lefteri

 

This post is a continuation of the Bee post I shared about 2 months ago – an update of sorts.

 

Saving and Relocating the Bees of Gurgaon

 

 

For a few years now, I have been trying to save the Rock bees (Apis dorsata) that build their hives on the higher floors our condo. I wasn’t able to do what I had intended to, again this year  –  bring in a bee relocator to move them to the nearby forests. 🙁

Like I had mentioned in my earlier post; there aren’t any bee relocators /bee activists working out of Delhi/Gurgaon, most unfortunately.  Bee relocators/activists are people who help relocate the bees without harming or killing them or destroying their hive.

I, therefore tried my best to get somebody who works actively in Bombay city. But the condo was unable to foot his travel/lodging charges and fee. Though a few residents and I agreed to pitch in; but this solution did not make a head way. During the time I was working to make this a reality and save the Rock bees of our condo, I also was forced to go out of action, due to a accident, as you will see in my earlier post. 

 

Bee Hunters – The Aftermath

The condo went ahead and got a bunch of local guys to remove the hives. These bee hunters, as I’d like to call them, move around from place to place, looking out for bee hives to monetise and earn a living. They drive the bees away by smoking the hive and then bringing the hive down entirely. This isn’t a fool proof process, at all; as lots of bees die in the process, as do the larvae. They then go on to take out the honey from the hives and sell the honey. 

The bee hunters who came to our condo did exactly the same. Unlike the past few years, insecticides weren’t used. There was an attempt to use insecticides though, prior to the bee hunters arrival, while I was in the process of offering the option of a bee relocator.  But I intervened on time. Fortunately, we were able to spare a larger population of bees from destruction and mayhem.

I am assuming many resident Rock bees were saved in the process. But at the same time, a lot of them and their larvae were killed. It was really painful to see them ruthlessly take out the honey, as the bees hovered around their tin buckets. 

I felt helpless once again. But I knew I’d strived really hard and done the best I could, given my situation then. 

It saddened me further when they sold the honey to the residents by mixing it with sugar syrup, and charging almost double or triple the price. Funnily enough city dwellers easily get scammed without even knowing they can test their honey for its authenticity.(do check this link)

 

Rock Bees 

The bees will surely come back and build more hives in the coming months. If not in the same areas in the towers, but around. We have a flourishing flora in our condo, that supports their presence. 

“Rock bees are farmers’ friends; they help pollinate crops such as cotton, mango, coffee, pepper and star fruit. And a whole bunch of other crops. Rock bees are also crepuscular – they go foraging for nectar at dusk, dawn and night.”

“When these bees are out foraging at night, being phototactic, they are automatically drawn to apartment lights and cannot break away. This fatal attraction eventually impacts the mortality of the entire hive because people are scared of being stung, which leads to colony removal. In my experience, however, you can never truly get rid of the rock bee. Nor should you. These bees are philopatric, i.e. they return to the original nesting site year after year.”

“We have to thank rock bees for more than just coffee, mangoes etc. These generalist bees are responsible for a significant percentage of the pollination of wild flora and cultivars, and they benefit several landscapes on their migratory journeys between our apartment perches and fields and forests.”

– Rajani Mani in Roundglass Sustain

 

Solutions Going Forward: Finding Bee Relocators in NCR (National Capital Region)

I am hoping that going forward better solutions will emerge. There will be a set of people here in Delhi NCR, keen to work with bee relocation without killing or harming them, or destroying their hives. 

Cities like Banglore, Bombay, Pune, Hyderabad are doing commendable, path breaking work saving the rock bees and other species of bees that tend to build their hives in high risers and apartments.

Where else do they go with the depleting flora?

 

Did you know?

 

One bee produces 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey.

Therefore, we need 12 bees to produce one teaspoon of honey.

In order to produce 1 tablespoon of honey we need 36 bees.

In order to produce a gallon of honey, we need 9216 bees! So to fill in a less than 1/2 a kg jar, we would need 1152 bees.

Imagine how hard bees work to get that one jar of honey filled. Just for you! 

If you chance upon any bee relocators, who will sustainably move the rock bees of our condo please write back to me.

You could also write to me at : natashawrites@gmail.com

I have been looking for a safe, sustainable solution that will not harm these beautiful, hard working pollinators; that provide us with their unconditional nectar of love and help bring the food on our plate. One that we humans thrive on. 

Help me save the bees of Delhi NCR, will you, please?

 

I could not find any songs on Bees, so I shall entertain you with the Bee Gees. :-)))

Love, Light and Laughter galore <3 3

Natasha