This was absolutely fascinating… something I could have never envisioned… And since then I have been having a bee in the bonnet about it!!
Let me explain…
In Uttarakhand, people have been practicing apiculture since immemorial times. And like all traditional practices, it is infused with the amazing ingenuity of thousands of years of people living in closeness with nature.
“Look at that hole in the wall,” said the Mr Joshi, “It is for the bees.”
Let me explain…
In Uttarakhand, people have been practicing apiculture since immemorial times. And like all traditional practices, it is infused with the amazing ingenuity of thousands of years of people living in closeness with nature.
“Look at that hole in the wall,” said the Mr Joshi, “It is for the bees.”
“The bees??” I said perplexed.
“Come inside. I will show you,” the old man called.
“Don’t tell me you have turned your house into an apiary box
Anyway, I followed Mr Joshi inside the house… He picked up a screw driver and started digging into the plaster of the wall… just as if he was going to uncover a secret passage… My visit to Mr Joshi was turning into a mystery novel!! Here it wasn’t a false door leading to some secret passage but a false stone leading to…
“Look inside” he said. I peeped inside and what I saw left me speechless. There, inside the wall, was a beehive!!
Then Mr Joshi proceeded to explain that this was the best apiary technique as it allowed to keep as many hives as one wanted! Yes, you could remove every third stone and end up with a buzzing wall!!
This method is called the Wall Hive Technique. Apis cerena, the Himalayan hive honeybee, the indigenous bee sub-species of Uttarakhand, has been reared for centuries by the local people through the traditional wall hive technique. The species is known to be the ideal pollinator for organically grown mountain crops, with the capacity to significantly enhance agricultural productivity.
Another traditional method of apiculture is the log… a dug-out log that is made into a beekeeping box…
I love the diversity and beauty of these traditional methods. Unfortunately, they are being replaced by the universal beekeeping boxes developed in the West for the European honeybee (Apis mellifera). Experts say those wooden boxes are more efficient!!
They forget that to make those boxes, one need to cut trees whereas in the traditional wall hive technique, the apiary comes integrated into the house itself!! No need to waste precious wood to make a box!! Moreover, I am sure in the cold winters of Kumaon, Apis cerena might also be enjoying the warmth and coziness of the house!!
Mankind has opted for monoculture. In the name of progress, of development, of science, it is in the process of creating a mass civilization… Traditional resources, techniques and practices are in immediate danger of being wiped out under the impact of policies favouring modern Western practices.
It is high time we preserve traditional knowledge… a knowledge that represents the ingenuity of local communities.
By the way the honey of Uttarakhand is one of the purest honey, free of all contamination as the bees feed on the myriad herbs, wild flowers and organic mountain crop of the Himalyas.
