Bees are behind 80 per cent pollination

Bang the middle of all the noise and bustle of Bengaluru, worker bees collect nectar from flowers and return to their queen-bee who is safe inside a box, perched on a balcony, a rooftop or a terrace.
Chances are that their home the rearing-box was built by 31-year-old Apoorva BV , also known through Karnataka as the bee-man.

It was while studying mechanical engineering at college that Apoorva BV volunteered with an NGO that taught farmers bee-keeping in Chitradurga. While he continues to train farmers to set up apiaries, he conducts weekend workshops in the city on urban beekeeping. Along with another engineer-turned-bee-enthusiast Guruprasad Rao, Apoorva runs the Hive Trust. The organisation sustains itself by running an apiary itself and selling honey.

Though they do not advertise, over 20 people across all ages turn up for every workshop in the city. Presently in Bengaluru, there are about 40 hobbyists and at least 30 more waiting to start in the next season, says Rao.



Apoorva BV, Guruprasad Rao (Image: Agencies)


The Trust hopes to train 10,000 Bengalureans in beekeeping.

The initial cost of setting up a colony (one box) is about Rs 4,500 and usually, the honey produced is too little to be sold. But the motivation for an urban bee-keeper is not financial gain, but personal gratification of watching a colony develop in their care, they say. "It is fascinating to observe the lives of bees," says Apoorva."Just the distribution of labour Queen bee, worker bees, and nurse bees that only feed and clean, whereas forager bees set out in search of nectar." Disappearing open spaces and vegetation are hurting bees and, in turn, the environment, Apoorva laments. "More bees means more trees, fruits, flowers and birds," he says, adding that bees are responsible for 80% of all pollination. The Trust believes that beekeeping is well-suited even for busy urban folk. "It is self-sustaining. You just need to respond to changes in the life cycle and weather conditions once in a week," Apoorva says.

Their almost human-like societal structure, Apoorva believes, draws people to bees. The more one watches them, the more understands their signals. Their waggle-dance, for instance, shows where flowers and water sources are located, he says.