WHAT'S THE BUZZ ABOUT?

ON the outskirts of Delhi, where there are scattered green fields, rows of wooden bee boxes hum with life. The faint sweetness of nectar mingles with the dust, while a gentle breeze carries the soft buzz of thousands of wings.

- S KEERTHIYAS

Amid this quiet symphony Parful Arya moves carefully, clad in a protective suit, gloves shielding his hands, eyes scanning the hives as ever so often, a bee brushes past him.

For Arya, leaving a steady distribution job in Delhi in 2016 to pursue beekeeping was more than a career change; it was a leap into a world of science, patience, and instinct. Today, he oversees 1,000 boxes, and is a leading voice for India's smallscale beekeepers.

"I have learned every facet of beekeeping; from the types of bees to flowering periods, and how each step of the process affects the colony" Arya explains.

"It's a technical process because you are essentially understanding a living system. Bees are not just honey producers; they are pollinators. They create the food we eat. Without bees, humans could face a food crisis in just a few years."

Following the flowers

Bees are kept and nurtured in specially designed boxes. Arya and Indian beekeepers in general work primarily with Apis mellifera, a European species prized for honey production because it yields more, adapts well to hives, and migrates easily.

"A single Apis mellifera hive can produce around 30 kg of honey in five to six months," Arya notes. "The bees are left in fields during flowering periods and return to the boxes each evening. Then we move them, sometimes 250-400 km, to the next set of flowers.