“Could you move a little further away?” A Vivekanandhan (known to everyone as Vivek) puts his hand to his jaw, as he makes the request. While the photographer and I promptly turn tail and run, he casually flicks a bee away from his chin, puts the comb frame back into the box and joins us.
Vivek runs Sri Gopala Honey Bees and Oils from his 20-acre farm in Divansapudur, Pollachi. A skinny dog and a plump rooster come running up to greet us as we reach his house. Coconut, mango, lemon, and moringa trees are in abundance as are flowering and vegetable plants. Wooden boxes set up on poles dot the landscape.
The boxes set up on the farm | Photo Credit: R Jayashree
As we settle down for a chat in the courtyard of his house, a light drizzle sends us scurrying to the covered part. Vivek’s foray into agriculture and apiculture began in 2013. “Before that, I was working in a textile company but wanted to come back to my farm. When the emu farm craze was at its height, I too wanted to quit and start one but my company wouldn’t let me. In hindsight, I was lucky,” he shrugs. His initial idea was farming but he began bee keeping on a friend’s advice. “I got lot of support and advice from the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University. I learnt about bee boxes and where to place them, climate patterns, marketing... from there.”
Vivek now has over 1000 bee boxes on his farm and a neighbouring one. Does he cultivate specific flowering plants for the bees? There’s no need, he answers, waving his hand at the greenery that surrounds us. “They will use whatever is available”, he says. “Moringa flowers through the year anyway,” and drops an astounding piece of information. “In the month of Aadi alone, this variety of coconut flowers thrice, and only six times through the rest of the year.”
Honey in the comb | Photo Credit: R Jayashree
- The best wood for bee boxes are mahogany and poongai maram, says Vivek. Often people use plywood, which is not good.
- The boxes should preferably not be painted, he advises. If you have to, use non-toxic paint and colours like blue or green.
- The bottom portion is the breeding chamber and the honey combs are at the top.
- Vivek uses local labour to move his bee boxes from farm to farm. “There is a good market for organic honey, but our expenses are also high. I make enough for my family,” he says philosophically.
- Apart from honey, Vivek also has other products, like comb honey and small idols made from bee’s wax. He’s exploring other options to use the bee’s wax.
Apart from his own farm, Vivek has also tied up with farmers in neighbouring areas (in Tamil Nadu and Kerala) who inform him when their plants are flowering so that he can place his boxes there for the bees to gather honey. “So the honey we collect is multifloral,” he informs us proudly and lists the varieties — rubber, sunflower, thumbai, moringa, jamun and coffee among others. Coffee is rare since the flower is available for just one to three weeks.
Vivek has a very strict rule to for this arrangement. He will place his boxes only on organic farms. “Marundhu aducheengana kittaye varamatten (I will not come near if you spray pesticides)” he says emphatically. How well does that go down? Not very well, he admits, but he is firm.
The idols made of bee’s wax | Photo Credit: R Jayashree
Just then his mother brings out a bucket of a dark brown gooey liquid in which bobs some whitish substance. Vivek stirs it vigorously with a long ladle. “This is the jelly produced by the bees,” he explains. “I have to send a huge quantity to Kolkata. It seems they serve it as a sweet at weddings.” This is one of the by products from bee keeping.
Next, Vivek takes us to the area where he has set up the boxes. Each one is tightly covered with a sheet of black tarpaulin. “The lid should not have any cracks or openings to allow rain or light in,” he says, while removing the tarp and opening the box. “The bees prefer to work in the dark.” As he removes the comb frame, he urges us to come closer. “Nothing will happen,” he reassures us. The photographer quickly changes her lens and explains that she has to stay at a certain distance to do her work. I have no such excuse so I walk over to him, all the while ready to take to my heels.
Vivek patiently points out the drone, the queen and the worker bees and how to tell the difference between them and between a sealed hole and one being filled with pollen.
He’s not wearing any protective gear and pooh poohs when I mention it. “Give them warning, like this,” he taps the corner of the frame and stands nonchalantly amid a flying cloud. Once that clears, he blows the remaining bees away and holds up the comb. “If you know what you’re doing, nothing will happen.”
From another box, he extracts a comb filled with honey and shows us the changes in colour that tells him when to extract. “We use a machine,” he discloses, “which allows us to extract the honey without much damage.”
Vivek also conducts workshops and awareness programmes about bee keeping. “Bees are very important for agriculture. They help cross pollinate and increase the yield of plants.” While he’s happy to travel to spread the word, he will not go beyond a day trip. “I want to be back here at night. This is where I am happiest.”