Binu P T carefully opens a wooden beehive box and gives a gentle tap on the plastic seal inside. With a sudden buzz, tiny bees swarm about the container. “These are white stingless bees, a rare species. It’s considered to be one of the smallest species of bees in the world. From a colony, only about 50 ml of honey can be collected in a year!” says the beekeeper from Kannur. The pricey variety of honey is used in the treatment of eye ailments.
The ongoing National Beekeepers’ Meet and Honey Fest, organised by Federation of Indigenous Apiculturists (FIA), at VJT Hall, is buzzing with activity. From a variety of honey to a plethora of products derived from the nectar, the festival featuring about 20 stalls also showcases essential beekeeping implements such as bee veil, colony boxes, bee trappers and so on. If the hot favourites are cheruthen (from stingless bees) and perunthen, other delicious edible products include honey-based jam, raisins, cashew and amla.
A beekeeper holds up a beehive box | Photo Credit: S GOPAKUMAR
Beekeepers from across the State and parts of Tamil Nadu have converged here as part of the festival. Depending on the bee species, climate, flower source, geography and harvest methods, the texture, taste and quality of honey differs, they explain. For instance, Aleyamma Sibi of Matha Honey and Bee Farm from Kasaragod, is one among the few apiculturists at the fest with Coorg honey, collected from the Coorg region in Karnataka. Winner of FIA’s best keeper in 2015, Aleyamma has been in the honey business for three decades.
“We keep moving around with the bee colonies while locating honey plants in the cool hilly region. March-May season is the best efflorescence period for Coorg honey,” she says. Her “special” honey jam, made from forest honey, packs in pineapple, dates, cashew and an assortment of spices.
At Amma Honey based in Vattiyoorkkavu in the city, the highlight is “moringa” honey. “Bee colonies are placed in moringa plantations in Thoothukudi for this variety of honey that’s thicker and sweeter,” explains Bensislas G of Amma Honey. Bodhishree, a development society from Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta, focuses on medicinal products and thus offers then mannal (turmeric) and thenadalodakam among others.
Cosmetic and other useful value-added products such as ‘honey soaps’ too have been turning heads. Apiculturists claim that apart from being a natural sweetener, honey serves as an organic cleanser as well.
Honey for sale at the Honey Fest in Thiruvananthapuram | Photo Credit: S GOPAKUMAR
Quilon Honey, based in Kollam, mixes in aloe vera, neem, tulsi, coconut oil and other natural moisturising ingredients for its bee wax cream. “Most the organic ingredients that go into the cream are grown in my backyard,” says Ayoob Khan of Quilon Honey. He also has red sandalwood-based bee wax cream. Kanthivardhini from Alappuzha focuses on its honey-based “herbal body balm”, a combination of beeswax and honey with other organic ingredients.
At the stall run by Horticorp, what awaits you is a series of fruit-based honey products such as njaval then (java plum), kaithachakka then (pineapple), manathakkali then, inchi then (ginger) and mootti pazham then.
For those looking to quench their thirst can quaff a glass of the hot-selling iced ‘honey cola’ that packs in spices, lime and beetroot juice and perunthen.
The festival concludes August 10. Timing: 10 am to 9 pm.