Maintaining the bees and sharing the income from honey is a
new venture
Rarely do we come across individuals who apart from their
regular work become obsessed with something that becomes their passion, dream
and conviction.
Mr. A. Parthiban is one such person who is popularly known
as honey bee man in Gobichettypalayam, Tamil Nadu.
WORKING SCHEDULE
The man works as a bus conductor on the Gobi-Madurai route
for nearly 12 hours a day, three days a week. During the rest of the week he is
busy catching honeybees, installing bee boxes in several fields, orchards and
coconut groves.
Hailing from an ordinary farming family Mr. Parthiban seems
to realize the importance of the bees in the ecological cycle.
“The insects are essential for our food security. Without
them many of our fruits, vegetables or flowers would become extinct. But sadly
modern science doesn’t seem to realize this. In the name of advancement we are
destroying many things that play an important role. Productive and rapidly
declining honeybees are one such,” he says.
Western countries have recognized the effect of honey bee
pollination and are doing their best to protect and encourage these insects.
“But here in our place we call them a nuisance. We either
smoke them away or drive them using fires.” he adds. Though initially Mr.
Parthiban’s interest appeared weird to his friends and neighbors, they started
supporting him once they started realizing that he was speaking some sense.
LOT OF CALLS
Today he is flooded with calls from different areas
requesting him to set up bee boxes or catch the bees hovering in the orchards
and godowns.
“People find the bees scary. They think the insect will
sting them. Normally the insects do not sting anyone unless disturbed,” he
says.
The main popularity of the man in the region is that apart
from setting up bee boxes he also offers to take care of the box and the bees
(maintenance).
“Maintaining the insects was one area which did not have
many takers,” he says and adds: “I thought if I could step in it would increase
the interest among many people to set up bee boxes in their place.”
TWO APPROACHES
He advocates two types of approaches in promoting this
enterprise. One is installing the bee-boxes by the farmers’ investment and the
sale from honey is given to the owner. Two, Mr. Parthiban himself installs the
boxes and maintains them. The income from honey is shared between the owner of
the farm and him.
Mr. K.K. Ramaswamy of Vaiyakadu thottam in kolapalur village
had approached Mr. Parthiban to obtain a remedy for flower setting in his
tamarind tree. Parthiban placed the bee boxes and advised Mr.Ramaswamy to wait
for some months.
INCREASE IN YIELD
And as predicted the tamarind farmer harvested 4,350 kgs of
tamarind compared to previous yield of 1,000 Kgs from 250 trees.
Apart from his monthly income the bees seem to have provided
him with an additional income of nearly Rs. 20,000 a month.
More than the danger involved in climbing trees to catch
some bees, because of the painful stings, it is the feeling that he was doing
something worthwhile, seems to be his conviction.
Recently the district science forum in the region awarded
his son Mr. Jawahar Raja an 8th class student for developing a solar melter for
melting the honey combs.
Usually after the honey has been extracted the empty comb is
heated in a pot or vessel for making candles. Through this solar melter the
comb gets melted and the liquid oozes out through a outlet and collected in
moulds.
“A humble earthworm during its lifetime makes the soil
fertile, a silkworm before it dies spins some silk threads, aren’t we, endowed
with a sixth sense, supposed to do better?” he asks.
Interested readers can contact Mr. A. Parthiban at 11/18
Makali amman, street, Kollapur post, Gobichettypalayam, mobile: 9442171818.
