Honey harvesting is becoming easier for a group of beekeepers in Bumthang, thanks to flow hive technology introduced to them a year ago. It allows beekeepers to draw honey straight from the hive through a tap, speeding up the process while making it more hygienic and less stressful for both beekeepers and bees.
The honey harvesting season has just begun in Bumthang, the heart of Bhutan’s beekeeping, where more than half of the country’s honey is produced each year.
For years, beekeepers here removed heavy frames from their hives and carted them to extraction units before harvesting could begin. The process was labour-intensive, time-consuming, and often disturbed the bee colonies. Now, for a handful of groups, this is beginning to change.
A pilot project has introduced flow hive technology, a honey-harvesting system in which honey flows directly from specially designed frames through a tap. Beekeepers simply turn a key to open channels inside the frames, allowing ripe honey to run into a container without dismantling the hive.
Invented in Australia and popularly known as ‘honey on tap’, the design keeps the bees largely undisturbed during harvesting. This reduces stress on the colony, lowers the risk of damaging the comb, and lets beekeepers harvest closer to home.
“We are very happy with this technology. We can extract honey whenever we want. Earlier, since we did not have a vehicle, we had to hire one and pay for transport. With this new hive technology, we believe our income will increase in the future,” said Pema Yuden, a member of the Women’s Beekeeping Group, Bumthang.
“When we used it for the first time, it worked well, and we were happy. Those interested in beekeeping can keep a few hives near their homes or guesthouses and serve fresh honey to their guests,” said Kunzang Wangdi, Chairperson of the Beekeeper Cooperative of Bumthang.
“Since it is a modern technology, it is convenient to use. With the conventional hives, we had to take the honeycombs to the extension centre for extraction. Now, we do not have to take them anywhere. We can extract honey near our homes, in more hygienic conditions,” said Rinzin Lhaden, Chairperson of the Women’s Beekeeping Group, Bumthang.
The technology was introduced to two beekeeper groups through the GEF-Small Grants Programme, implemented by UNDP Bhutan in partnership with the government.
Under this support, the members of the Beekeeper Cooperative of Bumthang and Chumey Serzhang Yargay Detshen received two flow hive boxes each. Similarly, another group, the Women’s Beekeeping Group, in Chumey, received one flow hive box per member, with support from the Bhutan Foundation. A flow hive box costs around 48 thousand ngultrum.
As demand for high-quality honey continues to grow, modern technologies such as the flow hive are expected to make beekeeping more efficient, sustainable, and appealing for both existing and aspiring beekeepers.
Bumthang has been at the forefront of modern beekeeping in Bhutan since the mid-1980s, with an estimated 100 beekeepers across public and private sectors today.
Thinley Dorji, Bumthang
Edited by Sonam Wangdi
