Villagers of Langchenphu Chiwog of Samdrup Jongkhar’s Langchenphu Gewog have been raising bees the traditional way for generations. They continue the practice even to this day, preserving traditional beekeeping while making some extra income.
Harka Bahadur Karki is one of the villagers raising bees in Langchenphu.
He learned beekeeping from his parents. Although modern beekeeping which uses more modern beehives is trending, Harka and his fellow beekeepers in Langchenphu raise bees the traditional way because it is less costly and easier to manage.
The 60-year-old makes beehives by hollowing out a large wooden log, leaving enough space for bees to build their combs and store honey.
A small entrance hole is made to allow bees to enter and exit.
The log hives are then placed in a suitable location.
Harka Bahadur Karki says beekeeping, which was pursued only for self-consumption during his forefathers’ time, has gradually turned into a steady source of alternative income. Harka earns up to Nu 30,000 every year by selling honey.
Harka said, “Last time, my children sold eight bottles of honey. Sometimes we have hospital staff and even lamas coming to buy honey from me. I can harvest up to 20 litres of honey in a year.”
Similarly, Om Prakash Nepa also shared how traditional beekeeping is an easy source of income. “I sell small amount of honey. We don’t have to work hard, bees just come and store honey in the hives. All we have to do harvest and sell the honey. There is no loss in raising bees, we don’t have to work hard to raise bees. We just have to make log hives for bees to store honey,” Om said.
Parjapati Rizal said income from the sale of honey has multiplied over the years. “In the past, we used to earn only around Nu 200 to 300 per litre of honey. Now, I am selling it for Nu 1200 for a litre. Compared to other agricultural works, it is easier as we just have to clean the hives occasionally.”
The beekeepers in Langchenphu harvest honey during November and December.
According to the chiwog tshogpa, almost all the households in Langchenphu raise bees the traditional way with around 20 households pursuing beekeeping for commercial purposes.
Kinley Wangchuk, Samdrup Jongkhar
Edited by Phub Gyem
