Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Aug 28: Farmers generally believe that augmenting income involves additional investments. They need to understand that it is possible to improve their incomes even through small investments. Apiary is one such option. Honey that has high medicinal properties has a lot of demand now-a-days and therefore more and more farmers are turning towards this option.

One such bee keeper is found at Pernaje, Puttur taluk. He earns lacs of rupees from apiary alone per year. Honey now has good demand in national and international markets as it is used as a sweetener and also as medicine. Because of sustained demand for honey, many farmers have now-a-days been opting for beekeeping as an additional income source.

This activity has proved that low investment can bring big income. Kumar Pernaje from Pernaje in Puttur taluk has succeeded in apiary. He has been getting high quality honey through beekeeping in his farm and house. Pernaje says that a farmer needs to invest only in bee boxes and machinery for processing honey. Bee boxes are available for Rs 2,000 to 2,500 in the market while the processing machine costs about Rs 3,000. Beekeeping can be undertaken anywhere but it has to be ensured that there is a gap of about seven meters between two boxes, Pernaje, who has an experience of ten years in this activity, explains.

Honey can be collected from each box every 15 days. More honey can be extracted in places where forests and trees are more. In such places honey can be harvested even once a week, Pernaje says. He also has information about how much honey can be extracted at what time. He says that during summer, honey can be collected in all months. However, during the rainy season, honey collection becomes slack. As the bees are unable to move about, and the flowers in monsoon season do not have nectar, the bees rest in the boxes and therefore he says it is better not to harvest honey during the rainy days.

The reproduction of bees also goes on. If more than a queen bee is found in a box, they have to be shifted to other boxes. Pernaje gets about one to one and half quintals of honey from his 35 boxes in a year. Many also buy honey directly from him for taking it abroad.

As the activity does not need workers, the family members during their spare time, collect honey. People of all ages including children and aged people can undertake this activity and get a good income. After the breeding, the bee families can be separated and sold to others, which is another avenue of income. Pernaje says that when other crops failed, honey farming had supported his family.