A decade ago, the Indian Honey Bees (Apis cerana indica) were a very common species in our neighbourhood. They were found busy making hives in ventilators, dark rooms, and abandoned houses, almost everywhere.
Mustard fields were an ideal habitat for bees. But of late, the usage of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the fields started posing a major threat to the population of Indian Honey Bees. They are becoming endangered.
The super cyclone “Aila” of 2009 had an adverse effect on the species in Sundarbans. They became extinct in the Sundarbans.
On behalf of NEWS we were working on a project to reintroduce the species to the Sundarbans. On 3rd December, 2019 two nos bee-boxes were taken to Kumirmari Island of Sundarban as a test case. We were not sure if the bees would survive, given the unpredictable weather in the area. Thankfully, the bees have survived. Not just that, soon there were happy developments as after 40 days we noticed eggs and larvae! This was the first step of the reintroduction process. It has been a success. We fondly hope that the project would bear fruit.