In the heart of Chamarajanagar's dense jungles, a silent revolution is taking root. This transformation is powered not by heavy machinery, but by nature's miniature engineers: stingless bees. A groundbreaking project by the National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources (NBAIR) is turning remote tribal hamlets into India's first dedicated 'Stingless Bee Villages,' creating a new paradigm for sustainable income and ecological balance.
A Gentle Alternative to Traditional Beekeeping
The initiative focuses on meliponiculture—the keeping of stingless bees from the Meliponini tribe, a practice with origins in Latin America. Professor Amala Udayakumar, a senior scientist at NBAIR who camped in the forests to train tribal participants, highlights the critical safety advantage. "Conventional beekeeping with species like Apis cerana carries risks of painful stings and severe allergic reactions," she explains. "These dangers are amplified when tribal communities traditionally harvest wild honey by cutting combs. Stingless bee culture eliminates these threats completely."
Furthermore, these bees, specifically the Tetragonula species, form perennial colonies and are less likely to abandon their hives during scarce periods or pest attacks compared to honeybees, making them more reliable for farmers.
High-Value Honey and Women-Led Entrepreneurship
The economic potential of this shift is substantial. While regular honey sells for about Rs 700 to Rs 800 per kilogram, the honey from stingless bees, prized for its therapeutic properties and use in Ayurveda, commands a premium price of Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per kg. Recognizing this opportunity, NBAIR, with support from the National Bee Board (NBB), launched a targeted livelihood program in the tribal belts of Chamarajanagar, where the Western and Eastern Ghats meet.
In the project's first phase, around 60 tribal women from five villages—Kombudikki, Mendare, Indiganatta, Gorasane, and Keeranahola—were brought together. Sushil SN, Director of NBAIR, states their goal was to ensure "one home-one bee colony." The women underwent nearly a month of intensive, hands-on training.
"They learned colony handling, maintenance, division, and identification of the queen, drones, and workers," said K Subaharan, Head of the Germplasm Conservation and Utilisation division at NBAIR. "Training also covered seasonal management, requeening techniques, and scientific honey extraction methods." Post-training, each participant received stingless bee colonies to start their own meliponiculture units.
Ecological Benefits and Broader Adoption
The benefits extend beyond economics. Tetragonula bees are vital pollinators for crops like coconut, sunflower, gourds, and greenhouse-grown sweet pepper. A scientist involved noted that these bees naturally thrive in environments common around tribal settlements, such as old wall cavities, tree hollows, and termite mounds, seamlessly integrating into the local ecology.
The model's success has sparked interest beyond tribal communities. In 2024, NBAIR also trained several units of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Army Service Corps to manage stingless bee colonies at their field stations, marking a significant milestone in promoting this sustainable practice across diverse sectors.
What began as a scientific endeavor is now a replicable model for empowerment. By harnessing the power of stingless bees, this initiative is not only sweetening livelihoods but also fostering environmental stewardship and women-led entrepreneurship in the forests of Karnataka.
