In north India, women protect native bees in traditional home walls

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In the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, India, traditional homes have a dedicated space to accommodate bees. Women then care for the bees as part of a beekeeping practice that has…

In the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, India, traditional homes have a dedicated space to accommodate bees. Women then care for the bees as part of a beekeeping practice that has become a crucial sanctuary for indigenous bee populations facing severe environmental threats, reports contributor Swati Thapa for Mongabay.

For generations, households in the region have shared their homes with the Indian honey bee (Apis cerana indica), using traditional “wall hives”, rectangular cavities constructed directly into mud house walls through which bees can enter. A small door, accessible from inside the house, is sealed with clay and cow dung. The seal is removed when it’s time to harvest honey.

Historically, it’s the women in households who tend to the bees, especially as many men have left rural villages for job opportunities elsewhere.

“The only reason A. cerana indica is still surviving in Uttarakhand is the women,” said Nagma Parveen, assistant professor of biomedical sciences at Kumaun University, India. Nagma added that traditional beekeeping is practiced as a sacred cultural custom rather than a commercial enterprise, with women regularly maintaining hives and feeding colonies amaranth or hemp seed powder during winter months when food is scarce.

The thick mud construction of traditional wall hives provides essential insulation against extreme mountain cold, storms and rain, protecting bees that cannot safely forage when outdoor temperatures drop below 10–13°C (50–55°F).

But this traditional ecosystem is increasingly threatened by rapid architectural changes and climate impacts. A study in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district revealed that the proportion of traditional houses dropped from 61% before 1980 to 26% between 2001 and 2010, causing the average number of wall hives per home to drop to 8.4 per house by 2010.

Modern cement houses contain zero observed bee colonies, depriving native bees of essential nesting structures.

Extreme weather events have left many wall hives empty…

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