Honeybees to take the sting!

The Madhya Pradesh forest department is banking on the power of bees to prevent incidents of human-elephant-conflict (HEC) in the jungles of the eastern districts of the state.

The department has released the Recommended Operating Procedures (ROPs) to prevent HEC, including promotion of beekeeping in forest areas. "Elephants are afraid of bees as they can sting them in the trunk and the eyes. The collective buzzing of bees troubles the elephant. Keeping bee boxes on the route of the elephants will prevent them from intruding into human habitat".

The micro, small and medium enterprises will promote beekeeping among villagers residing in forest areas. The beekeeping promotion scheme will be linked with the National Rural Livelihood Mission to ensure compensation to bee-keepers in the event of destruction/damage to the bee boxes by elephants.

However, the Bhopal-based wildlife activist, Ajay Dubey has posed the following questions :-

   * Has this idea been successfully implemented anywhere and desired results achieved?

   * In case of being stung by a bee, how can it be ensured that the wild elephant in painful anger will only take a route without human habitats?

   * The said forest areas have a significant sloth bear population. What will happen if the bees end up attracting the bears to intrude and cause human casualties?

Rising HEC incidents have led to  26 human casualties and also resulted in incidents of electrocution, poisoning of tuskers.

- Anurag Singh in the NIE

My take

Needs to be monitored very closely on execution!

Tailpiece. 

Got up at 6, the chores, the Wednesday 'aarathi' of the house and was ready by a 10' to 10.

The maid comes for work.

A quiet day, otherwise.