Bees are one of the most industrious insects in nature which pollinate countless crops, produce honey and wax which have numerous uses in daily life. Honeybees live in huge colonies of thousands of bees with a complex social organization. In the natural environment, their hives can be seen hanging from the branches of trees. They can also be reared in wooden boxes. These boxes are placed near flowering crops to facilitate pollination which results in good yield.

Most of the members of this multifaceted colony are the female “worker” bees. They multitask - build and repair the nest, foray for food, care for the larvae etc. The only one thing they do not do is lay eggs, this is the sole activity of the largest single female member of the hive- the queen. She lays all the eggs of the colony after mating with the male “drones”. These male bees are only for mating and spend most of their time outside the hive. While going about their duties the worker bees are of immense help to the farmers, as they affect pollination. Cross-pollination is essential for good yield and these bees as they go about collecting pollen from flowers to make honey, their pollen laden bodies brush against the stigma (the female reproductive organ of the flowers of the crops) thus fertilizing them, ensuring seed/grain production automatically increasing yield.

In the beekeeping box, the hexagonal cells of the hive are substituted by a number of netted wooden frames on which the bees build their home with a mixture of pollen and honey – wax. Honey is extracted from these frames by rotating them in a machine after removing them from the boxes, gently tapping them, so that the bees sticking to them fall back into the boxes.

Honey, the produce of the bees has numerous uses – a sweetner, enhancing physical stamina, disinfectant- heals minor cuts wounds, moisturizer, protects the skin, helps treating respiratory ailments like cough, wheezing etc. by soothing and lubricating the body’s airways and is also a base for many herbal and ayurvedic medicines. Sardar Patel Farm A certified 125 acre organic farm on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. Organic farming based on the Natural farming framework is followed by us in our effort to be a part of the healthy chain healthy soil healthy crops healthy foods – healthy life.