Water scarcity in Adilabad district has started showing its impact even on minor living beings, especially honey bees which are in prime time of their breeding season. The phenomenon is likely to result in highly decreased yield of honey and proportionately decreased income to the tribes which indulge in seasonal collection of this non timber forest produce.
Water shortage has resulted in bee colonies thriving on trees in aggregated form with some trees showing even 50 honey combs. “The acuteness of water shortage can have a tree supporting even 900 honey combs,” states Gopal Paliwal of the Centre for Bee Development, Wardha, Maharashtra.
The bee expert, who has worked in Adilabad district in the relevant area of activity, says honey bees need water for thermo regulatory function inside the combs. “The bees need enormous quantities of water to keep the temperature at a constant of 28 degree C inside the comb in order to produce honey,” he adds.
“More water means more honey and less water means less honey,” Mr. Paliwal explains. “If the water scarcity is greater in the district, then honey production will also go down,” he predicts.
The district has fallen short of over 50 per cent of its normal rainfall of 110 cm during last monsoon. The deficit was more pronounced in the hilly tribal areas of the district which has all the minor water bodies supporting a lot of species of minor organisms.
“We are asking bee keepers and honey hunters to make provisions for water for the bee colonies in their areas. For example, people can dig a small hole on stream beds or keep water in some vessel in the open for the bees,” the bee expert disclosed of the ways and means devised to provide relief to the honey bee population in Wardha.
The Utnoor Division of the Girijan Cooperative Corporation if the agency which purchases honey from Kolam and other Adivasis. Its yearly collection of honey from Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Adilabad districts comes to about 700 quintals.
“We could fall short by more than half of that,” an official of the GCC estimates. “Water is in short supply even in the neighbouring districts,” he gave the reason for his apprehension.
