Our story of bees and humans is an age old one, and unfolds right here at Semmanarai, a little hamlet some distance away from Kotagiri.
Join us on this unique tour to the beautiful landscape to the abode of the bees – a leisurely walking exploration of bees, flowers, streams and farms, as we take in the sights, smells and tastes of all that makes honey, so desirable. Meet the honey hunters and bee keepers to get a sneak preview into the human association with bees.
Proceeds from these trails help raise funds to support the bee keepers, protect bees and their habitats.
Date: 1st March, 2020
Place and Time: 8.30 am, at Johnson Square
Duration: 7-8 hours (including travel)
Trail difficulty: Easy
Cost: 800/- (non-members), 600/- (NNHS members)
For registration, write to contact@nnhs.in
Sharada: 9486232724
Slots will be booked on a first-come first-served basis. So hurry!
Participants will carry their own lunches, for a meal by the stream
Photo Credits: Keystone Foundation
Where the bees are – a short account of the Semmanarai bee safari, 1st March, 2020
NNHS has been getting inquiries from many interested people about the bee safari and so the second safari was conducted on 1st March 2020, taking a larger group in 2 Mahindra Major jeeps. Capable of tackling the rough terrain, the vehicles carried a lively crowd of 10, including the NNHS representative. Justin, our bee training resource person was fully equipped to make it an interesting day, with a bag stuffed with “Bee-Suits” and some bee-keeping equipment. Needless to say, everyone was looking forward to what lay ahead.
The first stop at Semmanarai was to meet our famed honey hunter, Mr. Raju aka Rasu, a Kurumba who is legendary for his honey hunting skills. Kind enough to spare some time for us, he spoke about the rituals surrounding the ancient art of honey hunting. We were able to clearly sense the reverence he had for the bees, the animals and the forests. It was inspirational for most as many had never seen or spoken with an illustrious honey hunter like Rasu. The group then started for the farmlands to meet a farmer and a long-time bee keeper, Mr. Balan. Under the roof of Balan’s mud-brick farm hut, Justin engaged the group with an interesting discussion about the ecology of bees, the “Queen” bee and the exquisite “Royal jelly”. It would be safe to say that all of us learned something new that day. This was followed by the long awaited activity of handling the bee-boxes. First, Balan used the smoker to “calm” the bees a little. Next, Justin slowly disassembled the bee box (after giving everyone the protective bee suits of course) and showed us the different parts and the reason behind their design. In the words of one of our participants, “the highlight was when the bee box was opened and we got to see inside and hold a frame full of bees!”. A small “Hide and Seek” game searching for the “Queen bee” ensued. Even though she looks quite distinct (with large and shiny abdomen)and “stands out of the crowd”, the group could not find her for 15 minutes, until someone pointed to a ‘large bee’ on the lid which turned out to be the Queen herself! After admiring the tiny jewels for a few minutes, the box was reassembled to allow the bees to go on about their business. The event concluded with a nice packed lunch by a stream. Over laughs, shares and good food, new friendships were forged as everyone departed for their homes.
(Written by Jenner Prince, edited by Sharada Ramadass)
PC: Justin, Leonie
