Sweet deal for bee-keepers as Mahabaleshwar sees full bloom of Whayati species

The state Beekeeping department has appealed to bee-keepers to keep their apparatus near flowers to collect the maximum amount of good-quality honey

The honey produced from Whayati is of light yellow colour, said Patil adding that the honey produced has high medicinal value and is much in demand.

As the Whayati, scientifically known as Thelepaepale ixiocephala, species blooms once in eight years in the hilly town of Mahabaleshwar, the Maharashtra Beekeeping department has appealed to bee-keepers to make the most of the opportunity to produce medicinally rich honey this season.

“The Whayati species of plant blooms once in eight years. This year it has bloomed in large numbers in Mahabaleshwar and its surroundings, enriching the biodiversity. The blooming season lasts till January and the flower helps produce the best quality of honey,” said D R Patil, former director, state Directorate of Beekeeping.

The flowers are white and all kind of bees like them, he said, “There is ample amount of nectar and pollen in the flowers, which the bees draw from it. Honey is prepared from the nectar while pollen is used as food for brood.”

Story continues below this ad

The honey produced from Whayati is of light yellow colour, said Patil adding that the honey produced has high medicinal value and is much in demand. “It helps in enhancing energy and is known to be used for strengthening muscles,” said Patil.

The bloom is presently witnessed in the area alongside Kaas plateau, Koyna valley and Kandati region in and around Mahableshwar.

Ravindra Sathe, chairperson of Maharashtra State Khadi and Village Industries Board (MSKVIB), which runs the Directorate of Bee Keeping, said Whayati is a rare plant species found only in the forest area alongside Mahableshwar, so honey from its flower can be produced in that area only.

“We are appealing to bee-keepers to collect as much honey they can by setting up bee colonies. The MSKVIB is also planning to brand the honey from Whayati flowers for marketing purpose,” he said. Thus, bee-keepers have been advised to put their bee-keeping boxes near the flowers and purchase comb foundation from the state beekeeping department to put the frames for the bee colonies.

Story continues below this ad

“The current season is good for bee-keepers due to the blooming of Whayati species of plants in the hilly area. The proper management of bee colonies will help ensure good amount of honey is produced,” said Raghunath Narayankar, director of Maharashtra Directorate of Bee Keepin

Ajay Jadhav

Ajay Jadhav is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, Pune. He writes on Infrastructure, Politics, Civic issues, Sustainable Development and related stuff. He is a trekker and a sports enthusiast. Ajay has written research articles on the Conservancy staff that created a nationwide impact in framing policy to improve the condition of workers handling waste. Ajay has been consistently writing on politics and infrastructure. He brought to light the lack of basic infrastructure of school and hospital in the hometown of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde even as two private helipads were developed by the leader who mostly commutes from Mumbai to Satara in helicopter. Ajay has been reporting on sustainable development initiatives that protects the environment while ensuring infrastructure development. ... Read More

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories