BARAIGRAM, NATORE, Apr 3: The lychee orchards of Baraigram, Gurudaspur and Chatmohar in southern Chalan Beel have come alive with the buzzing of bees, as hundreds of apiarists from across the country set up boxes to collect honey from the flowering trees.
Traditionally mustard fields attract beekeepers, but with lychee trees now in full bloom, apiarists have shifted their focus. Nearly a thousand orchards across the three upazilas are hosting beekeepers from districts including Chapainawabganj, Satkhira, Sirajganj, Mymensingh and Pabna.
A visit to the orchards in Royna Bharot, Goalfha, Rolva, Bharatpur, Agran, Biaghat, Chapila, Nazirpur and parts of Chatmohar revealed rows of wooden boxes placed under the trees. The air is thick with the scent of lychee blossoms, and bees dart from flower to flower. Farmers say the presence of bees not only benefits apiarists but also ensures better pollination, raising hopes of a bumper lychee harvest.
Shariful Islam, a beekeeper from Pabna working in Nazirpur, explained that each box contains a queen bee, a male bee, and hundreds of worker bees of the Apis mellifera species. "The workers rush to the blossoms, collect nectar, and store it in the hive. Every six to seven days, we harvest 2-3 kg of honey from each box," he said.
Local lychee grower Jasim Uddin of Bajitpur Village noted that trees attracting more bees see stronger pollination. "Such orchards usually yield bumper crops. It benefits us as growers, while beekeepers earn commercially from honey sales," he said.
In Royna Bharot Bottola, beekeeper Riyab Hossain from Gomastapur, Chapainawabganj, has installed 165 boxes. Assisted by five workers, he collects 2-3 kg of honey per box weekly-amounting to at least eight maunds. He sells the honey at Tk 500 per kg, often to companies such as Pran.
Experts confirm the dual benefit. Jamshed Ali, head of the Botany Department at Baraigram Government Honours College, said orchards where bees collect nectar see 25-30 per cent higher yields due to effective pollination.
Baraigram Upazila Agriculture Officer Sajib Al Maruf said about 500 hectares of land in the three upazilas are under lychee cultivation. "Beekeepers are profiting from honey, while growers are likely to enjoy bumper yields if weather remains favourable," he said.
The seasonal migration of beekeepers has become an annual phenomenon in southern Chalan Beel, where lychee cultivation thrives. Farmers and apiarists alike say the partnership is mutually rewarding-orchards hum with bees, honey flows from the hives, and lychee growers look forward to abundant harvests.
