Mahottari forest, a bee pasture for Chitwan beekeepers

Mahottari, April 8: The beekeepers in Chitwan have taken beehives to Mahottari forest- on either sides of the East-West Highway- in search of bee pasture, the flowered plants.

In the wake of the Spring Season, eucalyptus trees are flowering at present, which is a good pasture for the bees.

Suresh Basnet, 45, from Khairahani, Chitwan said, “Here are huge flowering plants so that it is good for honeybee to draw nectar. As there is no storm and hailstone, the flowers have retained sufficient nectar.”

Twenty quintals of honey have been produced from 284 beehives kept in the Mahottari forest in the first week of Falgun. “Still, 7 quintals of honey will be collected,” he added.

Basnet informed that he earned Rs 1 million by selling honey. As many as 125 households have kept bees in a commercial way.

Ashok Basnet, 77, who is also found here farming honeybee, shared, “It has been long I involved in commercial bee farming since returning from foreign job. I’ve made good income from this profession for some years.”

The beekeepers have, however, demanded the government that it provided wood required to prepare enclosures as beehive.

Interestingly, no farmers in Mahottari district are attracted to beekeeping though it has a good pasture for honeybees.

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