Honey Bees Victim Of Cruel Treatment

Y.S. Rana

The writer is a Hamirpur based Himachali settled in Chandigarh

Albert Einstein once said,” If the bees disappeared off the surface then man would have only four years of life left.” Many people who understand the cruelty involved in factory farming and are morally opposed to eating meat find it less obvious that the lowly honeybee should also be of ethical concern. Just who are these anyway? The picture below is not of garbage but thousands of honeybees burnt while extracting honey from the hive. One may find many up in arms cruelty against animals but we are insensitive to the cruelty meted out to honeybees while extracting honey from their hives. Honey attributes suffering and death of millions of bees. Bees are victims of the same cruel treatment as to animals in the animal food industry. For a few spoon of honey thousands of honey bees burnt. One may see such incidents of bee burning across Himachal Pradesh for extracting honey from their hives. Bees are important especially for the state for apple crops. Picture is not of garbage but remains of thousands of honey bees burnt for a few spoon of honey.

It is a proof, in a bid to extract honey from their hives, thousand of bees are burnt and killed. Bees are thrown out from their hives by dousing and then burning it. In 2006 it was reported for the first time that bee colony collapse disorder could be devastating for agriculture. Like cows and chicken bees are biomachines to produce a product for human consumption. Like all forms of slavery in the modern world, these are seen only for their use-value. No one come forward to save bees from such a cruel way of killing. Someone, someday will recognize the importance of this small worker for survival of human race! If we fail the issue could be devastating for us.

N.K. Garg who had flourishing honey business in Chandigarh said that it is a cost-effective and profitable business especially for small farmers. But in rural areas, honey extraction was done in a cruel way. Rural people extracted honey by burning honeybees. Paramjit Singh, who deals in honey at large scale is against cruelty against honey bee and said that honeybees needs to be protected, saved and nurtured in a very polite way. “Bee is the most important ingredient for survival of human race,” he says.

It is estimated that around 70% bees have disapperared from their manmade hives led to colony collapse disorder. Honeybees fly 55000 miles and visit two million flowers to produce one pound of honey. And what the big deal about sharing a bit of their honey in a symbiotic relationship that gives them free access to billions of flowers, full of the nectar they so like to collect? 15 to 30% of all food crops depend on bees  for pollination. Like all factory farming, beekeeping has morphed into an industrial process which puts profits ahead of animal concerns.  Let nature take her course, however, we must stop destroying the diversity of ecological systems.

* If the bees disappeared off the surface then man would have only four years of life left

-Albert Einstein

70% Bees Disappeared

Behind approximately 100 most important crops, a small often unrecognized worker is busy spreading pollen from plant to plant for human survival. In absence of this small worker, 70% fruit would not be able to survive. It is estimated that around 70% bees have disapperared from their manmade hives lead to colony collapse disorder. In 2006 it was reported for the first time that bee colony collapse disorder could be devastating for agriculture.

Himachal-o-Meter

The state’s ups and downs this week

Shimla Gets Its First Ropeway

Shimla: After a long wait of about 10 years, Shimla finally got its first ropeway linking Jakhoo with Rani Jhansi Park in the heart of the “queen of hills”. The ropeway will bring down to a mere six minutes the time taken to cover the distance between the two points. Until now, it took about an hour on foot with a steep climb of 8,800 ft. Inaugurating the ropeway, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said the project faced several odds, while its environment clearance was delayed but finally the ropeway has come up after 10 years. Chief Minister said it was his dream project and just one of its kind in the state which would further give boost to the tourism industry here. The ropeway has been constructed at a cost of Rs 40 crore in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. The private partner company Jagson International Limited would give Rs 57 lakh as dividend through tourism department to the government in the first year of the ropeway operations and thereafter 15% of the money collected every year.

Hike In Kraft Paper Price Hits Industry

Solan: A sharp increase in the price of kraft paper is adversely affecting the corrugated box industry in Baddi, Sirmaur and areas of Punjab. The prices of kraft paper, which is used as a raw material for making carton boxes, shot up by 23% per cent in the last three months. Gagan Kapoor, president, Himachal Pradesh Corrugated Manufacturers Association (HPCMA), said a sharp increase in the prices of kraft paper has put a question mark on the financial viability of corrugated box making units. Over a dozen units in Baddi have already shut down during the last quarter, he said. The body represents over 300 manufacturing units that meet 40% of the region’s demand for corrugated box. R.K. Garg, president, Ludhiana Corrugated Box Manufacturers Association, said, “Kraft paper constitutes 80% of the cost of corrugated boxes. Apart from the hike in price of paper, the cost of adhesives, labour, freight and other charges too have increased by 20-40% in the last couple of years.” Currently trading at Rs 31 per kg, the prices of kraft paper have risen by Rs 7 per kg since January. It increased by Rs 2-3 per kg in March alone.

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