India's Migratory Beekeepers Follow the Flowers in Assam
In the electric yellow mustard fields of Assam, migratory beekeepers rise before dawn. They have traveled long distances to spend winter months harvesting honey, a demanding journey that separates them from their families for extended periods. These workers eat a simple breakfast at daybreak and then labor until dusk, checking hives, smoking bees to disperse them, and collecting thick golden honeycombs destined for overseas markets.
Stings are an unavoidable part of daily life, but the harvest provides crucial income. "I earn an income, that's why I do business," explained Karan Raj, a beekeeper from Bihar who has joined the migratory practice. At night, workers settle under blue tarpaulins, thinking of loved ones left behind as they move their wooden bee boxes from field to field.
Climate Change Threatens Honey Production
Migratory beekeepers have moved bee colonies across India for decades, following flower blooms to aid farmers with pollination while collecting honey. This practice remains relatively new but growing in Assam, where both local and migratory beekeepers are turning to regional farms to meet increasing honey demand. However, climate change now poses significant threats to this livelihood.
Beekeepers persist despite facing floods, more powerful monsoons, extreme heat, and landscape-altering development projects. "If the weather is fine, the production will be fine. If the weather spoils, then there is no production. Weather has an effect. The weather needs to be good," said beekeeper Ranjeet Kumar, highlighting how extreme weather directly affects bee behavior and honey yields.
Assam, nestled east of Bangladesh and south of the Himalayas, experiences climate extremes that have already caused catastrophe. Human-caused warming has made rainfall more intense and erratic. Flooding and landslides in 2024 killed over 100 people, with many farmers seeing crops destroyed and facing repeated evacuations.
Changing Weather Patterns Disrupt Bee Activity
"The pattern of rain is changing," observed Mukul Kumar Deka, who studies honeybees and pollinators at Assam Agricultural University. Extended dry periods reduce nectar availability, while excessive heat or rain keeps bees confined to their hives. Research from Madhya Kamrup College in 2025 reveals Assam now experiences over 20 more heat-wave days annually compared to a decade ago, with both average maximum and nighttime temperatures increasing by approximately 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
"Nowadays most of the farmers are getting less honey," Deka confirmed, noting the direct impact on production. Migratory beekeepers typically use Western honeybees, unlike traditional growers who keep local species. These indigenous bees face greater threats from extreme weather and human development, including highway projects that destroy habitats.
"The bees that are in the trees, the ones that are in the forest, those bees have reduced drastically," reported Raj. Western honeybees survive through human care and sugar feeding, but their increasing presence creates competition with small farmers turning to beekeeping for income.
Sustaining Beekeeping Amid Challenges
"If we try to rear the Western honeybee in more numbers, there will be a problem to our indigenous species," warned Deka. Despite this, programs encourage farmers to rear local bees, particularly crucial for small farmers living below the poverty line. Beyond honey sales, pollination benefits their crops significantly.
"We're also having to train farmers on how to better manage climate events," said Sujana Krishnamoorthy, executive director of the Under the Mango Tree Society, a nonprofit teaching beekeeping to small farmers. Beekeeping builds climate resilience by providing extra income from honey products and improving pollination to increase crop yields. Krishnamoorthy noted that traditional crops grown by small farmers, including hedgerow or medicinal plants, maintain relative climate resilience.
Experts believe beekeeping will persist despite climate challenges. In some cases, government subsidies support beekeeping equipment purchases. "There may be ups and downs, but ultimately beekeeping will be sustained here," Deka concluded, expressing cautious optimism for the future of this vital agricultural practice in Assam.
