Nomadic beekeeping and monofloral honey
The supermarket shelves are filled with numerous attractively packed jars and bottles of many shapes with the golden liquid; honey, which is one of the most loved essential of the human diet for centuries.
Essentially there are many brands in the market selling honey and that leaves us confused as to which is the best- natural and authentic product. Sometimes we even get skeptical of every honey bottle we seen on the shelves.
Now consumers have become conscious and prefer to buy honey from companies that transparently mention the ingredients. So, we decided to share something about nomadic beekeeping and monofloral honey.
As urbanization is at its peak agricultural lands are getting scarce. Buildings have made inroads in the forest and natural terrain for bees is getting scarce too. Honey is a natural product and one that is made in a sustainable manner can be of limited quantity only.
Honey has to be produced in sync with nature and that can be done through nomadic beekeeping.
What is nomadic beekeeping?
It is a skilled occupation pursued by beekeepers who are always on the move along with their hives. They search for pastures with numerous flowers that can sustain the bees all throughout the season. It is true that most kinds of honey are made out of different nectars. There are some 300 different single-flower honey that is produced around the world – it is referred to as monofloral honey.
Nomadic beekeeping system:
In order to attain monofloral honey, beekeepers have to adopt a Nomadic Beekeeping system.
Nomad beekeepers move the hives from one place to another depending on the position and season of the plants that bloom.
Bees get naturally attracted to specific flowers. Especially when they are in bloom.
You get monofloral honey when at least 40% of the honey is derived from a single flower variety. It is distinct and unique. The taste of the honey and the appearance all depend on the time of year – the season and the area in which the honey is harvested.
Nomadic beekeepers:
Nomadic beekeeping is seasonal so these beekeepers understand the climate, the crops, and their cycle, different kinds of vegetation in every area. It is especially meant for the production of monofloral honey and is far more different from flavored honey.
In fact, one can be in awe with how nomadic beekeepers’ lives and the entire process they engage in as it’s anything but simple. It isn’t an easy life at all.
Extensive traveling:
These nomadic beekeepers travel a lot from one place to another searching for places filled with acres of crops that are blooming so that their bees are assured of good food to feast on.
Beekeepers move to new places to shift the hives, not on the basis of careless whim. They back the decision with a thorough analysis of the place before they transport the hive to the new location.
Thus, they understand different methods and forms of farming to make the most of the seasonal cultivation. They avoid traveling in the night as the rest of the bees and they ensure that the bees are fed on flower each day.
The life of the nomads is tough as they sacrifice the comfort of their homes to ensure that the bees are fed on the best native floral pastures.
When it rains unexpectedly or there is a drought, nomadic beekeepers suffer from emotional distress. The bees die during droughts or sometimes the bees leave the hives.
Caring for the bees:
Nomadic beekeepers are experts at smoking beehives. They take care so that the bees don’t die during the extraction of honey. It is always encouraged to take the surplus honey after the bees are done with their share of food.
Nomadic beekeepers make sure that they don’t clip wings or crush the legs as they revere the bees and are concerned about their well-being. They prefer not to artificially inseminate the queen bee. This is not in sync with the traditions of nomadic beekeeping.
Flavored honey:
Flavored honey or infused honey is made with human hands inside a place of production. There are other ingredients included in it like pepper, saffron, ginger, and others. They are added to the honey and then processed.
The label on the bottles mentions the ingredients and when it is monofloral honey from Tulsi it means that the bees were fed on the nectar in a field with Tulsi plants to make the honey.
We must remember that the extinction of bees would leave the world without food as they are the top caregivers of the plant kingdom. The dwindling amounts of bees will be catastrophic for the food chain.
Nomadic beekeeping contributes immensely to nature’s cycle. They ensure that the planet is in working condition though most of us are quite oblivious of this fact.
So, if we wish to support nomadic beekeepers, we have to make informed decisions and buy a bottle of honey, which contributes to the existence /survival of bees.
We read the labels on the honey bottles and search for words like forest honey, rock honey, and wildflower honey. But now let’s also search for one more word, ‘monofloral honey’.
If you are keen on contributing to the environment then do share this information. Let’s ensure that these contributors to the environment get their share of attention, appreciation, and support. Nomadic beekeepers have to pass their skills to the next generation but if they can’t due to lack of income the environment will suffer significantly.
Let’s get together and support nomadic beekeeping.
Visit Navmi website www.navmi.co.in to buy pure honey as our focus since inception has always been serving customers with natural foods of the best quality. All our products like coconut oil, flaxseed oil, ghee, A2 milk, different types of natural honey, jaggery, turmeric, etc are chemical-free. Unprocessed foods contain higher amounts of antioxidants, they reduce the risk of heart disease, cancers, and other health issues.
Visit our site (Nirlesh Foods Private Limited or Navmi) www.navmi.co.in to know more about nutritionally pure and unprocessed food. Make a conscious and healthy choice of foods.
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