Star Buzz

There is a new ‘buzz’ in B-town. The humble bumble bees have managed to dart from their hives and dive into the daily lives of celebrities like Deepshikha Deshmukh, Leonardo DiCaprio, Chris Hemsworth, David Beckham, Beyonce, Scarlett Johansson, and Jagjit Singh Kapoor to name a few. Looks like beekeeping is the latest hobby of our celebrity’s honey! Many are regularly sharing updates and good bee-keeping tips on their social media handles. In 2024, ‘bee-influencers’ is a unique trend that is constantly ‘buzzing’ on the Instagram hive hub. Bee Instagram influencers (aka bee-fluencers) show their love for beekeeping, homemade honey products, and championing bee conservation to bring a splash of vibrant colours to Insta feeds. Their dedication to spreading awareness through workshops, pesticide-free farming, natural honey-made products, and urban beekeeping is commendable.

Learn to Bee-have

According to a University of Calcutta Research, pesticide-intensive agriculture and pathogens lead to stress in bees and their deaths along with many other pollinators. A 2017 study conducted in Odisha found that the population of four out of five bee species had declined by 70% to 90%.

For Bangalore-based Apoorva BV, his penchant for insects started at a young age. What initially started as a hobby for Apoorva has now turned into raising awareness on urban beekeeping, educating children in schools, and educating farmers on non-pesticide farming. His endeavours have all been documented on his Instagram handle @beeman.india. Apoorva says, “A Lot of people who are concerned about bees and wildlife are in touch with me on social media and use my inputs to help in the conservation of bees.” Apoorva, who has his own NGO that works towards creating livelihood through beekeeping further adds, “I promote organic alternatives to pesticides and help farmers understand the importance of indigenous plants and trees in the production of more honey.” As for his contribution to helping people in urban areas coexist with bees and practice urban beekeeping. Human beings and bees can coexist healthily. Simple solutions like patience and understanding the importance of bees in food security along with certain behaviours around them help save bees from unnecessary death in urban spaces.

Bees In The Backyard

Gujarat-based Poorva Lalbhai’s passion for beekeeping arose as a method to provide a steady source of income for farmers. Due to rapid urbanisation and loss of flora, the bee population in India is suffering. Poorva uses her social mediahandle @ bees_ in_my_backyard to create awareness. She says, “My social media content initially started as a mere reflection of my knowledge about bees. Soon, it organically blossomed into a platform for raising awareness and conducting workshops for people educating them about the significance of pollinators.”

Poorva conducts workshops with children and adults on the fascinating world of bees, processes, and types of honey, various types of bee species, and concerns about adulteration. “I have had people message me and tell me that my knowledge of beekeeping and bee species was very beneficial for them,” she adds. Poorva also showcases her knack for selling curated honey sourced from beekeepers and making delicious honey oats granolas on her aesthetically pleasing Instagram feed.

Oh, Honey!

Beekeepers constitute an essential part of making honey and transporting them to companies and retailers. The process of beekeeping involves carefully removing the frames containing honey from the hive and transporting it to a processing area where the honey is extracted. Beekeepers are at risk of multiple bee stings and severe swellings without gloves but that has not stopped Vidhiya Sri Rajamani aka @vidhiyasrii from showcasing her beekeeping prowess on Instagram. This young bee-fluencer has a whopping 73.8k followers.Vidhiya says, “Through my social media which includes Q&A’s, beekeeping tutorials, and documenting live beekeeping sessions, I create awareness in college agricultural students and children in schools on bees.” “A monthly free beekeeping training with online beekeeping courses and collaborations has led to positive responses from people,” adds Vidhiya.

Don't Bee Scared!

The significance of bees and other pollinators in food security and biodiversity is undeniable. However, lack of awareness and misinformation on bees often lead to detrimental actions when people encounter a beehive on their balconies. Most people resort to pest control services that endanger the bee population by either poisoning the hive or displacing it. “Sustainable solution involves waiting for 3-4 months for bees to leave. Bees seldom sting unless provoked, so avoid wearing perfume, dark clothes, and approaching the hive too closely,” says Apoorva. With these simple precautions, coexistence with bees becomes effortless and safe while safeguarding their population from depletion.

Bee Different

85% of the world’s flowering plants and crops are pollinated by bees (50 One Earth Research)

Pesticides-intensive agriculture, pathogens, and loss of flora are causing physiological stress and causing bees to die rapidly (University of Calcutta Research)

World's first insect influencer @bee_nfluencer has over 228K followers on Instagram

Erika Thompson, a bee influencer who has over 1.6Mn followers shares her love for beekeeping and champions saving the bee population

“A monthly free beekeeping training with online beekeeping courses and collaborations has led to positive responses from people.” — Vidhiya Sri Rajamani, Beekeeper

“I promote organic alternatives to pesticides and help farmers understand the importance of indigenous plants and trees in the production of more honey.” — Apoorva BV, beekeeper, bee conservationist, Bengaluru

“My social media organically blossomed into a platform for raising awareness and conducting workshops for people on the significance of pollinators.” — Poorva Lalbhai, beekeeper, Gujarat