Honey-tasting, hive-watching on bee walk

Ghatkopar resident Asha Bhayani had her eye on her watch as she attended Saturday’s special No TV Day bee walk.

Ghatkopar resident Asha Bhayani had her eye on her watch as she attended Saturday’s special No TV Day bee walk.

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“I’m also joining the run at 5 pm, but I could not miss this opportunity to enjoy nature,” says the 60-year-old. “This has been so different and interesting. I can’t wait to tell my daughter, who is studying science, all about it.”

Bhayani was among 20 people who signed up for a special bee walk organised by NGO Under The Mango Tree at the Maharashtra Nature Park in Mahim.

Besides learning about the military-style life of bees and how they collect pollen and build their hives, participants also enjoyed an indulgent honey-tasting session where they sampled varieties of honey from across the country.

“It was beautiful to see bees in their natural habitat,” said Hema Sah, who attended with her neighbour, Ranu Iyer, and their three children. “We homeschool our kids, and it was a happy coincidence that the botany block of their curriculum overlapped with this walk. This session was more enriching than anything you could read in books or watch on a show.”

For participant Caitan Pinto, 43, the walk was also a chance to explore his lifelong dream of owning his own bee farm. “No simulated show could do justice to the actual experience of seeing hives and honeycombs up close,” he said. “I now plan to get professional help from this organisation to convert my plot in Kurad, Satara, into a bee farm.”