How beekeeping can boost rooftop gardening
Maintaining bee colonies in man-made beehives is an awe-inspiring idea, but is it worth the time and effort?
Rooftop gardening has become a popular practice in urban areas nowadays but rooftop beekeeping is a relatively new concept in the country. Apparently, it is a game changer in urban gardening.
According to experts, bees are champion pollinators and play a pivotal role in enhancing rooftop garden productivity. The absence of these pollinators hinders flower and fruit yields.
Maintaining bee colonies in man-made beehives is an awe-inspiring idea, but is it worth the time and effort? How can one do it properly? A stall at the 15-day tree fair arranged at Shirish Tola of the Central Railway Building (CRB) of Chattogram city might have the answers.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Alwan Honey Museum and Research Centre, owned by researcher Syed Mohammed Mainul Anwar, adorned its stall (No 15) with various coastal saplings from the Sundarbans, including Garan, Sundari, Gewa and more.
A small wooden box in the stall captured the attention of fair attendees, especially youngsters, with an enthralling view of bees darting in and out of the box. Within the stall, another natural spectacle unfolds as a group of honeybees has taken residence on the bark of several Sundarbans trees.
This captivating display has generated considerable excitement and curiosity among people, showcasing the potential for sustainable urban practices of rooftop beekeeping.
Mainul Anwar's unique initiative is aimed at beautifying the urban landscape as well as bolstering bee populations and safeguarding biodiversity.
While talking to The Business Standard, Mainul Anwar emphasised bees' pivotal role in pollination for both environmental and commercial purposes, underlining their decline due to deforestation, air and environmental pollution, and climate change.
"This alarming global trend is disrupting food production. Urgent efforts are needed to address these challenges and safeguard the crucial role of bees in our ecosystems," he added.
Roof gardening gains traction as a leading agricultural technique nationwide. While this concept is new in the country, global instances of rooftop beekeeping abound in hotels, corporations and homes, notably in China, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia.
Mainul Anwar advocates for integrating beekeeping, even in compact spaces, as a solution. This synergy between rooftop gardens and beekeeping could revolutionise urban agriculture.
The rooftop garden of SS Fashion Wear, a green factory, in the port city's Raufabad area now thrives thanks to Mainul Anwar's beekeeping concept. Shahjahan Liton, MD of SS Fashion, initiated the garden, only to find its flowers lacked pollination, hindering growth.
With the help of Mainul Anwar, SS Fashion commenced beekeeping in March, resulting in abundant flowers, growing fruits and a swift honey harvest. Liton is pleased with the positive outcomes yielded within a short timeframe.
Mainul Anwar notes that among five types of bees in Bangladesh, Apis cerana are easy to rear in rooftop gardens. His initiative offers a Tk7,000-10,000 package, including a bee house, frames, 10,000 bees, and training. Alwan Honey Research Centre ensures bee care for four months.
Besides Chattogram, beekeeping is going on at rooftop gardens in Dhaka's Mirpur and Jatrabari.
According to Dr Mohammad Omar Farooq Russel, an associate professor in the Department of Botany at Chittagong University, "The concept of rooftop beekeeping is innovative. To ensure the success of rooftop beekeeping, it's advisable to cultivate a diverse range of plants that can coexist harmoniously. This approach helps prevent potential food shortages for the bees."
