Mustard season is coming: how beekeepers and farmers both gain
Mustard flowers from late autumn into January, and it is the biggest honey season of the year. How bee boxes raise the farmer's yield, and how to agree spraying so the bees survive.
Beekeeping (apiculture) in Bangladesh — honey and beeswax
Keeping bees for honey and beeswax. The mustard, litchi and Sundarbans seasons, training and markets.
20–25 thousand t
Honey collected in 2024TBS, 2024
80 %
Share of honey collected in the mustard seasonDaily Star, 2021
15 %
Estimated rise in mustard yield from bee pollinationDaily Star, 2021
25,000
Estimated beekeepersDaily Star, 2021
Key points for farmers
- The season runs from November to April: mustard, coriander, black cumin, litchi and the Sundarbans.
- Talk to the landowner before placing boxes in a mustard field; pollination raises their yield too.
- Pesticide sprayed during flowering kills bees, so agree spraying times with farmers.
- Take beekeeping training from BSCIC or the agriculture office before you start.
- Store honey in clean, dry, covered containers; good-quality honey sells for more.
For treatment and medicine doses, always ask your Upazila livestock or fisheries office or a registered vet.
Help in Bangladesh4
Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC)বাংলাদেশ ক্ষুদ্র ও কুটির শিল্প কর্পোরেশন (বিসিক)
Link to confirmHas run a beekeeping project and training, and set up a honey processing centre.
Bangladesh Institute of Apicultureবাংলাদেশ ইনস্টিটিউট অব এপিকালচার
Link to confirmDhaka-based non-government institute: beekeeping research, training, bee boxes and honey extractors.
Bee and Honey Associationমৌমাছি ও মধু সংগঠন (বি অ্যান্ড হানি অ্যাসোসিয়েশন)
Link to confirmOver 26,000 members; organises the National Bee and Honey Conference.
Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) — mustard and pollinationকৃষি সম্প্রসারণ অধিদপ্তর (DAE) — সরিষা ও পরাগায়ন
CheckedWhere and when mustard is grown; links beekeepers with farmers.
International help3
Apimondia (International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations)এপিমন্ডিয়া (আন্তর্জাতিক মৌচাষি ফেডারেশন)
CheckedFederation of the world's beekeeping associations; honey standards and international congresses.
Bees for Developmentবিস ফর ডেভেলপমেন্ট
Link to confirmSupports livelihoods through beekeeping in poorer regions; training materials.
FAO — bees and pollinationFAO — মৌমাছি ও পরাগায়ন
Link to confirmUN guidance on pollinators and beekeeping.
Sources
From the blog
Every sector in one place
Beyond crops: separate pages for livestock, poultry, dairy, fish and bees.
LivestockRaising cattle, goats, sheep and buffalo for meat, milk, hides and fibre. Government and expert help on vaccination, treatment, breeds and markets in one place.PoultryRaising chickens, ducks and turkeys for meat and eggs. Help on chicks, feed, vaccination, bird flu and fair prices.DairyFarming focused on milk. Help on collection, cooperatives, feed, breeding and fair prices.FishRaising fish, shrimp and crab in controlled or natural waters. Help on fry, feed, water quality and markets.InternationalThe world bodies that give farmers, livestock keepers, fish farmers and beekeepers free knowledge, training and standards, arranged by sector.