Migratory beekeepers in India’s Assam state travel from mustard farm to mustard farm timing their visits for when the flowers bloom. It's been done for decades in India, but is relatively new in Assam, where beekeepers and farmers are seeking to capitalize on what they say is growing demand for honey.
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Here's how to cope with in-flight anxietySome people tape their mouths shut at night. Doctors wish they wouldn'tMeta and YouTube to face claims of social media addiction in children in landmark trialTourists stopped from seeing The Last Supper, while Olympic VIPs including Vance visitPor qué China construye tantas termoeléctricas a carbón pese a su auge solar y eólicoClimateA migratory beekeeper carries a bee box to place near a mustard field in the Mushalpur village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A bee flies over mustard plants near a migratory bee colony in the Mushalpur village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. Migratory beekeepers unload a bee box from a truck to place near a mustard field in the Bodomukh village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A migratory beekeeper carries a bee box to place near a mustard field in the Bodomukh village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. Migratory beekeepers work near bee boxes at a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. A migratory beekeeper carries a bee box to place near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A migratory beekeeper checks the beehives near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. Migratory beekeepers work near bee boxes at mustard fields in the Mushalpur village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. A migratory beekeeper holds a piece of a beehive in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. A migratory beekeeper, left, carries a bee box as another extracts honey near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. A migratory beekeeper shows a bee on his finger near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. A bee flies as others sit on a bee box at a colony near a mustard field in the Bodomukh village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A migratory beekeeper checks a beehive at a colony near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A migratory beekeeper prepares to keep a queen bee inside a container near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A migratory beekeeper pours water on a jute bag as bees come to drink near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. A migratory beekeeper sprays smoke on a beehive to keep the bees away before extracting honey near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A migratory beekeeper extracts honey from beehives near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. A migratory beekeeper checks the quality of honey at a bee colony near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Migratory beekeepers sit in a makeshift tent at a bee colony near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. A migratory beekeeper prepares dinner in a makeshift tent as others relax after work at a bee colony near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. A migratory beekeeper carries a bee box to place near a mustard field in the Mushalpur village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A migratory beekeeper carries a bee box to place near a mustard field in the Mushalpur village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A bee flies over mustard plants near a migratory bee colony in the Mushalpur village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. A bee flies over mustard plants near a migratory bee colony in the Mushalpur village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. Migratory beekeepers unload a bee box from a truck to place near a mustard field in the Bodomukh village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. Migratory beekeepers unload a bee box from a truck to place near a mustard field in the Bodomukh village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A migratory beekeeper carries a bee box to place near a mustard field in the Bodomukh village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A migratory beekeeper carries a bee box to place near a mustard field in the Bodomukh village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. Migratory beekeepers work near bee boxes at a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. Migratory beekeepers work near bee boxes at a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. A migratory beekeeper carries a bee box to place near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A migratory beekeeper carries a bee box to place near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A migratory beekeeper checks the beehives near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. A migratory beekeeper checks the beehives near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. Migratory beekeepers work near bee boxes at mustard fields in the Mushalpur village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. Migratory beekeepers work near bee boxes at mustard fields in the Mushalpur village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. A migratory beekeeper holds a piece of a beehive in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. A migratory beekeeper holds a piece of a beehive in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. A migratory beekeeper, left, carries a bee box as another extracts honey near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. A migratory beekeeper, left, carries a bee box as another extracts honey near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. A migratory beekeeper shows a bee on his finger near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. A migratory beekeeper shows a bee on his finger near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. A bee flies as others sit on a bee box at a colony near a mustard field in the Bodomukh village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A bee flies as others sit on a bee box at a colony near a mustard field in the Bodomukh village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A migratory beekeeper checks a beehive at a colony near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A migratory beekeeper checks a beehive at a colony near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A migratory beekeeper prepares to keep a queen bee inside a container near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A migratory beekeeper prepares to keep a queen bee inside a container near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A migratory beekeeper pours water on a jute bag as bees come to drink near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. A migratory beekeeper pours water on a jute bag as bees come to drink near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. A migratory beekeeper sprays smoke on a beehive to keep the bees away before extracting honey near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A migratory beekeeper sprays smoke on a beehive to keep the bees away before extracting honey near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. A migratory beekeeper extracts honey from beehives near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. A migratory beekeeper extracts honey from beehives near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. A migratory beekeeper checks the quality of honey at a bee colony near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. A migratory beekeeper checks the quality of honey at a bee colony near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Migratory beekeepers sit in a makeshift tent at a bee colony near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. Migratory beekeepers sit in a makeshift tent at a bee colony near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. A migratory beekeeper prepares dinner in a makeshift tent as others relax after work at a bee colony near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. A migratory beekeeper prepares dinner in a makeshift tent as others relax after work at a bee colony near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. BINNABARI, India — The beekeepers rise early. They’ve come a long way to spend the winter months in the electric yellow mustard fields of Assam, and they have to make the trip worth it. At dawn, they eat a simple breakfast and won’t eat again until dusk. They’ll spend all day checking the hives, smoking them to disperse the bees so they can collect thick golden honeycombs to be sold overseas. It’s a demanding job. Stings are a fact of life. At night, the workers settle in under blue tarpaulins and think of the families they’ve left behind, sometimes for months at a time, to move their wooden bee boxes to this place. But the harvest is a way to make ends meet.Migratory beekeepers have moved their colonies of bees from field to field for decades in India, following the bloom of flowers to help farmers with pollination and collecting the honey. The practice is relatively new but growing in Assam, where local and migratory beekeepers alike are turning to the farms in the region to support what they say is a growing demand for honey. But climate change threatens all that. Beekeepers are persisting in the face of floods, more powerful monsoons and extreme heat, as well as development that changes the landscapes bees rely on. “If the weather is fine, the production will be fine. If the weather spoils, then there is no production. Weather has an effect. The weather needs to be good,” said Ranjeet Kumar, another beekeeper.Flooding and landslides in 2024 “The pattern of rain is changing,” said Mukul Kumar Deka, who studies honeybees and other pollinators at Assam Agricultural University. When it’s too dry for too long, there’s less nectar available. When it’s too hot or too rainy, the bees stay in their hives. Assam is now seeing over 20 more heat-wave days than it did 10 years ago, and both average maximum temperatures and nighttime low temperatures have increased by about 2 degrees Celsius , according to 2025 research from Madhya Kamrup College in Assam.Those local species, however, are in some cases under greater threat due to extreme weather and human development of projects like highways that plow through their habitats. “The bees that are in the trees, the ones that are in the forest, those bees have reduced drastically,” Raj said. For the Western ones, “we feed them sugar and raise them, and this is why they survive, as long as we care for them.” As more migratory beekeepers turn to Assam and bring commercial honeybees with them, that could create competition with small farmers who are increasingly turning to beekeeping for money. “If we try to rear the Western honeybee in more numbers, there will be a problem to our indigenous species,” Deka said. But some programs still encourage farmers to rear local bees and it’s especially critical for small farmers living below the poverty line. Besides selling honey, the pollination helps their crops, said Sujana Krishnamoorthy, executive director of the Under the Mango Tree Society, a nonprofit that teaches beekeeping to small farmers. “We’re also having to train farmers on how to better manage climate events,” Krishnamoorthy said. But beekeeping still helps. They become a little more resilient to climate change because they get extra income from honey products as well as improved pollination that increases crop yields. She added that many of the traditional crops grown by small farmers, like hedgerow or medicinal plants, are still fairly climate-resilient. Despite climate change, experts think beekeeping will persist. In some cases, the government is subsidizing beekeeping equipment, said Deka of Assam Agricultural University.The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’sWalling covers the intersections of climate change and agriculture in the Midwest and beyond for The Associated Press. She is based in Chicago.
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