Alwar/New Delhi, Aug. 20 -- Bablu Saini took to apiculture-beekeeping-many moons ago. Living next to the Chidiyapur forest range in the hill state of Uttarakhand, not far from the popular pilgrimage site of Haridwar, Saini would avidly watch roving beekeepers who arrived with their bee boxes every year when the forests were in bloom. They came to collect multi-floral forest honey, a highly sought-after delicacy.

From migratory beekeepers, Saini learnt the primordial rules of a bee colony. That there can be only one queen in a box. That she may be killed by worker bees or will have to leave the colony when she gets old and her egg-laying capacity declines. A new queen is raised by workers whose lifespan is just a few weeks. The endless cy...