Drones (male bees) and worker bees (female bees) in a boxed hive

Atar Singh (front left) with farmer Jhula Mahado who has just collected honey
Extracting fresh honey from the comes – the first of the season
Jhula Mahado’s hard work has finally paid off
Atar is fearless when it comes to bees – he works without any protective clothing
To ensure the program’s success, Bhumikar Tulalwars meets tribal farmers every month
Somu Sotru is a ‘honey hunter’ – an unsustainable tradition that has led to a decline in bees
Somu Sotru opens his bee box only to find that it’s empty
The hive has been infested by the wax moth and the bees have absconded
Sumat Sotru in traditional tribal women’s dress
A healthy bee box where worker bees are busy working on new combs
Atar inspects Somar Devji Maghi’s hive. Somar earns just over 200 US each year from his farm
Atar (far right) teaches farmers how to recognise a healthy hive
This delicate comb will grow and be filled with honey in a few months time