Villagers from Dhank find joy in raising bees

While a lot of people may be scared of bees because of their painful sting, the people of Dhank have not only gotten accustomed to living with bees they’ve nurtured a relationship that has become mutually beneficial for both species.

Beekeeping is one of the activities that many people are practising in the Wilayat of Dhank in Al Dhahirah Governorate, due to the wilayat’s topographical and physical structures making its environment ideal for Omani honey production. Characterised by fertile valleys with numerous plants and trees growing, bees are attracted to this part of Oman because of the thriving sumr trees which flowers locally called Al Baram are a favourite.

While humans raised them for the honey they create, bees are helping back through pollination which is an important factor in fruits and crops production.

In addition to beekeeping in farms and homes, some harvest honey from the mountains, where the mountains of Dhank are famous for the presence of local beehives or the so-called Abu Tuwaiq, and the process of searching for beehives in the mountains requires skill and experience in terms of tracking bees to reach the location of the hive.

Some villages of the wilayat are famous for their abundance of production, such as the village of “Belt”, which is 60 km from the centre of the wilayat. It is a mountainous isolated nature far from city centres and the mild weather and the spread of trees in the valleys and mountains helped the people to pay attention to beekeeping and honey production.