LESSONS TO LEARN FROM BEES

With its high mountains, fertile plains, valleys and fresh dams, Hatta is currently home to around 50 honey producers. ‘The weather here is ideal for the rearing of our specialty ‘Saskatraz’ queen bees,’ says Manea Ahmad Al Kaabi, master beekeeper and General Director of Hatta Honey.

Al Kaabi grew up in the mountains in Hatta and comes from a long line of beekeepers. ‘As a child, I would see natural hives in the wild, and have personally witnessed the change from the traditional ways of beekeeping in the region when hives were fashioned from the cut-out sections of palm trees.

‘As new methods and techniques evolved, beekeepers also had to adapt to keep their hives healthy. Soon people would come to see the hives, the bees and to spot the queen, and we realised there was genuine interest in understanding the techniques of honey production and beekeeping. That is how the idea of setting up the Hatta Honey Bee Garden came about.’

The Garden is now open to students and tourists to educate them about the methods of scientific queen beekeeping. ‘Plans are also afoot to offer an intensive training course for those interested in bee keeping,’ he adds. ‘Customers will also be given the opportunity to adopt bee hives and produce their own honey.’

Even after spending an entire lifetime in beekeeping, what continues to fascinate Al Kaabi is the “ability of the bees in a colony to work as a team. They are very organised and systematic, can adapt to whatever environment they are in, and work towards one common goal with no conflict of interest. That is something, we as humans, ought to emulate from these tiny industrious creatures.’

To book a tour at the Hatta Honey Bee Garden, call 056 499 6405. Or visit hattahoney.ae