Idukki: If residents in Kerala panchayats bordering forest areas live in fear of four-legged beasts, for the people of Rajakumari panchayat, the menace was in the air: Indian black bees. They flew around with an ominous whir, leaving people with swollen lips, cheeks, and eyes and even causing deaths.
As many as 40 hives hung from a towering tree hovering over the residential colony. A flicker of light set off dangerous raids by the swarm of bees on houses. The bees triggered such dread among the villagers that they even threatened road blockades and protests at the panchayat office.

The panchayat authorities eventually gave in and it took three days to remove the hives from the tree. An entire settlement comprising 60 individuals had to be shifted to the community hall until the mission ended. "People here were finding it hard to even go out or work peacefully. They were forced to stay without lights in the evening. A slight disturbance would cause the bees to fly straight to the houses. A few years ago, a person died after being stung by honey bees. We first contacted the fire force authorities, who said they couldn't destroy the hives. When we approached the forest department, they said it was for the panchayat to save the life and property of the people. Eventually, they helped us find a professional to remove the hives," said Suma Biju, panchayat president.

There had been previous attempts to remove the bee hives. The authorities initially planned that residents could be shifted for a day and the hives could be removed the same day. "Our plan failed on the first day as there was moonlight and bees were moving around. We could do it in three days, and till then, the people had to be taken care of. It was like opening a relief camp in times of a natural disaster," Suma said. Both the forest department and the police cooperated to ensure that the task was successful. The KSEB cut off the supply to the area to avoid any danger, Suma added.

Das, who lives just 10 metres from the tree, said the bees have been a constant nuisance for several years. "We could not even step outside, as the bees would chase anyone and everyone. My brother-in-law was stung and taken to the hospital; it took almost a week for the swelling to subside.

“Children as young as one and a half or two years old were stung. People who would wake up early to go to work couldn’t even switch on the lights or light a fire, as the bees would get attracted to it,” Das added. “We kept raising complaints for a long time until the panchayat took it upon themselves to address the issue.”

Heavy winds, extremely humid temperatures and even other birds, such as eagles, hitting the hives would set the bees off. The rest will follow once a bee gets attracted to a light source. People would run to take cover but to no avail," said Mani, another resident.

Abdul Shuckoor, a government-certified snake handler and a local wildlife management expert who removed the bee hives, explained that the bees were part of the Karinjodiyan (Indian black bee) group and were venomous. "Karinjodiyan bee stings are dangerous. We needed to be extremely careful while handling them. I had to make sure neither the bees nor the people were hurt in the process," Shuckoor said.

"We worked from 8 pm to 4.30 am each night, as removing them during the day was impossible. The bees are active then," Shuckoor said. The panchayat had to shell out over ₹1 lakh from their own fund to fend off honey bees. The residents hope that they are gone for good.