Apis dorsata, the majestic rock bees that migrate across India’s skies and our city skylines, deserve the same rights to live, move, and regenerate that have now been formally recognised for stingless bees in Peru. At The Hive Trust, we see their story in Bangalore and places like Chikkamagalur as a call to action—vital pollinators under threat, yet beacons of hope through our conservation work.
Stingless Bees of Peru: A Legal Milestone
In 2025, Peru’s Satipo province in the Amazon recognised native stingless bees as legal “subjects of rights” within the Avireri-Vraem Biosphere Reserve.
These bees now hold rights to exist, regenerate, maintain healthy populations, have habitats restored, and be defended in court against violations.
This Rights of Nature declaration reflects Latin America’s growing movement, where rivers, forests, and insects gain intrinsic legal value beyond human utility.
Indigenous-led campaigns emphasise stingless bees’ cultural and ecological roles in sustaining Amazon forests.
Rights for Rock Bees: Our Urgent Plea
Apis dorsata, India’s giant migratory rock bee, builds vast open-air combs on cliffs, trees, and urban high-rises, pollinating crops and wild flora across the subcontinent.
Studies reveal sharp declines in their populations over decades, driven by habitat loss, pesticides, and mass killings.
In Bengaluru, 1980s-to-2010s surveys show up to 90% colony reductions from deliberate hive destruction. (https://in.boell.org/en/2021/01/07/pollinators-urban-age?utm_source=perplexity)
Yet these bees anchor ecosystems, supporting birds, insects, and trees—we at The Hive Trust witness their keystone role daily.
Indian laws mention bees as wildlife but offer no explicit rights to exist or regenerate, leaving them vulnerable.
Like Peru’s bees, rock bees merit legal personhood: the right to migrate and nest without lethal interference.
Chikkamagalur Tragedy: A Wake-Up Call
Fear fuels violence against bees in urban India.
In Bengaluru, hundreds of Apis dorsata colonies face daily extermination via chemicals, often from panicked calls to pest control.
Chikkamagalur exemplifies this: a prominent hive triggers nighttime assaults—torching or spraying—leaving thousands dead, dismissed as “pest management.”
Authorities at the government medical college in Chikkamagaluru destroyed 83 beehives on campus to ensure student safety following bee-related concerns.A team was hired for the operation at ₹1,000 per hive, allegedly using chemicals that killed large numbers of bees.
Each loss erases a migratory society; under rights frameworks, this becomes a profound violation.
If Peru defends stingless bees in court, why not prosecute rock bee killings in Chikkamagalur or Bengaluru as rights abuses?
The Hive Trust: Pioneering Coexistence in Bangalore
At The Hive Trust, we lead urban bee conservation in Bengaluru, reframing Apis dorsata as cherished residents, not intruders.
Our mission honours their ancient migrations through forests turned concrete.
We deliver:
-Conflict resolution: Counselling residents and RWAs on hive sightings, promoting humane relocation over killing.
Awareness drives: Talks, walks, and media campaigns celebrating rock bees as city pollinators tied to seasonal blooms.
School programs: Interactive workshops igniting children’s empathy for pollinators, fostering future stewards.
Rural empowerment: Beekeeping training for tribal communities, blending wild bee protection with ethical livelihoods.
Each saved hive builds a shield; in a city losing hundreds daily, we cultivate respect over fear.
A Call for Apis Dorsata Rights
Peru’s precedent inspires us at The Hive Trust to advocate rock bee rights in India: to exist, migrate, nest, and regenerate.
We push for:
Policies: Municipal rules protecting urban rock bees, mandating non-lethal protocols.
Declarations: Local charters granting pollinator rights, from Western Ghats to Bengaluru.
Protocols: RWAs and schools adopting coexistence pledges, contacting us before pest control.
Rock bee swarms on Bengaluru towers or Chikkamagalur college follow timeless paths predating our structures.
Granting them rights means sharing the sky with grace, as Peru does—ensuring pollinators thrive for generations.
-Apoorva
Chairman
The Hive Trust
