India's migratory beekeepers and their hives follow the flowers to make the honey flow

BINNABARI, India (AP) — The beekeepers rise early. They've come a long way to spend the winter months in the electric yellow mustard fields of Assam, and they have to make the trip worth it.

At dawn, they eat a simple breakfast and won't eat again until dusk. They'll spend all day checking the hives, smoking them to disperse the bees so they can collect thick golden honeycombs to be sold overseas.

It's a demanding job. Stings are a fact of life. At night, the workers settle in under blue tarpaulins and think of the families they've left behind, sometimes for months at a time, to move their wooden bee boxes to this place. But the harvest is a way to make ends meet.

“I earn an income, that’s why I do business,” said Karan Raj, a beekeeper from Bihar.

Migratory beekeepers have moved their colonies of bees from field to field for decades in India, following the bloom of flowers to help farmers with pollination and collecting the honey.

The practice is relatively new but growing in Assam, where local and migratory beekeepers alike are turning to the farms in the region to support what they say is a growing demand for honey. But climate change threatens all that. Beekeepers are persisting in the face of floods, more powerful monsoons and extreme heat, as well as development that changes the landscapes bees rely on.

“If the weather is fine, the production will be fine. If the weather spoils, then there is no production. Weather has an effect. The weather needs to be good,” said Ranjeet Kumar, another beekeeper.

Assam, nestled east of Bangladesh and south of the Himalayas, is a region where the extremes of climate change have already unleashed catastrophe as human-caused warming makes rainfall more intense and erratic. Flooding and landslides in 2024 killed over 100 people, and many farmers have seen their crops destroyed and had to evacuate repeatedly.

“The pattern of rain is changing,” said Mukul Kumar Deka, who studies honeybees and other pollinators at Assam Agricultural University. When it's too dry for too long, there's less nectar available. When it's too hot or too rainy, the bees stay in their hives.

Assam is now seeing over 20 more heat-wave days than it did 10 years ago, and both average maximum temperatures and nighttime low temperatures have increased by about 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), according to 2025 research from Madhya Kamrup College in Assam.

“Nowadays most of the farmers are getting less honey,” Deka said.

Migratory beekeepers usually use Western honeybees, a departure from the practice of many traditional growers who keep local species of bees.

Those local species, however, are in some cases under greater threat due to extreme weather and human development of projects like highways that plow through their habitats.

“The bees that are in the trees, the ones that are in the forest, those bees have reduced drastically,” Raj said. For the Western ones, "we feed them sugar and raise them, and this is why they survive, as long as we care for them."

As more migratory beekeepers turn to Assam and bring commercial honeybees with them, that could create competition with small farmers who are increasingly turning to beekeeping for money. “If we try to rear the Western honeybee in more numbers, there will be a problem to our indigenous species,” Deka said.

But some programs still encourage farmers to rear local bees and it's especially critical for small farmers living below the poverty line. Besides selling honey, the pollination helps their crops, said Sujana Krishnamoorthy, executive director of the Under the Mango Tree Society, a nonprofit that teaches beekeeping to small farmers.

“We’re also having to train farmers on how to better manage climate events," Krishnamoorthy said. But beekeeping still helps. They become a little more resilient to climate change because they get extra income from honey products as well as improved pollination that increases crop yields. She added that many of the traditional crops grown by small farmers, like hedgerow or medicinal plants, are still fairly climate-resilient.

Despite climate change, experts think beekeeping will persist. In some cases, the government is subsidizing beekeeping equipment, said Deka of Assam Agricultural University.

“There may be ups and downs, but ultimately beekeeping will be sustained here,” Deka said.

Follow Melina Walling on X @MelinaWalling and Bluesky @melinawalling.bsky.social.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

A migratory beekeeper prepares dinner in a makeshift tent as others relax after work at a bee colony near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Migratory beekeepers sit in a makeshift tent at a bee colony near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A migratory beekeeper checks the quality of honey at a bee colony near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A migratory beekeeper extracts honey from beehives near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A migratory beekeeper sprays smoke on a beehive to keep the bees away before extracting honey near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A migratory beekeeper pours water on a jute bag as bees come to drink near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A migratory beekeeper prepares to keep a queen bee inside a container near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A migratory beekeeper checks a beehive at a colony near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A bee flies as others sit on a bee box at a colony near a mustard field in the Bodomukh village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A migratory beekeeper shows a bee on his finger near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A migratory beekeeper, left, carries a bee box as another extracts honey near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A migratory beekeeper holds a piece of a beehive in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Migratory beekeepers work near bee boxes at mustard fields in the Mushalpur village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A migratory beekeeper checks the beehives near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A migratory beekeeper carries a bee box to place near a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Migratory beekeepers work near bee boxes at a mustard field in the Binnabari village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A migratory beekeeper carries a bee box to place near a mustard field in the Bodomukh village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Migratory beekeepers unload a bee box from a truck to place near a mustard field in the Bodomukh village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A bee flies over mustard plants near a migratory bee colony in the Mushalpur village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A migratory beekeeper carries a bee box to place near a mustard field in the Mushalpur village in Baksa district of Assam, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Savannah Guthrie 's family is “at an hour of desperation” in the search her missing mother, the “Today” show host said in a video released Monday, just hours before a purported ransom deadline apparently set by Nancy Guthrie ’s abductors.

Savannah Guthrie didn’t mention the deadline in the video, saying her family continues to believe their 84-year-old mother is out there and hearing everyone’s prayers.

“She was taken and we don’t know where and we need your help,” Guthrie said in the video posted on Instagram that urged people nationwide to be on the lookout. “No matter where you are, even if you’re far from Tucson, if you see anything, if you hear anything.”

The mysterious disappearance and search has riveted the U.S. — from President Donald Trump who spoke with Savannah Guthrie last week to the online sleuths who’ve flooded social media with tips, theories and rumors.

Multiple press outlets have received alleged ransom letters during the past week. At least one letter made monetary demands and set deadlines for receiving the money. The first deadline passed last Thursday but a second one was set for Monday evening.

Law enforcement officials declined to affirm that the letters were credible but said all tips were being investigated seriously.

Authorities say they have growing concerns about Nancy Guthrie’s health because she needs daily medication. She is said to have a pacemaker and has dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.

Investigators returned to Nancy Guthrie's Arizona neighborhood several times over the weekend, ahead of a Monday evening deadline set by her purported abductors who sent ransom notes demanding money for her return.

Savannah Guthrie said over the weekend that the family was prepared to pay for her mother’s return.

“We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her,” she said in a video posted Saturday. “This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”

Authorities believe Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will from her home just outside Tucson. She was last seen there on Jan. 31 and reported missing the next day after not attending church services. DNA tests showed blood on Guthrie’s front porch was a match to her and her doorbell camera was disconnected in the early hours of Sunday morning, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said.

Outside the home on Monday, neighbors strolled by on their morning jogs and walks, while a county sheriff's deputy remained stationed out front.

Detectives and agents carried out follow-up work at multiple locations over the weekend as part of the investigation, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Sunday. “Investigators have not identified any suspects, persons of interest, or vehicles connected to this case,” the department said.

Investigators on Saturday were inside daughter Annie Guthrie’s home, about 4 miles (6 kilometers) from Nancy Guthrie's house. On Sunday, an investigator was seen using a pole to search an underground tank behind Nancy Guthrie’s home.

A person walks a dog as members of the Pima County sheriffs office remains outside of Nancy Guthrie's home, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

A member of the Pima County sheriffs office remains outside of Nancy Guthrie's home, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

FILE - This image provided by the Pima County Sheriff's Department on Feb. 2, 2026, shows a missing person alert for Nancy Guthrie. (Pima County Sheriff's Department via AP, File)

A member of the Pima County sheriffs office stands by his truck looking at Nancy Guthrie‘s house, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Ariz., on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026 (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Lit candles next to a sign from neighbors supporting the Guthrie family outside of Nancy Guthrie’s house in the early morning hours of Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026 in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)