The sun is shining in the Eki Naryn valley, but despite the perfect weather Tynychtyk Satarov wears a thick jacket and a net veil as he works. Satarov's heavy clothing is designed to protect him from bees, but he's been stung so often that it no longer bothers him much.
The 36-year-old beekeeper has kept hives for more than 10 years. From May until August, he moves around Kyrgyzstan hunting for the flower fields where his bees can graze for nectar. Today Satarov's entire family is engaged in the honey business. His father and brother work with the bees while his wife acts as the operation's saleswoman at their home in Bishkek. The beekeeper's two young sons are also helping throughout their summer vacation.
"My brother set up his beehive over there on the other side of the mountain," Satarov says, pointing south. "And I work here with my father and my boys."
Satarov's beehives are on a mobile trailer, allowing the bees to be transported from one Kyrgyz meadow to another. "I'll start from Shu region, then move to Issyk-Kul and from there to the Naryn region. Eki Naryn is the last stop," Satarov explains. "Soon we will receive the last honey of the season, then we'll return to Bishkek."
But the work will not end with the summer. "After that, we will take care of the bees; they need to be prepared for winter," the apiarist says. Eki Naryn is where the mountain rivers of Big Naryn and Small Naryn meet to form the Naryn River, one of the most important water sources of Central Asia. The Naryn crosses the Ferghana plain and eventually joins the Syr Darya River in Uzbekistan.
According to Satarov, the honey collected from the Eki Naryn Valley has healing properties, making it highly sought after.
"The higher you climb the mountains, the better. You can't collect as much honey here as down in the plains, but the honey here is clean and very flavorful." More than 15 species of flowers grow high in these mountains. "That is why Naryn honey is highly valued in Kyrgyzstan," Satarov says.
The family try to place their apiary near flower fields so their bees spend more time gathering nectar and less energy flying to find flowers.
The air buzzes with tens of thousands of bees around the mobile hives. Bees land on my camera and cluster on my hands. Only the beekeeping suit loaned to me by Satarov allows me to stand in the middle of the storm of bees.
The Satarov family now has 130 beehives and more than 30,000 bees. "Ten thousand of them collect nectar while the rest work in the hive," the beekeeper explains. "They also have a lot of work to do."
Satarov says he enjoys the work. The labor is light, and he earns enough to support his family throughout the year.
The hardest part was beginning the business, the beekeeper says. He spent a lot of time and money converting an old trailer into an apiary. But with a background in welding, the beekeeper was able to build the trailer by hand with his father's help.
As well as holding hives, the wagon features a sleeping area with bunk beds, a workspace where honey is gathered, and a dining area.
Rysbek Satarov, the eldest of the beekeeping family, is 64. He recently retired and now devotes all his time to the family's bees, and helping to raise his grandchildren. But he believes working in nature is good for him. "If we didn't have this apiary, I would just be leaning on a stick at home," the pensioner jokes.
The Satarovs sell much of their harvest directly to consumers which brings the most profit, but much of the honey is sold to wholesale buyers. A kilogram of mountain honey sells for 500-600 soms (around $6-7).
According to the beekeepers, the harvest size is heavily dependent on the weather. During mild summers, flowers thrive and the hives end up heavy with honey.
But climate change is affecting beekeepers here. Summers are growing hotter, and the beekeepers climb the mountains in search of cool meadows.
Satarov says the waterways of the Eki Naryn Valley make it an ideal place for beekeeping. "The grass is nutritious on the banks of the river and there are many flowers."
Recently, the Satarovs were able to harvest some rare "white honey" from saffron growing in Naryn. Some believe the honey is able to relieve pain and even help fight cancer.
The beekeeper has heard about the mass death of bees in many developed countries but says he has not seen any increase in mortality of his own bees.
"If bees are dying in our region, it's because farmers are using a lot of chemicals on their crops. Today, nothing is grown without chemicals," Satarov says. "Strawberries, raspberries, apples -- everything is grown with chemicals. I buy fruits and vegetables only from farmers I've known for many years. I try not to buy from strangers, and I never give [their products] to my children."
After the mountain meadows have bloomed and all the honey is collected, the Satarov family will pack up their beehive and head back to the city. Satarov hopes the climate of Kyrgyzstan will allow for many more years of beekeeping and says he dreams that "not only my children, but also my grandchildren will be engaged in this business."
This is the first installment of a series of photo stories from the Syr Darya River and its tributaries. The great waterway passes from the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, through Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and finally into the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan. Photo correspondent Petr Trotsenko, from RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, followed the length of the river to document how it sustains life in Central Asia, and spoke to experts about the current state of this vital waterway.
