A house in Chennai certified green by bees

House at Nallappa Street in Chromepet, Chennai is besieged by trees — trees grown over a period of 35 years. And, in a neem tree one finds humongous beehives

One does not have to tell others what they are doing if the spirit of that activity permeates their entire being, surrounds them on all sides and hovers over them. M. Sreedhar does not have to tell the world he is invested in trees. It is out there to be seen.

His house at Nallappa Street in Chromepet is besieged by trees — trees grown over a period of 35 years.

Not just the 28 trees within his compound wall, he can call every tree on Nallappa Street by their vernacular and botanical names — a natural outcome of being in the forefront of neighbourhood greening efforts, along with similarly green-thinking residents. The reward for this commitment is displayed right in his den.

On May 5, 2024, when The Hindu Downtown visited Nallappa Street for a ringside view of the a survey by tree conservation NGO Nizhal of the greenery three, bees had adorned a neem tree at M. Sreedhar’s house with a humongous hive.

This neem tree knows a thing or two about beehives, as it keeps hosting bees continuously. The tree always gets to sport a new beehive. Bees work overtime around his house, going tree-hopping and creating giant-sized beehives on this tall neem tree.

He remarks the current beehive came up at an incredibly nifty pace — in around half-a-month’s time. An old beehive, shrunken and on the verge of falling, sits next to this giant beehive. Sreedhar observes the beehives are left to the bees and not a human finger has come anywhere near a beehive.

A growing passion