BEE MANAGEMENT AND PRODUCTIVITY OF INDIAN HONEYBEES

Abstract

In India beekeeping is practiced in mountains, foot hills, forest, agricultural lands, mangrove forests etc. The technique involved in beekeeping vary from region to region. The main harvest is from Apis dorsta, Apis cerana and Apis mellifera. Beekeeping with Apis cerana has been a growing industry in Central and Southern India. The Thai Sac brood disease wiped off cerana beekeeping in India. CBRTI has taken several steps to recover from the devastating disease. The critical surveys of natural bee populations and stock multiplication from disease resistance colonies, supply of disease resistance breed facilitated to revitalize cerana beekeeping especially in Suthern India. Apis mellifera was successfully introduced in Northern and Eastern plains of India. The threat of Thai sac brood disease of Apis cerana forced the beekeepers to introduce Apis mellifera in south India also. Management technologies schedules have been evolved for specific locations in the country. Emphasis is given in the context of changing conditions of vegetation and climate. Beside the seasonal management for each agro climatic region, suitable management technologies have been adopted to improve colony productivity and for production of honey, bees wax, pollen, royal jelly etc. Today, beekeeping is an important, sustainable, integral agricultural activity under the rural development programme in India, since it provides nutritional, economic, and ecological security and balance. The knowledge of agroclimatic conditions, the diversified flora, changing agri/horticultural pattern of the crop, the types of bees, the management practices etc. play a pivotal role in transforming the beekeeping industry in the country. Geographical pattern and beekeeping potential India is a vast country with varied climates and ecological conditions ranging from tropical to subtropical in its southern, central and eastern regions, from sub-temperate to temperate along its north and north west and semi arid to desert conditions towards the west. The major geographical regions facilitating beekeeping development are classified into: 1) Southern peninsular region; 2) North east region; 3) IndoGangetic plains; and 4) Northern hill region (THAKAR, 1976). The geographical position of India and the related agro climatic condition favor the growth of a wide variety of flora natural and cultivated. The extensive area of forest and millions of acres of cultivated land sustains a large proportion of insects and honeybees. Realizing the viability of beekeeping, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission took up beekeeping as a village industry and extensively organized beekeeping programme throughout India and now there is more than a million bee colonies are reared by lakhs of beekeepers. Attraction plank for settling migrating dorsata bees Colonies can be attracted by using attraction plank which is a wooden piece smeared with beeswax on one side, to attract the swarm bees. The migratory sites and season of Apis dorsata colonies are identified and located initially. In such locations wooden planks are fixed onto the lower side of the tree branch with the wax smeared side of the plank facing downwards. The migratory swarms took shelter on the planks fixed on the tree branches on the smeared foundation marks mainly due to the aroma of beeswax. These colonies can later be transported to the apiary or pollination field, too. The pollen stored in the combs can be collected by simple hand method. Pollen is a highly nutritious food and can develop as protein food for the local population or for sale in the urban areas that can earn substantial income to the producer and also used to feed bee colonies in dearth period, as well as for royal jelly production and breeding purpose. CBRTI organizes training for honey hunters in improved methods of handling bees, hygienic method of collection of honey and bees wax, pollen collection and its storage. Apis cerana beekeeping