Course Name Apiculture, Sericulture and Lac Culture
Lesson 2 Different Species of Honey Bees
Content Creator Name Dr. Tamoghna Saha
University/College Name Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour Bhagalpur
Course Reviewer Dr. Kalmesh Managanvi
University/College Name Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour Bhagalpur
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Apiculture, Sericulture and Lac Culture
Objectives
1. To introduce different beneficial insects to the students
2. To Aquent students with brief history of apiculture along with new developments
in bee keeping
1.1. Introduction of beneficial insects-scope and importance
Insects are the most dominant creatures on this earth. Normally, insects are
considered harmful to man but hardly 1 per cent of insect species fall in the pest
category. Benefits of insects in maintaining economy outweigh the injury inflicted.
Beneficial insects provide regulating ecosystem services to agriculture such as
pollination and the natural regulation of plant pests. It aims to enhance insect-
derived ecosystem services from a conservation perspective (i.e. enhancing beneficial
insects in agricultural landscapes that provide ecosystem services to crops.
Human cultures and civilizations have been maintained in countless ways through
these beneficial insects, they regulate the pest population of many harmful pest
species, produce natural products and they also dispose the waste and recycle the
organic nutrients. It should be considered in thought that how much we depend on
them for our survival and what kind of life would be without insects.
Importance of beneficial insects:
As industrial importance: Honey, beeswax, bee venom, royal jelly, propolis, Silk
and Shellac.
Act as pollination: Transfer of pollens from anthers to stigma Ex. Honey bees (75-
80%), butterflies, flies, beetles, thrips, etc.
Entomophagous insects: Many insects act as predators and parasitoids.
a. Coccinellids (Coleoptera): Ex. Coccinella septempunctata, Hippodamia variegata,
etc.
b. Syrphids (Diptera): Ex. Episyrphus balteatus, Metasyrphus corrollae, Ischiodon
scutalaris, Metasyrphus conferator, etc.
c. Chrysopids (Neuroptera): Ex. Chrysoperla zastrowi sillemi, Mallada sp.
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Apiculture, Sericulture and Lac Culture
d. Predatory bugs (Heteroptera): Ex. Anthocoris minki, Orius spp, Blaptostethes
pallescens.
e. Preying mantids (Dictyoptera): Ex. Statilia maculate.
f. Predatory wasps (Hymenoptera): Ex. Vespa spp.
g. Egg parasitoid: Ex. Trichogramma spp.
h. Larval parasitoid: Ex. Apanteles spp. Cotesia spp., Bracon sp.
i. Egg-larval parasitoid: Ex. Chelonus blackburni.
j. Larval-pupal parasitoid: Ex. Ceromosia auricaudata (Diptera: Tachinidae).
Improve Nutrient cycling or Soil Builders: Insects which live in soil make tunnels,
creating channels for smaller organisms, water, air and roots to travel through.
Insects improve soil aeration and earthworm activity can enhance soil nutrient
cycle along with the soil physical properties such as soil structure and tilth and
activity of other beneficial soil organisms. Examples- Beetles, ants, cut-worms,
larvae of flies, crickets, termites, wasps etc.
As human food: Over 500 spp. viz. cockroaches, silkworms, crickets, grasshoppers,
beetles, caterpillars, termites are used as food by human beings in different parts
of the world.
Aesthetic value: Brightly coloured butterflies and beetles are used for various
decorations.
Study tools or research purpose: Cockroach, house fly, vinegar fly (Drosophila).
Insect collection can be adopted as a hobby: Water beetle.
Scavengers: Insects which feed on dead and decaying matter of plants and animals
are called as scavengers. Insects (scavengers and decomposers) help in the
biochemical cycling of the nutrients. Examples: Bark beetle, water scavenger
beetle, termites, ants etc.
Weed Killers: Prickly pear Opuntia dilleni feed by Dactylopius opuntiae, Congress
grass or Carrot weed, Parthenium hysterophorus is controlled by Zygogramma
bicolorata.
Production of Cochineal: Cochineal pigments use in Painting: Cochineal pigment is
extracted from these scale insects.
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Apiculture, Sericulture and Lac Culture
Honey bees are one of the few insects directly beneficial to man. Apiculture is the
commercial production of Honey. Honey is the only sweetener, viscous fluid,
produced by honeybees. It is collected from nectar from nectaries at base flowers.
The pollens collected by pollen trap from ingoing pollen foragers is rich protein
source. Bee pollen is a "complete" and good supplement in diet. It is available in
health food stores.
The royal jelly is secreted by hypo pharyngeal gland of nurse bees when the glands
are fully active (7-14 days age). It is very nutritious food and is fed to the young
workers larvae and queen larvae and adult. Royal jelly is milky and light pale in
color. And it is also a good ingredient of some expensive skin care products, which
helps in reducing wrinkles and works as anti-aging.
1.2. Brief history of apiculture
Honey bees and their usefulness are known to man from prehistoric times.
Mention of bees are found in vedas, Ramayan and Quran.
There was no development in beekeeping until 16th century.
Aristotle (382-322 BC) was the first to deal with the bees in a scientific manner.
L. L. Langstroth (1851) introduced the concept of bee space. Bee space for Indian
bees is 7 mm and for European bee is 10mm. The modern bee keeping became
possible after his discovery of hive with movable frames.
This discovery was followed by subsequent innovations like comb foundation mill,
honey extractor, smoker, etc., which helped in the development of modern bee
keeping we see today.
Karl Von Frisch (1953) discovered the bee dance language. He wrote a book called
-The dance language and orientation of bees”. He was awarded Nobel Prize in
1973 for his work on bee dance language.
Butler (1954) identified queen substance in queen bee– Johannes Mehring (1857)
invented comb foundation sheet.
Major F Vrushk (1865) invented centrifugal honey extractor.
Abbe Collin (1865) invented Queen excluder.
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Apiculture, Sericulture and Lac Culture
Mois Quinby (1875) invented bee smoker.
John Douglas – published “A handbook of bee keeping in India”.
Beekeeping was also started in the Travancore state (now Cochin) in 1917 and in
Mysore in 1925.
Father Newton (1921) - Introduced beekeeping in south India and designed a
smaller hive with movable frames for Indian bee. This hive is named as Newton
hive.
In Himachal Pradesh modern beekeeping with indigenous honey bee A. cerana
started in 1934 at Kullu and in 1936 at Kangra.
1937- All India Bee Keepers Association (AIBKA) was established at Pune.
In 1956, KVIC (Khadi and Village Industries Commission) was established to
organize and implement programmes. The programme was also including bee
keeping.
The exotic bee A. mellifera was successfully introduced for the first time in India in
1962 at Nagrota Bagwan (then in Punjab state and now in Himachal Pradesh).
Because, this bee has potentials to produce more honey.
1962- Central bee research and training institute (CBRTI) was established at Pune.
AICRP on Honey bee research and training is located at Haryana Agricultural
University, Hissar.
A.S. Atwal and co-workers introduced European bee into Punjab during late 1960s
and early 1970s.
Doolittle developed honey bee queen rearing by grafting method.
National Bee Board (NBB) is located at New Delhi.
A.S. Atwal: Father of modern bee keeping in India.
Apiary: It is a place where beehives of honey bees are kept, it is also known as a bee
yard.
Apiculture: The science and art of raising honey bees.
Karl Von Frisch: Father of bee keeping
Nectar: A liquid rich in sugars, manufactured by plants and secreted by nectary
glands in or near flowers; It is the raw material for honey.
Nectaries: The glands of plants which secrete nectar, located within the flower or on
other portions of the plant (extrafloral nectaries).
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Apiculture, Sericulture and Lac Culture
Pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anthers to the stigma of flowers.
Scavengers: Insects which feed on dead and decaying matter of plants and animals
Predators: An animal (insect) that naturally preys on other small organisms. It is
usually larger than hosts.
Parasitoids: An insect whose larvae live as parasites which eventually kill their hosts.
It is usually smaller than the host.
References
Srivastava, K.P., and Dhaliwal, G.S. (2010). A Text Book of Applied Entomology.
Kalyani Publication New Delhi-110002.
Saxena, R.C., Srivastava, K.C. and Somani, L.L. (2018). Entomology at a Glance.
Agrotech. Publishing Academy Udaipur-313002.
More suggestions
Atwal AS. (2006). The World of the Honey Bee. Kalyani Publ., New Delhi.
David, B.V., Ramamurthy, V.V. (2011). Elements of Economic Entomology 6th
Edition, Namrutha Publications, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Singh, D., Jayaswal, J. and Singh, D. P. (2012). A Hand Book of Bee Keeping.
Agrobios, Jodhpur, India.
