IMPORTANCE OF WILD HONEY BEES IN COMMERCIAL BEE

KEEPING

Dr. B.K. SONTAKKEPROFESSOR

Department of Entomology,College of Agriculture,O.U.A.T.,Bhubaneswar-751 003.

TYPES OF HONEYBEES

DOMESTICATED BEES

Apis Cerana indica (INDIAN HIVE BEE)

Apis Melifera (ITALIAN HIVE BEE) WILD BEES

ApisDorsata, A. laboriosa (ROCK BEE)

Apis Florea ( LITTLE BEE)

Trigona spp ( STINGLESS BEE)

INDIAN HIVE BEE

APIS MELLIFERA- ITALIAN BEE

STATISTICS OF HONEY BEE COLONIES AND BEE PRODUCTS

WORLD SCENARIOBee colonies 50 millions(A. mellifera)Honey production 14 lakh mt Bee wax 43500 mt

There are 15 countries in the world which accounts for 90% of world honey production.

CHINA SCENARIO Bee colonies A. mellifera 70

lakhA. c. indica 30

lakhHoney production 2.5 lakh

mtBee wax 13000

mtPollen 1000

mtRoyal jelly 800

mt

INDIAN AND ODISHA SCENARIO INDIABee coloniesA.c. indica, A. mellifera 1.6 millionWild bee colonies 1.4 million

mtHoney production 65000 mt(both domesticated and wild)

ODISHABee coloniesA.c. indica 65000A.mellifera 6000Honey production 300 mtWild bee colonies 1 to 1.5 lakh

approx.Wild bee honey production 700 mt

APIS DORSATA- ROCK BEE

Characteristic of rock bee There are two species A. dorsata and A.

laboriosa. Found in hilly and forest area Largest bee among all honey bee species Nesting sites are tall trees, buildings, rocks and

under bridges. Bee population in single comb is 40 to 50

thousand bees Grow in open space as single comb Combs size goes upto one mt square (max. 6X3

feet) One nest contain min 20 kg of honey and 2kg of

wax

Benefits of rock bee

Maximum honey production (about 2/3 rd of the honey production in the country is from rock bees)

Maximum wax production from left out colonies.

Utilization of left out pollen for domesticated bees.

Excellent pollination service with high flight range

Helping in sustaining plant biodiversity.

APIS FLOREA- LITTLE BEE

Characteristics of A.florea Being smallest among honey bees it

called as little bee. Found all over the plain area Construct single vertical comb

particularly small trees and bushes. Next harvest may yield maximum

upto half kg.

Benefits of A. florea

Honey is of high medicinal value as bees foraging on small bushes and medicinal plants.

Gives pollination service in near by area.

Help in maintaining biodiversty.

TRIGONA BEES- STINGLESS BEE

Characteristics of Trigona spp. Smallest stingless bee. Breeds in wall and tree crevices No regular comb formation Prepares dark place to breed Foraging on small medicinal plants

like tulsi etc.

Benefits of Trigona spp.

Can be reared in small boxes. Colony division is possible Honey is of high medicinal value and

costliest. Gives pollination service near by

areas

Harvesting of honey from wild colonies (A. dorsata) Follow recent method to harvest honey from A.

dorsata as Chattishgarh, Jharkand and Maharashtra Reach to the colonies with the help of ladders or any

convenient means Use of specially designed dress to reach the colony Spray water over the comb Remove the cover of the bees from the upper portion Cut half of the portion containing honey Send the honey ladden combs to the ground through

buckets Extraction and purification by scientific methods .

Woyke,et.al.(2005) have demonstrated that it is possible to work with giant rock bee at day time without any protection

Amrit Rao Ghatge, Centre of Science for Villages (Pune)

APIS DORSATA HUNTING

Conservation of wild bees

Protect bees from fire and other harmful practices of hunting.

Develop consciousness about benefits of bees and services to mankind

Follow modern practices of honey extraction without much harm to bees.

Formation of bee keeper association for conservation and safety of wild bees

Interference of govt. agencies specially forest dept. for conservation of wild bees

Busy beeA bee has five eyes, three simple ones on top of its

head, two compound ones with thousands of lenses and it has five thousands nostrils, nose enough to smell an apple tree three kilometers away.

“Busy as a bee” is no overstatement. It literally works itself to death, all for the single teaspoon of honey spread upon your breakfast toast, the entire quota of its few short weeks of life. A half kilo jar of honey on your table represents eighty thousands kilometers as the bee flies ‘or’ a girdling of our earth twice around.

All its dipping into flowers is not a joyous game but an instinctual obedience to an ordinance of nature that command, “While the earth remains, seed time and harvest shall not cease”. There are now about one lakh species of pants that can never properly form seeds without the bees.

Eva Crane

IF THE BEE DISAPPEARED OFF THE FACE OF THE GLOBE THEN MAN WOULD HAVE ONLY FOUR YEARS OF LIFE LEFT. – ALBERT EINSTEIN

THANK YOU