TRANSFORMATION OF BEEKEEPING By SKUAST-JAMMU: A Two Decade Journey

Souvenir on TRANSFORMATION OF BEEKEEPING

By SKUAST-JAMMU A Two Decade Journey Complied by

Working group on Beekeeping and Pollination

Division of Entomology, SKUAST-Jammu E mail:headentoskuastj@gmail.com website:skuast.org

Souvenir on TRANSFORMATION OF BEEKEEPING

By SKUAST-JAMMU A Two Decade Journey Complied by

Working group on Beekeeping and Pollination

Division of Entomology, SKUAST-Jammu E mail:headentoskuastj@gmail.com website:skuast.org

MESSAGE

Vice-Chancellor SKUAST-Jammu

MESSAGE Director Research SKUAST-Jammu

MESSAGE Director Extension SKUAST-Jammu

MESSAGE Director Agri. Production & FW, Jammu

Transformation of Beekeeping by SKUAST-Jammu: A two decade Journey Working group on Beekeeping and Pollination (Division of Entomology, SKUAST-Jammu) Dr R K Gupta (Innovative beekeeping) Dr Devinder Sharma (Lead Researcher AICRP Honey bees and Pollinators) Dr R. S. Bandral (Co-Lead Researcher AICRP Honeybees and Pollinators) Dr. Uma Shankar (Bee flora and Pollination) Dr Amit Kumar Singh (Bee Garden) Dr. Magdeshwar Sharma (Beekeeping extension and services)

Acknowledgements SKUAST-Jammu Prof. J. P. Sharma, Hon'ble Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-Jammu for his vision and guidance in prioritizing research issues towards beekeeping. Dr. J. P. Sharma, Director Research for instilling us to translate bee research into visible impact in Jammu, Dr. S. K. Gupta, Director Extension for community outreach, and mobilization of farmers/beekeepers and Dr. Bikram Singh, Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, SKUAST-Jammu for his support on Experiential learning ICAR and AICRP (Honeybee and Pollinator) Sh. Manoj Kumar Sharma, Additional Director (Crops), Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi for the timely support and Dr. Balraj Singh, Project Coordinator, ICAR, New Delhi for providing national center to undertake Pollination and bee research in Jammu regionNational Bee Board Dr. S. K. Malhotra, Dr. S. K. Malhotra, Agriculture & Horticulture Commissioner; Mission Director (NBHM), Department of Agriculture and Farmers welfare, Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, DAC & FW, New Delhi; Dr. N. K. Patle, Executive Director, National Bee Board, Department of Agriculture, Co-operation and Farmers Welfare Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi for financial and capacity building support.

KVIB and NABARD The support rendered by the KVIB-Jammu and Kashmir, NABARD-Jammu is duly acknowledged.

Agriculture Production Department, J&K Sh Naveen Choudhary, Principal secretary and Sh. K. K. Sharma, Director Agriculture, Department of Agriculture, Jammu for providing platform for technology transformation on beekeeping Beekeepers of Jammu Region and Entrepreneur The farmers and Progressive beekeepers deserve appreciation for promotion of beekeeping and enterprise development especially Sh. Devbrat Sharma, Managing Director, Hi Tech Natural Limited, New Delhi Retired Apiarist and Bee scientists Mr. Suchwant Singh Ex. Director Agriculture, and our past renowned entomologists Dr. H. D. Makhmoor, Dr. D. P. Abrol and Dr. Hafeez Ahmad Organizers and Working group members For their valuable support along with technical staff members, Mr. Madan Lal, Mr. Mukesh Kumar and Mr. Rajesh

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Table of contents Introduction History of beekeeping in Jammu Role of SKUAST-Jammu for Beekeeping development in Jammu Research and Development at SKUAST-Jammu Training and demonstration A sweet success story in two decades: From livelihood to Enterprise Flagship areas Experiential learning and training center

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Introduction The Jammu region of Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir having all the agro climatic zones having diversified flora offers great potential for both migratory and non-migratory beekeeping.

The Jammu region have about 81,000 bee colonies of Apis mellifera and Apis cerana (wall/log and modern hives) with more 3000 beekeepers producing over 75% of honey.

Approximately 30 per

cent of the honey producing colonies are native A. cerana and the rest 70 per cent are western A. mellifera. The A. cerana colonies are usually not used in migratory beekeeping and mostly kept in wooden logs or modern beehives. The Doda, Ramban, Reasi and Udhampur Districts of Jammu region are the most potential and suitable areas of beekeeping. In all these districts, the population is mostly rural and only 10-15% of it resides in the towns. The Ramban district is world famous for production of high value high altitude Plectranthus rugosus (Sulai) honey which has high demand in national and international market. The availability of rich vegetation provides opportunities for development of beekeeping in the district which provides sufficient nectar and pollen for production of honey and other hive products for commercial purposes. This potential has not yet been fully realized this has mainly been due to lack of basic knowledge and skills and, needed to exploit the honey production potential among the beekeepers and farmers. The Beekeeping Research and Training Centre of SKUAST –Jammu has contributed a lot in the field of beekeeping.

The centre through AICRP (Honeybee and Pollinators) project has developed and demonstrated various technologies on various aspects of scientific beekeeping and also developing information and tools for suggesting healthy nectar corridors and migratory pathways for maintaining healthy population of bees.

History of beekeeping in Jammu Use of bees and honey In Indian subcontinent are known from the pre-historic ages. Some of the ear-liest evidence of gathering honey from wild colonies is from rock paintings, dating to around 13,000 BC from different countries. Since early days honeybees are not cultured for honey, instead honey is collected from wild natural hives. This was true in case of Jammu region as there used to be a large number of honey hunters who used to collect honey from the Apis dorsata commonly known as Bhor Makhi in Dogri language. Besides people were practicing honey having in wall or log hives with A cerana locally known as Gun Makhi, This practice of bee having slowly moved to beekeeping in Jammu region.

The interest aroused among the early beekeepers as Bee-keepers Association was established in 1907 in Punjab with its Head Office at Simla. Few beekeepers tried to keep bees in hives around 1950, visiting Central Bee-keeping Research Station at Sundar Nagar (Himachal Pradesh). There used to be a large number of colonies of A cerana in kashmir during 1962 which used to be migrated and

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managed in Jammu region.

Consequent upon the successful introduction of Apis mellifera at Nagrota Bhagwan, India by Dr. A. S. Atwal and O. P. Sharma, it was thought to harness its feasibility and potential in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. Fortunately, Dr. A. S. Atwal was then working in SKUAST-Kashmir and he advised his student S. Suchwant Singh (Ex. Director Agriculture) to bring some colonies from nearby station of Nagrota Bhagwan in Himachal Pradesh and manage them under local conditions. As such five colonies were procured in the year 1975-76 and kept at Talli Morh, Miran Sahib. These colonies performed very well and yielded about 17-18 Kgs honey/hive. Later, these were shifted to the Mansar area. In the subsequent year the colonies were multiplied and migrated at bee breeding station, Banihal. Mean while Kuldeep Chand Sharma while doing his M. Sc. in the university added momentum to the ongoing efforts with technical advice from Dr. R. C. Mishra, a pioneer in beekeeping at Solan. With the efforts of SKUAST and Department of Agriculture, Jammu many colonies were multiplied and distributed to the farmers who adopted the beekeeping for livelihood/profession.

There is no denying the fact that people in Kashmir were practising beekeeping with Apis cerena in modified Newton Hives, but as far as Apis mellifera is concerned, it was initially introduced at Jammu and it was only after 3-4 years that it was moved to Kashmir valley from Jammu. The idea was concerned by then Director Agriculture, Mr. Amin who belonged to Anantnag area observing its performance in Jammu. He instructed, S. Suchwant Singh to move few colonies to Kashmir region. It was a mere coincidence that during that period a controversy arose about transmission of sac brood virus SBV and its outbreak around 1972-73. Many beekeepers including Shah Brothers raise their concern about introduction of Apis mellifera in Kashmir in view of outbreak of Kashmir bee virus.

Later on these concerns were rectified scientifically and beekeepers in Kashmir started beekeeping with Apis mellifera. However, since most of A cerana colonies disappeared ' beekeeper started adopting A mellifera in this region. In this way scientific efforts led by Dr. H. D. Makmoor , Dr. D. P. Abrol and Dr. Hafeez Ahmad under the leadership of Dr. D. R. Kotwal promoted beekeeping industry in association with Agriculture department. Later on, a center on experiential learning and innovative beekeeping got established. A working group is evolving appropriate technologies to achieve the goal of honey mission and sweet revolution. The ultimate aim of this research group is to make this unit as center of excellence.

Role of SKUAST-Jammu for Beekeeping development in Jammu Indigenous honeybees, Apis cerana, have played a key role in enhancing agricultural productivity as they are a natural pollinators for a range of fruits and crops. The A. cerana strain of Jammu and Kashmir is not only larger but also higher honey-yielding than other counterparts. As such Beekeeping with Apis cerana was a tradition in Jammu region However in upper region of Jammu it

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was practiced extensively in traditional hives. According to one report there were about 50, 000 colonies of bees in traditional hives in Kashmir prior to the appearance of acarine disease in 1962 (Shah and Shah, 1982). However, there are reports that these colonies used to be migrated in Jammu region as well during winters. Modern beekeeping in Jammu started with the introduction of Apis mellifera in 1975-1976. The colonies were multiplied and distributed to the farmers as well.

Consistent and continuous efforts of SKUAST-Jammu and Department of Agriculture coupled with innovative nature of the beekeepers for adoption of modern technology, Apis mellifera beekeeping was popularized in short span of time. Beekeeping research, training and honey festivals boosted the adoption of beekeeping. Within two decades the strength of beekeeper increased from 261 to 3295. Simultaneously, the number of colonies and honey production inclined to an extent of 11390 to 71264 and 522.39 to 8182.3 qtls, respectively (Fig. 1). The mean growth rate increased 7 times within 20 years with mean honey production of about 11.48kgs per colony. Consistent efforts were implied to increase the productivity through migratory bee keeping which could fetch an income of 4.89 times as compared to stationary bee keeping.

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Research and Development Scientific interventions to save and promote beekeeping New record of bee diseases using molecular diagnostics The molecular diagnostic and diversity studies of European foul brood, Melisococcus plutonius, Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV), Kashmir bee virus (KBV), sacbrood virus (SBV) and Thai sacbrood virus (TSBV), Nosema apis and N. ceranae infecting A. mellifera through RT-PCR technique.

Banding profile of RT-PCR product using IAPV specific primer pair

Nosema genus specific bands

Banding profile of RT-PCR product using KBV and SBV

Melinococcus plutonius specific bands

Evaluation of pollen substitute/supplement: Artificial diet comprising of Soybean flour 2.

(25 g) + Yeast (10 g) + Pollen (15 g) + Skimmed milk powder (5 g) + Honey (22.5 g) + Sugar (22.5 g) suited for colony development during dearth period of mellifera.

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4. Artificial diets for Apis mellifera during dearth period: Colonies of Apis mellifera and Apis cerana, when fed with different artificial diets, the stimulative diet (Sugar Syrup+Vitamin+Pollen substitute) produced superior quality queens in maximum number over other diets.

5. Wasp management The low input cost bottle traps were installed in apiary to study their performance against wasps predating A.mellifera. The bait (Mutton+Spinosad) bait recorded the highest numbers of the wasp trapped.

Low cost bottle/box traps The low cost Nail wasp trap consists of a small piece of wood (4x8 cm) with three row of nails (0.3x2.5cm) in straight lines. The distance between the nail to nail and in between the rows was kept at 0.6cm. The bees were found to enter the hive easily whereas the wasps were unable to enter. Wasps were recorded injured by nails in an attempt to predate the bees, resulting in 90 per cent reduction in wasps attack.

Simple Nail wasp trap

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The double bait wasp trap was tested in an apiary. In the first tray, fermented honey, jaggery (a type of cane sugar or palm tree sap), and fish bait were used, whereas in the second tray, jaggery poisoned with 0.02% cypermethrin was tested. The trap was tested. Fish bait combined with fermented honey proved to be the most effective bait, and safe for bees, as no bees were attracted.

The number of wasps trapped during different years was 11,487; 12,566 and 10,899, respectively.

Double bait wasp trap 6.

Floral map for beekeeping: The floral map was prepared for available bee flora in different districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Major and minor bee flora in potential sites of the dominant and growing districts of the state have been listed.

Table: Major bee flora in areas of the state for optimal utilization of floral resources Migration site

Period

Major bee- flora

Higher h ills (whole

February -April

Brassica campestris var. toria, Prunus, Brassica, Trifolium,

of Kashmir and

Robinia pseudoacacia, Taraxacum,Plantago, Spiraea,

higher reaches of

Veronica, Tulipa, S alix, Almond, Cherry, Rosa, Aesculus

Doda, Ramban,

Acacia, Viburnum, Rubus, Acacia, Viburnum, Rubus,

Banihal, Kishtwar

Juglans

Poonch and Rajouri districts) May - June

Plectranthus rugosus, Wendlandia , Acacia, Brassica, Cabbage, Raddish, Impatiens, Stellaria,Rubus Geranium, Lonicera, Spiraea, Potentilla, Indigof

era, Polygonu m,

Fagopyrum, Veronica , Tulipa, Iris, Garden flowers, Aesculus, Salix, Acacia, Tillia, Fruit trees, Rosa, Viburnum,

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July -August

Zea, Trifolium, Indigofera, Polygonum, Fagopyrum, Impatiens, Geranium, Delphinium, Helianthus, Potentilla, Plectoranthus

September

– Zea, Trifolium, Polygonum, Polygonum, Stellaria,

October November

Geranium, Helianthus,Crocus, Plectoranthus -

Crocus

-

Salvia, Salix, Viburnum, Rosa

December Lower hills (parts

January

of Doda, Ramban,

February

Banihal, Kishtwar Udhampur, Poonch and Rajouri districts) October-March

Isodon rugosus, Brassica campestris, Wendlandia, Toon

October-

Brassica campestris var. toria, Eucalyptus

December November-May

Litchi, berseem, sunflower

April-June

Litchi, Citrus , Prunus, Bers eem. Acacia, c

ucurbits,

Adhatoda vasica, Indigofera, Trifolium, Medicago, Salvia, Nepeta, Origanum, Polygonum, Fagopyrum, Rumes, Chenopodium, Artemsia, Dipsacus, Spiraea, Potentilla, Fragaria, Geranium, Veronica, Plectranthus, Berbaris, Aesculus, Crotolar ia, Rhododendron, Viburnum, Prunus, Pyrus, Rosa, Rhus, Rubus, Lonicera, Strobilanthes July - August

Indigofera, Trifolium, Medicago, Polygonum, Fagopyrum, Rumex, Nepeta, Mentha, Origanum, Artemsia, Dipsacus, Inula, Potentilla, Geranium, Plectranthus, , Rosa, Dianthu s

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August

-

October

Ziziphus,

Maize, Brassica

campestris

var.

toria,

Trifolium Medicago, polygonum, Fagopyrum, Rumex, Dipsacus, Geraniun, Olea

February-March

Brassica sp., Eucalyptus, shisham, drumstick

December-

Brassica sp., Eucalyptus, coriander

March March-May

Jamun,

Indigofera, Astragalus, Salvia, Nepeta,

Polygonum, Allium, Spiraea, Geranium, Viburnum Plains (Jammu,

January - March

Brassica, Mangifera, Wendlandia, Adhatoda vasica,

Samba parts of

Allium, Raphanus sativus, Trigonella, Foenicum vulgare,

Kathua and

Cucurbita spp., Eucalyptus, Marigold, Pongamia, Butea

Udhampur))

monosperma, Litchi chinensis, Adhatoda vasica, Allium, Raphanus sativus, Trigonella, Foenicum vulgare, Cucurbita spp., Momordica charantia, Luffa cyledrica, Acacia catec hu, Albizzia lebeek, Bauhinia variegate, Citrus spp. Fragaria x ananassa, Rosa macrophylla, Rosa moschata, Pyrus spp., Murrya koenigii, Ocimum spp., Grewia asiatica , Aegle marmelos, Robinia pseudocacia March - April

Bassica, Cassia, Sapin dus, Toona, Ci trus, Dalbergia, Mangifera, Phyllanthus, Opuntia, Trifolium, Neem, Eucalyptus, Marigold, Pongamia, Butea monosperma, Litchi chinensis, Adhatoda vasica, Allium, Raphanus sativus, Trigonella, Foenicum vulgare, Cucurbita spp., Momordica charantia, Luffa cyledrica, Acacia catechu, Albizzia lebeek, Bauhinia variegate, Citrus spp. Fragaria x ananassa, Rosa macrophylla, Rosa moschata, Pyrus spp., Murrya koenigii, Robinia pseudocacia, Ocimum

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May - June

Cassia fistula,

Phyllanthus emblica, Syzygium cumini

Carthamus, Indigofera, Sapindus, Dalbergia, Zizyphus, Cassia, Acacia, Grewia,

Trifolium, Azadirachta indica,

Eucalyptus, Marigold, Pongamia, Syzgium, Gua Solanum me longena, Helianthus annus,

va,

Pennisetum

typhoides July - August

Zea, Carthamus, Dipsacus, Cassia, Indigofera, Acacia, Zizyphus, Grewia, Cajanus cajan, Solanum melongena

September

-

Sesamum, Zea, Carthamus, Dipsacus, Acacia, Zizyphus

-

Brassica, Bauhinia

October November December

7. Beekeeping migratory route: The migratory routes of beekeeping have been established in the state for obtaining different types of honey for higher income. The different honey flow plants are mustard, jamun, drumstick, Eucalyptus, Plectranthus, Acacia, Berseem, Brankad (Adhatoda vasica), Apple etc.The studies has indicated that migratory beekeepers harvest 5060 kg honey/colony/year which is about five times more than obtained with stationery beekeeping. The beekeepers could increase their colonies by at least 20 per cent and save the maintenance cost during dearth period. Honey production was an average of 9.35 kg/colony in the stationary beekeeping while it was 34.50 and 17.50 kg/colony in the outside and with in state migratory system of beekeeping, respectively.

Table : migration pattern of beekeepers of the state Area of migration

Period

OUTSIDE THE STATE Banihal, Ramban

June - Ending October

Jammu

Ending October-November

Aligarh

Ending October - End of December

Rajasthan (Alwar, Kota, Ganga Nagar)

Ending November / December - Mid February

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Rajasthan (Ganga Nagar)

Ending November - Mid March

U.P. (Saharanpur)

Mid February - Mid March

Bara (Kota; Rajasthan)

Mid February - Mid March

Jammu (Purmandal, Bishnah, Miran Sahib, R. S. Pura,

Mid March - Ending May

Ghou Manhasan) Jammu (higher reaches of Reasi, Samba, Udhampur,

June - July

Rajouri) Srinagar, Anantnag

March - July

WITH IN THE STATE Jammu (R. S. Pura, Bishnah, Purmandal),Samba

December - March

(Mansar), Kathua (Chadwal, Billawar, Dayalachak) and Udhampur (Chenani) Upper reaches of Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri,

April - June

Poonch and Udhampur Doda, Banihal and Ramban districts

June-August

Upper reaches of Sunderbani (Rajouri) and Nowshera

April - July

(Poonch) areas Srinagar, Anantnag, Quazigund, Pulwama, Pampore

8.

May-June

Standardization of mass queen rearing technique: For artificial queen rearing, grafting larva

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of younger age i.e. <24-hrs old in artificial wax cups of 9 mm diameter size for Apis mellifera and 7 mm diameter size wax cups for Apis cerana after priming the wax cups with royal jelly was best suited to obtain more number of queens of better potentiality. Queen reared during autumn season were of better quality than other season.

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Characterization of ecotypes of indigenous honeybee Apis cerana:

Studies on

characterization of ecotypes of indigenous honeybee Apis cerana based on their biometrical variations from different altitudes of Kashmir valley have opened the possibility of cross breeding to improve their race for increased honey production, efficient pollination and resistance to diseases and enemies. Three races of bees have been identified from Kashmir valley and similar possibility of exists in Jammu region and elsewhere also.

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Estimation of Nectar Sugar Concentration: The nectar sugar concentration recorded in flowers were 05 in litchi, 29.0 % in strawberry, 31.09% in toria, 33.49% in Helianthus annus, 30.79% in Carthamus tinctorius, 29.36 % in Linum ustitassium, 30.41 % in Sesamum orientale, 24.48 % in Guizotia abyssinica and 25.33% in Ricinus communis. The test samples of nectar indicated the presence of fructose, glucose, sucrose and traces of maltose.

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Impact of pollinators on quality and quantity fruit/crop production: The honeybee (Apis mellifera, A. cerana, A. dorsata and A. florea) pollinated flowers significantly set more fruits than enclosed in nylon nettings to exclude the pollinating insects.The plants resulting from cross-pollination have better adaptability, resistance to diseases and superior quality.

12.

Outdoor wintering of honeybees: Studies on utilization of waste materials for outdoor wintering of honeybee Apis mellifera L. has revealed that thermocole alone as well as in combination with polythene sheet was superior to all other treatments followed by paddy straw, wheat bhusa and saw dust respectively. Considering the economic feasibility, paddy straw is most suitable for outdoor wintering of honeybee colonies.

13.

Management of mites: The infestation of Tropilaelaps clarae and Varroa destructor was effectively controlled by application of oxalic acid (35 g) and 200 g sugar in warm water @ 2 ml per frame at weekly intervals.

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14. Domicilation of Non Apis bee: Two species Xylocopa fenestrata and Xylocopa pubescence, Megachile bicolor and Pithis viridissima were recorded at SKUAST-Jammu. and the bamboo top was found best habitat for Xylocopa. The acceptance of Xylocopa fenestrata for nesting in bamboo tops was recorded in the extent of 60.00% for domiciliation.

15. Diversity studies of bumble bees (Photographs Dr Uma Shankar) Seven species of bumble bees viz., Bombus haemorrhoidalis Smith, 1852; Bombus simillimus Smith, 1852; Bombus tunicatus Smith, 1852; Bombus trifasciatus Smith, 1852 ; Bombus pyrosoma Morawitz, 1890 ; Bombus melanurus Lepeleitier, 1836; Bombus asiaticus Morawitz, 1890 have been reported from different agro ecological areas of Jammu region.

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16. Hive designing for native bee, Apis cerana: The standard hive for Apis cerana has been designed. The preliminary studies showed promising result. The hive is being promoted among traditional beekeepers for scientific management of honeybees.

17. Palynological analysis: The palynological slides of 45 bee flora belonging to 15 families (Myrtaceae, Leguminoceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Apocynaceae, Convolvulaceae, Cannaceae, Cruciferae, Euphorbiaceae, Rosaceae, Malvaceae, Amaranthaceae, Lamiaceae, Apiaceae and Verbenaceae has been recorded at SKUAST –Jammu.

18. Quality analysis of Sulai honey The distribution of Plectranthus rugosus Wall and its potential as a honeybee Apis mellifera (F.) pasturage including physicochemical analysis of its honey was done. The survey indicated that Plectranthus was available throughout the Jammu division, with potential areas being Kisthwar, Doda and Ramban districts. In these districts surplus honey was

har vested

during

mid-August

to

First

week

of

November.

The colony buildup i.e., colony strength in terms of brood, pollen and honey reserves showed a gradual increase with average honey production being 6.31+0.16 kg/colony.

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Toxicology studies impact on adult bees as well as brood: Indiscriminate use of pesticides have not only caused health hazards and environmental concerns but also resulted in killing of beneficial insects including parasites, predators and pollinating insect. The safer insecticides which while controlling the crop pests are safer to honeybees have been evaluated. In a recent study impact of pesticides on honeybees brood has been evaluated.

Besides, directly killing the foraging bees, pesticides also indirectly affect the developing brood. In case of developing larvae receiving dimethoate and carbaryl in their food, no wings developed, bees were deformed and smaller in size.

20.

Beekeeping Training: Training on scientific beekeeping is regularly organized at the centre under self-financial scheme, sponsored by Government/NGOs etc. A large number of student children and college students from different Univesities of the state also visited SKUAST-J, beekeeping centre and leaned about bees & beekeeping. Also, the scientists have delivered lectures in large number of trainings organized by different agencies on beekeeping. The details of trainings organized are mentioned hereunder:

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Training and demonstration Duration

No. of trainings

No. of trainees

>15-days

07

150

7-days

15

325

5-days

12

300

2-days

10

400

1-day

105

5600

Total:

149

6775

Honeybee Festival: Honey festival is organized by the centre, every year to have discussion on the problems of the beekeeper and promotion of beekeeping activities. The table below indicates the popularity of this even among the farmers and beekeepers.

Year

Participants

Year

1999 -2000

50

2008 -2009

2000-2001

100

2010 -2011

2003 -2004

150

2012 -2013

2004 -2005

200

2014 -2015

2005 -2006

250

2016 -2017

2006 -2007

200

2018 -2019

2007 -2008

200

2020 -2021

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A sweet success story in two decades: From livelihood to Enterprise

Sh. Gurdev Singh

Sh. Dinesh Mehra

R/o Village Bharakh Block Pouni District Reasi

R/o Roop Nagar, Jammu

No. of Hives : 70 bee colonies Honey production : 5-8 quintals

No. of Hives : 100 Honey production : 10-15 quintals

Mr. Vinod Kumar

Sh. Rakesh Kumar

Village Palli, Bari Brahmna, District Samba

Village Panada, Mansar , District Samba

No. of bee colonies : 1500 Identified as a bee-breeder for bee colonies multiplication and supply to beekeepers. Earns at least ₹10-15 Lakh annually through the sale

No. of bee colonies : 500 Honey production : 35-40 q

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Sh. Ramandeeep Singh R/o Raj Nagar, Budhal, Distict-Rajouri No. of bee colonies : 100 Annual Income : 4.00-5.00 Lakh

Mr. Janak Raj Village Jabowal, Arnia, R. S. Pura, District Jammu No. of bee colonies : 300 Identified as a bee-breeder for bee colonies multiplication and supply to beekeepers Honey production : 30-35 q

Mr. Farooq Ahmad Wani R/o Tethar, Banihal, District Ramban No. of bee colonies : 350 Honey Production : 40-50q

Mr. Qasim Umar Itoo R/o Tethar, Banihal, District Ramban No. of bee colonies : 300 Honey Production : 35-40q

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Mr. Mohammad Maqbool Hajam R/o Gund Tethar, Banihal, District –Ramban No. of bee Colonies : 300 Honey production : 40-45q

Ashaaq Hussain R/o Village Tethar, Banihal, District Ramban No. of bee Colonies : 200 Honey production : 45-50q

Mr. Ved Prakash Manhas R/o Village Hambal, District – Doda No. of bee Colonies : 375 Honey production : 45-50q Established Ved Bee Farm for sale of bee products

Mr. Maqbool Hajam R/o Gund Tethar, Banihal, District –Ramban No. of bee Colonies : 250 Honey production : 30-35q

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Mr. Muzaffar Iqbal R/o Takia Tethar , Banihal District – Ramban No. of bee Colonies : 120 Honey production : 25-30q

Mr. Yasir Ali Butt R/o Bheja, Bhaderwah, District – Doda No. of bee Colonies : 15 (Apis cerana) Conserving and Promoting Indigenous beekeeping in modern hives

Ms. Rekha Devi W/o Sh. Ved Prakash Manhas R/o Village Hambal, District – Doda No. of bee Colonies : 10 Conserving and Promoting Indigenous beekeeping in modern hives

Ms. Parveen Akhtar w/o Ashaq Ahmed R/o Shajroo, Mahore, District Reasi No. of bee Colonies : 10 Started beekeeping in remote area of Reasi

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Mr. Jag Pal R/o village Ladwal, District Kathua No. of bee Colonies : 250 Honey production : 30-35q

Malik Mudasir s/o gh rasool malik R /o krawa Banihal No. of bee Colonies : 900

Qasim Umer s/o Amir u Din Itoo R/o Tethar BANIHAL No. of bee Colonies: 500

Qasim Bin R/o Tethar Banihal District Ramban No. of Bee colonies : 250 Honey production ; 30-35q

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Sh.Shishu Pal S/O: SH.PURAN CHAND R/O: GAJANSOO, BLOCK MARH, JAMMU NO OF COLONIES: 200

Sanjay Kumar S/O: AMAR CHAND R/O: MUTHI,MARMAT DODA NO OF COLONIES: 700

Mohd Arshad S/O: TALAB HUSSAIN R/O: GAJOTE,BHALLA DODA NO OF COLONIES: 650

Hari Krishan S/O: GIAN CHAND R/O: SUDH MAHADEV, UDHAMPUR NO OF COLONIES: 1300

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Vision towards sweet revolution In view of overall promotion and development of scientific beekeeping in mission mode to achieve the goal of “Sweet Revolution” we have set our goals on capacity building & trainings, specific focus on women, input support for promotion & production, setting up of Integrated Beekeeping Development Centres (IBDCs), other Infrastructures, Digitization /online registration, etc., processing, value addition, market support, i.

Honey Testing Labs is being established

ii. Facilitate registered beekeepers for FPO iii. Proposal for developing Traceability Source of Honey and other Beehive Products approved and work initiated/ started. This will help in controlling the adulteration in honey & other beehive products. iv. Farmers/ beekeepers have been trained in scientific beekeeping including production of high value beehive products, viz.; Bee Pollen, Propolis, Royal Jelly, Bee Venom, etc. v.

4 FPOs of Beekeeper/honey producers in the Udhampur, Reasi and Ramban district have been proposed for funding National Beekeeping and Honey Mission.

vi. Technical agency for clutser development in different potential districts of Jammu region through KVIB and other agencies. vii. Awareness created about role of honeybees/beekeeping in pollination support of various crops and adoption of scientific beekeeping.

Flagship areas Addressing emerging issues about beekeeping As beekeeping has become operational in Jammu, major problems have developed.

Domesticated bees are plagued by several diseases and a number of parasites. Without regular, twice annual applications of antibiotics and pesticides, most commercial hives could not survive.

New pests continue to arise, threatening honeybees even further. Powerful insecticides continue to be used in raising crop plants, and monoculture agriculture has vastly reduced the diversity of pollen and nectar types available to most honeybees. Moving thousands of hives at a time hundreds and thousands of miles to pollinate first one crop and then another provides new stresses for domesticated bee colonies. The beekeeping industry witnessed major outbreak of Kaskmir Bee virus and Thai sac brood virus. The external parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, was recognized as an invasive species which has shifted hosts from A. cerana to A. mellifera. If left uncontrolled, the parasite can spread viral diseases and bacteria. Another external mite is the parasite Tropilaelaps clareae, which also originated from Southeast Asia and has shifted from A. dorsata to A. mellifera.

However, its distribution has been quite limited to date. Air pollution is another factor which is

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hampering the symbiotic relationships between pollinators and flowers. Bee poisoning is another issue which affects them directly or impair their reproduction, eliminate nectar sources and deplete bees' nesting materials. New scientific evidence has also attributed this problem to microbes, cell phones and nanoparticals in diesel. Interestingly all these issues are linked to wrong beekeeping activities, global exchange of honeybees and honey trade and climate change. Appropriate Beekeeping Technology was developed to solve these problems by providing sustainable solutions which are beneficial to the local community, and which are sensitive to the need to reduce environmental pollution by using renewable resources wherever possible. These solutions were based upon conservation of native bees, improvement in health and safety of bees, education, training and demonstrations consistent with the culture(s) of the local community.

Averting bee decline and pollination crises Pollination is important for many plants to produce fruits and fertile seeds. Different species of bees, including the honeybee pollinate approximately 16% of the 2.5 lakh flowering plants globally. Bee Pollination is a free ecosystem service and plays an important role towards food security, nutrition security and conserving biodiversity More than 50% of India's cultivated plants depend on pollinators to produce fruits, seeds and nuts. 65% of the fruit yields and 40% of vegetable production happens with help of insect pollinators. The total economic value of pollination to Indian agriculture is estimated to be 1,126 billion rupees which represents 8.72% of the total value of India's agriculture annually. The declining population of pollinators We have found that population native bees in Jammu are declining to an extent of 2.3 per cent per year which can have serious consequences in Jammu and Kashmir leading to drastic reduction of oilseeds, vegetables and fruit crops.

In order to avert and address this problem SKUAST-J we are moving beyond the “productivist agenda” to concentrate on the bees' most important function — maintaining ecological balance and helping agriculture through cross-pollination We have Set up long-term monitoring of pollinators, which is necessary for tracking trends in their abundance, diversity and behavior and sharing data and information on the pollinator abundance and behaviour vis-a-vis new pesticide molecules at national level.

Studies on the impact of agricultural chemicals on pollinator population are also being undertaken more rigorously and over long periods of time.

The research is focused on to Conserve and Protect our natural habitats and diversity of flora and fauna to protect our pollinators. Research is also being promoted on sustainable intensification of agriculture by promoting biodiversity beneficial to agricultural production through management practices such as intercropping, crop rotations, farm-level diversification and reduced agrochemical use.

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Recent research has found that in Jammu region, pollinators contribute to significant increase in yields of crops. Apple, onion, mustard and lucerne are the crops that most benefit from the presence of pollinators. Moreover, pollinators also help improve the quality of fruits, seeds and oils.

Insect‐pollinated crops contain vital micronutrients like vitamins and folic acid.

Improving Bee Health Improving the status of colony health will require cross-cutting research initiatives including honeybee pathology, chemistry, genetics and apicultural extension. Our Research center is conducting research to improve the nutritional health of bees, to control the Varroa mite and other pests and pathogens, and to understand the effects of pesticides on colonies. We are setting up long-term studies to determine causes and evaluate treatments for all kinds of bee mortality, selecting, bee traits such as resistance to pests or diseases and pollination efficiency. We have provided sustainable solutions to (e.g. Nosema and Varroa mites), viruses (Deformed Wing Virus, Black Queen Cell Virus,Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus) and model pesticides (thiacloprid, τ-fluvalinate).

Transcriptome analyses will be used to explore host-pathogen-pesticide interactions and identify novel genes for disease resistance. Special attention will be given to sublethal and chronic exposure to pesticides and will screen how apicultural practices affect colony health. Novel diagnostic screening methods and sustainable concepts for disease prevention were also developed resulting in new treatments

Diversifying bee products Bees gather substances from the vegetation, add substances to them, process them and allow them to ripen. These then serve as raw materials for other bee products. With the help of specialised organs and glands, the raw materials are transformed into new, very different products. For example, bee sucks nectar out of a flower that is converted into honey and stored at the top of frame, while collecting nectar pollen from the stamens sticks to the chest hairs of the bee and cross-pollination occurs that leads to better fructification and larger seeds and fruits. The bee combs pollen off and rolls it into pollen pellets with its hind legs. Pollen loads are pushed into the honeycomb cells where they are processed further and ripened into bee bread. This occurs on the inside of the comb nest.

Wax glands of bee result in beeswax which is required for comb making. The young bees use secretions from their head glands to process bee bread into bee milk and royal jelly, which form, together with the eggs and pupae, the so-called brood that is located in the combs on the inside and top of the bee bread, in the middle of the colony. The bees also collect waxes, gums and resins from trees and plants, which they mix into propolis by adding beeswax and saliva. Worker bees clean the cells for the brood with propolis, make honey from nectar, bee bread from pollen, and then in turn bee milk and royal jelly from the bee bread. The house bees sweat wax and make honeycomb out of

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it. Afterwards, the house bees become guard bees that guard the hive with their stingers by injecting bee venom into the skin of an intruder. The worker bees and the queen make bee venom in their venom gland, which is then stored in the venom sac located next to the stinger. The guard bees finally become forager bees, which collect nectar and pollen.

Unfortunately, in developing world honey is considered most well-known product The Knowledge on harvesting processing and marketing of products other than honey except bee wax is scanty and poor. Even if someone knows about the products he or she produces may not meet market demands and thus may not be able to provide a sufficient income. Bee center at SKUAST- J possess scientific and professional expertise about production of quality products that will add momentum for doubling the farmers income.

Quality control As a natural product of a relatively high price, honey has been a target for adulteration for a long time. Addition of sweeteners, misdescription of entomological source of honey, high moisture content, or subsequent addition of water which can result in honey fermentation and spoilage and the use of excessive heat in honey processing for liquefaction or pasteurization are the major issues related to honey authenticity. Interestingly, the majority of the production of honey takes place in developing countries, while the developed countries are the largest consumers but honey imported from these countries has a lower price than the locally produced honey, and is therefore prone to mislabelling because of economic reasons. This international trade is under tremendous pressure and the export of honey from these countries is facing surging issues related to its authenticity. Since then, the honey quality issues have become imperative and critical. According to the definition of the Codex Alimentarius (Codex Alimentarius Commission 2001) and other international honey standards (2001/110/ EC, EU Council 2002) honey shall not contain any food ingredient other than honey itself nor shall any particular constituent be removed from it. Many methods are employed for adulteration in honey. Among them, moisture content, electrical conductivity, Optical rotation and 5-hydroxymethylfurfuraldehyde (HMF) of provide a good information value about honey quality for beekeepers and various stakeholders dealing with honey.

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Experiential learning and training center The Experiential learning Unit on beekeeping was started in the year 2010-11 with the objective to provide in and training in beekeeping to UG student so that they can start their own business.

Till date 109 students have been trained in beekeeping. The success story of some students has been published in the ICAR.

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Division of Entomology, SKUAST-Jammu E mail:headentoskuastj@gmail.com website:skuast.org