Study of

BEEKEEPING
And its role in maintaining the ecosystem.
 Content

1. Introduction
2. Beekeeping (Apiculture)
3. National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM)
4. Honey Bees-different Species in India
5. Types Of Beekeepers
6. Methods Of Apiculture
7. Utility of honey
8. Production of Honey
9. Beekeeping Development Committee
10. Conclusion
11. References
1.Introduction
There are about 20,000 species of bees in the world, and they are
probably the most important insect pollinators. Thousands of bee species
have unique flight patterns and flower preferences, and many are adapted
to flowers in such a way that their body sizes and behaviors almost
perfectly complement those of the flowers they pollinate.

Unfortunately, all species of bees are declining around the world, as

are many other insects. The common bee is heavily affected by colony
collapse disorder, in which hives suddenly lose their adult members.
Populations of bumblebees and other solitary bees have declined
dramatically in many places due to pesticide and herbicide use, habitat
loss, and global warming. Some species, such as the rusty bumblebee, are
also listed as endangered.

If all the bees in the world died, there would be huge ripple effects
throughout ecosystems. Many plants, such as bee orchids, are only
pollinated by specific bees and would die out without human intervention.
This alters the composition of their habitats, affecting the food webs of
which they are a part and triggering further extinctions or declines of the
species that depend on them. Other plants may use different pollinators,
but many are successfully pollinated by bees. Without bees, they would set
fewer seeds and have less reproductive success. It also changes
ecosystems. Beyond plants, many animals, such as beautiful bee-eating
birds, lose prey if they die.

And it affects ecosystems and food webs. For agriculture, the loss of
bees would dramatically change human diets but not lead to famine. The
majority of human calories still come from cereal grains, which are wind-
pollinated and therefore not pollinated by bees. However, many fruits and
vegetables are insect-pollinated and cannot be grown on such a large scale
or cheaply without bees.
 Blueberries and cherries,for example, rely on bees for up to 90
percent of their pollination. Although hand-pollination is possible for most
fruit and vegetable crops, it is incredibly labor intensive and expensive.
Small robotic pollinator drones have been developed in Japan, but are
prohibitively expensive for entire orchards or fields of time-sensitive
flowers. Without bees, the availability and diversity of fresh produce would
be significantly reduced, and human nutrition would suffer. Cost-effective
crops may be lost to hand or robotic pollination or sustained only with the
dedication of human hobbyists.

2.Beekeeping (Apiculture)
care and management of colonies of honeybees. They are kept for
their honey and other products or their services as pollinators of fruit and
vegetable blossoms or as a hobby. The practice is widespread: honeybees
are kept in large cities and villages, on farms and rangelands, in forests
and deserts, from the Arctic and Antarctic to the Equator. Honeybees are
not domesticated. Those living in a man-made domicile called a beehive or
hive are no different from those living in a colony in a tree.
In antiquity people knew that bees produce delicious honey, that they
sting, and that they increase their numbers by swarming. By the 17th
century they had learned the value of smoke in controlling them and had
developed the screen veil as protection against stings. From the 17th to the
19th century, the key discoveries upon which modern beekeeping is
founded were made. These included the mystery of the queen bee as the
mother of nearly all the occupants of the hive, her curious mating
technique, parthenogenetic development, the movable frame hives, and the
fact that bees rear a new queen if the old one disappears.

Given this knowledge, people were able to divide a colony instead of

relying on natural swarming. Then the development of the wax-comb
foundation, the starter comb on which bees build straight, easily handled
combs, and the discovery that honey can be centrifuged or extracted from
them and the combs reused, paved the way for large-scale honey
production and modern commercial beekeeping. The identification of bee
diseases and their control with drugs, the value of pollen and pollen
substitutes in producing strong colonies, and the artificial insemination of
queens have increased the honey-production efficiency of colonies.
3.National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM):-

Keeping in view the importance of beekeeping as part of the

Integrated Farming System in the country, government approved the
allocation for Rs. 500 crore for National Beekeeping & Honey Mission
(NBHM) for three years (2020-21 to 2022-23). The mission was announced
as part of the AtmaNirbhar Bharat scheme. NBHM aims for the overall
promotion & development of scientific beekeeping in the country to achieve
the goal of ‘Sweet Revolution’ which is being implemented through
National Bee Board (NBB).

The main objective of NBHM is to promote holistic growth of

beekeeping industry for income & employment generation for farm and
non-farm households, to enhance agriculture/ horticulture production,
developing infrastructural facilities, including setting up of Integrated
Beekeeping Development Centre (IBDC)s/CoE, honey testing labs, bee
disease diagnostic labs, custom hiring centres, Api-therapy centres,
nucleus stock, bee breeders, etc. and empowerment of women through
beekeeping.

Besides,  the scheme also aims to create awareness about scientific

bee keeping  under Mini Mission-I, post-harvest management of
beekeeping, beehive products, including collection, processing, storage,
marketing, value addition, etc. under Mini Mission-II and Research &
Technology generation in beekeeping under Mini Mission-III. Rs 150.00
Crores has been allotted to NBHM for 2020-21.

11 projects of Rs. 2560 lakhs have been sanctioned under NBHM for
Awareness & Capacity building in scientific beekeeping, empowerment of
Women through beekeeping, technology demonstrations on impact of
Honeybees on yield enhancement & quality improvements of
agriculture/horticulture produce. It also aims to make farmers aware about
the distribution of specialized Beekeeping equipments for production of
high value products, viz. Royal Jelly, Bee Venom, Comb Honey, etc, and
also about the studies on exploring potential of High Altitude Honey,
production of special honey in Kannauj & Hathrus Distts. of UP and use of
mustard honey to cure colon cancer during the year 2020-21.
Main achievements:
i. Two World Class State of the Art Honey Testing Labs,
one at NDDB, Anand, Gujarat & one IIHR, Bengaluru,
Karnataka, have been approved/ set up. Lab at Anand
has been accredited by NABL and has been inaugurated
by Union Minister of Agriculture & Famers Welfare, Govt.
of India on 24th July, 2020. Now Lab has started testing of
Honey samples for all the parameters notified by FSSAI;
ii. 10,000 Beekeepers/Beekeeping & Honey
Societies/Firms/Companies with 16.00lakhs honeybee
colonies have been registered with NBB.
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. 5 FPOs of Beekeeper/honey producers in the States of
Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan &
West Bengal have been formed and launched by Minister
of Agri.& FW on 26.11.2020.
vi. Honey production has increased from 76,150 MTs (2013-
14) to 1,20,000 MTs (2019-20) which is 57.58 % increase.
vii. Export of honey has increased from 28,378.42 MTs
(2013-14) to 59536.74MTs (2019-20) which is 109.80 %
increase.
viii. 16 Integrated Beekeeping Development Centres (IBDCs)
as role model of beekeeping have been commissioned,
one each in the States of Haryana, Delhi, Bihar, Punjab,
Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Uttarakhand,
Jammu & Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Himachal
Pradesh, West Bengal, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh and
Arunachal Pradesh.
 ix. Awareness created about role of honeybees/beekeeping
in pollination support of various crops and adoption of
scientific beekeeping.

Beekeeping is an agro-based activity which is being undertaken by

farmers/ landless labourers in rural area as a part of Integrated Farming
System (IFS). Beekeeping has been useful in pollination of crops, thereby,
increasing income of the farmers/beekeepers by way of increasing crop
yield and providing honey and other high value beehive products, viz.; bees
wax, bee pollen, propolis, royal jelly, bee venom, etc. Diversified agro
climatic conditions of India provide great potential and opportunities for
beekeeping/ honey production and export of Honey.

4.Honey Bees-different Species in India

 Five important species of honey bees are as follows-
5. Types Of Beekeepers
 Beekeepers generally categories themselves as:
 Commercial beekeeper: Beekeeping is the primary source of
income.
 Sideliner Beekeeping: Beekeeping is a secondary source of
income.
 Hobbyist – Beekeeping is not a significant source of income.

6. Methods Of Apiculture
Commercial production of honey is done by two
methods, namely indigenous method and modern method. To obtain
pure and more amount of honey modern methods of apiculture are in
practiced.

Indigenous method of bee keeping

 This is the primitive and unplanned method of apiculture. In this
method, two types of hives are used.
 Natural fixed combs prepared by bees on the walls or the branches
of trees
 Artificial or man-made movable hives. These hives are made from
wooden logs or earthen pots etc.
  In the indigenous method, the bees are first killed or made to escape
from the hive with the help of smoke when the bees are at rest during
the night. This method has many drawbacks and it is not suitable for
 commercial large-scale production of honey. The following are the
disadvantages of the indigenous method:
 The honey cannot be extracted in pure form. The extracted honey
also contains the larvae, pupae, and pollen cells.
 The future yield of the honey is affected as the colony has to be
destroyed to extract the honey. Moreover, it takes a lot of energy of
the bees to build a new hive.
 The bees may not construct the new hive in the same place as the
old one.
 The natural hives also have the danger of attack by the enemies like
rats, monkeys, ants, etc. The natural hives can also be damaged by
climatic factors.
 Also, scientific intervention is difficult in the indigenous method, and
thus improving of the bee race is impossible.

Modern Method of apiculture

 In the modern method of apiculture the honey bees are reared in
movable artificial hives. This was designed and invented by
Longstroth in 1951. This invention has turned apiculture into a
cottage industry and has provided employment to lakhs of people.
 The methods used here are:
7. Utility of honey
 Honey is a nutritious food, rich in energy and vitamins. Our body
readily absorbs sugar, minerals, vitamins, and other materials
from honey. The various uses of honey are:
 It is used in the formation of candles cakes and bread.
 It is a laxative, antiseptic, and sedative and used in Ayurvedic
and Unani medicinal systems. It Acts as a curative of ulcers on the
tongue and alimentary canal. Typhoid germs are killed by it.
 It is used as a preservative, in the brewing industry, in poultry, and
fishing industries.
 It is used to stimulate the growth of plants, the bacterial culture,
in insect diet.
8. Production of Honey

Production of Honey in World

 China is the largest honey producer in the world and exporting

the largest amount of honey to other countries.
 After China, Turkey, USA, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, India, Mexico,
Brasil, Canada, Malaysia, Germany, Bulgaria, New Zealand, Spain
and Michigan are also known as the most biggest honey producer
countries in t he world.
 Production of Honey In India

 The establishment of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission to

revitalize the traditional village industries hastened the development
of beekeeping in 1980s.
 The production of honey in India increased significantly towards the
late 1990s. 70% of honey production comes from informal segments.
As a major exporter of honey, India falls behind China, Argentina,
Germany, Hungary, Mexico, and Spain.
 West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Bihar, contribute about
61% of India’s total honey production. If you talk about the
collection of revenue from the honey market as per the reports of
2018, India has generated INR 15,579 million.
 As per the latest data from the National Bee Board, under the
Department of Agriculture, the country’s total honey production
reported in 2017–2018 was 1.05 lakh metric tonnes (MTs), compared
to the 35,000 metric tonnes in 2005-2006.
 India has exported 61,333.88 MT of Natural Honey to the world for
the worth of Rs. 732.16 Crore/ 105.48 USD Millions during the year of
2018-19. U S A, United Arab Emts, Saudi Arab, Morocco, and
Qatar are the Major Export Destinations (2018-19).
 India has a potential of about 200 million bee colonies as against
3.4 million bee colonies today.
 Increasing the number of bee colonies will not only increase the
production of bee-related products but will boost
overall agricultural and horticultural productivity.
 As per the National Bee Board and Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers’ Welfare India’s honey exports have jumped from 29.6
to 51.5 thousand tonnes between 2014-15 and 2017-18.
9. Beekeeping Development Committee
Bibek Debroy led the beekeeping development committee under the
Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister has made
recommendations to enhance the contribution of the beekeeping sector for
achieving the target of doubling of farmer incomes by 2022.

The committee was set up to identify ways of advancing

beekeeping in India that can help in improving:

 Agricultural productivity.
 Enhancing employment generation.
 Augmenting nutritional security.
 Sustaining biodiversity.

Key Recommendations
 Institutionalize the National Bee Board and rename it as the Honey
and Pollinators Board of India under the Ministry of Agriculture and
Farmers’ Welfare as it will help in advancing beekeeping through
multiple mechanisms such as:
 Setting up of new integrated bee development centers and
strengthening the existing ones.
 Creating a honey price stabilization fund.
 Collection of data on important aspects of apiculture.
 Simplifying procedures and specify clear standards for ease of
exporting honey and other bee products.
  Beekeeping should not be restricted to honey and wax only instead
marketing of bee products such as pollen, propolis, royal jelly, and
bee venom can contribute to the income of Indian farmers.
 Recognize honeybees as inputs to agriculture and consider
landless beekeepers as farmers.
 Training and development of beekeepers should be provided by
state governments.
 National and regional infrastructure should be developed for the
storage, processing, and marketing of honey and other bee products.
 Plantation of bee-friendly flora at appropriate places and engaging
women self-help groups in managing such plantations.
 Recognition of apiculture as a subject for advanced research under
the aegis of Indian Council for Agricultural Research.

National Bee Board (NBB)

 Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) registered National
Bee Board as a society under the societies registration Act, 1860 in
2000.
 National Bee Board (NBB)was reconstituted (with the secretary as
chairman) in June 2006.
 The main objective of the National Bee Board (NBB) is the overall
development of beekeeping by promoting scientific beekeeping in
India to increase the productivity of crops through pollination and
increase the honey production for increasing the income of the
Beekeepers/ Farmers.
 Presently NBB is implementing National horticulture mission (NHM)
and Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan State
(HMNEM).

Conclusion

 Production of honey has been the major aim of the industry.

 Modern beekeeping also includes the production of beeswax, bee
collected pollen, bee venom, royal jelly, propolis, as also of package
bees, queen bees, and nucleus colonies,
 About 10,000 tons of forest honey is produced in India annually.
12. References

 https://nbb.gov.in/objective.htm
 https://lotusarise.com/apiculture-in-india-upsc/#history-of-beekeeping

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