TNAU makes progress in developing parameters to determine desired character in offspring of worker bees
Over the last two years, researchers in the Department of Agricultural Entomology have standardised the age in the lifespan of worker bee when the semen production is high.
Research in artificial/instrumental insemination was currently progress, the success of which would pave the way for honey-producers to be assured of desired character of off-springs, said V.R. Saminathan, Professor of Entomology and Principal Investigator for All India Coordinated Research Project for Honey Bees and Pollinators.
The project also covered molecular identification to address the Thai sacbrood virus (TSBV), which posed a major threat to honey bee colonies in South India, and research on strain variation in honey bees, Prof. Saminathan said.
During December, 2024, the TNAU conducted a State-level training offered by the National Bee Board on various essential aspects of Bee keeping: Identification of bee species and social organisation of bees; Rearing Indian bees in boxes, general and seasonal management; Bee forage, yield increase of crops through cross pollination; Honey extraction; and Enemies and diseases of bees and their management.
The TNAU Agritech portal states that the production of apiary honey in the country has reached 10,000 tons, valued at ₹300 million.
In Tamil Nadu, raw honey is mostly procured from Janunamarudhur in Tiruvannamalai district and Marthandam in Kanyakumar district. The government provides financial support by supplying bee-hives to the tribals on hill areas, SC/ST under Western Ghats Development programme and Integrated Tribal Development Programme.
The Central Government had, during November 2020, initiated the Honey FPO programme of National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED).
The TNAU, on its part, had been reaching out to farmers through monthly-training programmes to initiate them into producing bee wax, propolis, royal jelly, and bee venom. So far, at least 8000 farmers in Tamil Nadu had undergone training in bee keeping at TNAU, Prof. Saminathan said.
On May 20, the TNAU celebrated the World Bee Day on the theme: 'Bee inspired by nature to nourish us all', highlighting the critical roles bees and other pollinators play in agrifood systems.
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