Seeking to woo more farmers to 'apiculture'(honeybee rearing) and increase honey
production from the state, the Kerala Agriculture University (KAU) here has chalked out plans to promote the rearing of stingless bees.
According to KAU sources, the number of people indulging in apiculture is lower in the state as people are scared of the sting properties of bees. But, with the popularisation of stingless bees, more people especially women will be attracted to honeybee rearing.
The All-India Co-ordinated and Pollinations (AICRP) in the university will share tips and technologies for the rearing of stingless bees under a project 'Popularisation of
Meliponiculture (rearing of stingless bees) in Kerala'.
Though stingless bees are available in the state markets, they are not as popular as ordinary honey bees. At present, farmers have to come down to the capital city to learn the
technical know-how of the rearing of stingless bees.
But, under the project, the technicalities of
meliponiculture would be popularised by the university experts across the state.
Hiving, management, division of colonies, mass
queen-bearing, quality honey extraction and other sharing of standardised technologies for commercial meliponiculture will be done under the project.
The programme, under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY project), is also an effort to popularise the medicinal value of nectar produced by stingless honey bees, a top agriculture official said.
"Honey produced by stingless bees is considered an effective medicine for breast cancer. Majority of people are unware about its the medicinal aspect," Stephen Devanesan,
Principal Scientist at AICRP, Agricultural College here, said.
A workshop for farmers for the dissemination of the scientific technologies developed by the university will beheld in the city later this month, KAU sources said.