Apiculture resource biodiversity and management in Southern Kerala

Abstract

Apiculture is a science-based industry using bees as micromanipulators to harvest n~ectar and pollen from plant sources to produce honey. Even though most plants in an ecosystem produce nectar and pollen, all of them do not contribute to the honey resource. From the ambient vegetation, the bees identify plants for nectar and pollen and collect them for the sustenance of their colonial life. Moreover, these resource preferences are distinct in natural and domesticated habitats. Although we get a substantial amount of honey from Apis dorsata the wild bee, proper beekeeping demands systematic utilization of resources through domesticated bees. It is therefore imperative that knowledge of the bee ecosystem and its ramifications is an essential pre-requisite in apiary management and product development. In spite of the beekeeping potential in the country, apiculture has continued to remain a minor cottage industry. This is because of the poor scientific support and organizational infrastructure provided to this industry. In India, Kerala is the State that produces the largest quantity of honey. But the quality is inferior and this has reduced the price of Kerala honey in the Indian market, due perhaps to the dependence on Rubber (Hevea braziliensis) as the honey source, producing nectar from the extra floral nectaries in the leaf, while the Coconut tree offers pollen. In terms of higher market price and honey quality, the flower sources and forest ecosystems are the most suitable.