Academic Department
AICRP on Honey Bees and Pollinators
Constituent Department under Directorate of Research(Agri)
The National Commission on Agriculture in 1976
recommended the starting of a project entitled “All India Coordinated Project
on Honeybee Research & Training”, which was launched by the Indian Council
of Agricultural Research in 1980-81. The Project started functioning with the
Project Coordinating Unit at Central Bee Research & Training Institute,
Pune with six centres including one in an ICAR institute. Five more centres,
four in SAUs and one in an ICAR institute, were sanctioned in 1983. There were nine university based coordinating
centres during the X Five Year Plan including Solan (Himachal Pradesh),
Ludhiana (Punjab), Vijayarai (Andhra Pradesh), Jorhat (Assam), Pusa-Samastipur
(Bihar), Vellayani (Kerala), Hisar (Haryana), Pantnagar (Uttarakhand) and
Bhubaneswar (Odisha). The project AICRP on Honey Bees and Pollinators began operating in the department of Entomology Assam Agricultural University on 8th April, 1983.
The mandate of the project is to conduct research on Honey bee and pollinators and impart training.
The objectives of the project are:
(i) To do research on honey bees and pollinators and generate technologies for their conservation, augmentation and utilization for pollination of various crop plants in different agro-ecological zones
(ii) To undertake research on honey bee breeding to develop high yielding race for higher production of hive products
(iii) To conduct location specific research on honey bees and pollinators, their diseases, enemies and their management
(iv) To prepare data base on relative abundance of native insect pollinators in various crops in different agro climatic zones
(v) To organize and impart trainers’ training on bee pollinators and apiculture
Department Achievements & Accolades
12 Records
The number of honey bee colonies, Apis cerana required for optimum pollination and yield of different crops viz., mustard, niger, buckwheat, pigeon pea, cucumber, coriander, citrus, assam lemon, guava, ber, etc. have been standardized and has already been included in the package of practice of growing different crops and development of different enterprise of Assam.
Carpenter bee, Xylocopa fenestrata is an effective pollinator of cucurbitaceous crops. Xylocopiculture has been standerdized by this centre in bamboo top (jati bamboo) and also an innovative novel portable Xylocopa frame has been developed. The rearing has been standardized in portable wooden frame and released in the polyhouse for pollination of cucumber under protected cultivation.
Attempts were made to domesticate Tetragonula iridipennis, a commonly available stingless bee in wooden hives of different sizes 1500 cc (15 ×10×10 cc), 1960 cc (35×7×8cc) and 3000cc (30 ×10 ×10cc). Bee hive of size 3000 cubic centimeter (30 ×10 ×10 cc) may be recommended for rearing Tetragonula irridipennis. Further, a novel bamboo hive has also been standardized for rearing Tetragonula irridipennis for Assam condition which has been filed for patent also and published in the year 2019.
Use of sticky yellow trap with pheromone lure, freeze treatment and application of Bt formulation var kurstaki have been effective for management of wax moth. The incidence of wax moth was 7.55% and 9.35% in treatment hive with sticky trap and Bt. formulation, respectively against 17.50% in untreated control.
Pollination
study of stingless bee under protected cultivation showed that a single wooden
hive box (19 × 14 × 17 cm3) comprising approximately 700–1000
stingless bee,Tetragonula iridipennis can
effectively pollinate cucumber flowers of a 70 sq. m area under protected
conditions.
Pollen substitute
feeding could enhance the performance of A. cerana colonies
significantly in dearth period. Out of all pollen substitute tested pollen
substitute developed by solan centre(Soya+ Wheat – 150 g +150 g, Yeast- 100 g,
Sugar solution- 400 ml; Sugar: Water- 2:1, Dark Rum- 20 ml) was found to be the
best in terms of different colony performance parameters of A. cerana.
Biochemical analysis of honey samples collected from the nine states of the North Eastern Region of India indicated a variation in the moisture content, reducing sugar, ash, phenol content, and scavenging activities. The highest moisture content (25.13%) was found in Nagaland honey, followed by Tripura (24.30%).The highest fructose glucose ratio for A. dorsata was present at 1.44% in honey collected from Meghalaya which, followed by Sikkim (1.38%).The lowest fructose glucose ratio was present in Nagaland (1.09). The highest flavonoid content of A. dorsata honey (45.85±0.94 mg QE/kg) was found,that was collected from Meghalaya followed by 40.60±0.45 mg QE/kg in Mizoram. The highest phenol content recorded from the honey collected from Mizoram (441.98 mg GAE/kg).
Biochemical analysis of
honey of stingless bee, T. iridipennis collected
from Assam showed that the total phenol and flavonoid content of honey of T. iridipenniswere found to be 597.92±3.05 mg GAE/kg and 99.85±1.60 mg
CEQ/kg, respectively, which were significantly higher. Similarly, the elemental
composition of honey of T. iridipennis showed presence of more amount of Calcium
and Potassium, i.e., 12.21±2.65 and 118.04±3.10 mg/100g of honey.
The study of migratory
behaviour of A. dorsata showed that the species commenced its
immigration to this region in November, stayed there upto winter
(December-February), spring (March-April), and early summer (April-May)
seasons, and left during extreme summer (July-August) in the Borbheta area of
Jorhat district of Assam.
In last five years (2018-2023) several numbers of training programme including input distribution programme (under NEH and TSP) covering 1821 numbers of participants of different categories viz., farmers, unemployed youth, farm women as well as government officials were conducted in different parts of Assam to strengthen the scientific beekeeping and meliponiculture among such different stakeholders
AAU, Jorhat centre was awarded as the "Best Centre" among 25 centres of the project two times during 2016 and 2024 due to their excellent performance in the field of honey bees and pollinator research and extension activities.
Bagged best stall award at State level farmers fair on "Scientific Beekeeping for Sustainable Livelihood" organised by College of Agriculture, CAU, Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh on 14th March 2024.
Research & Extension Projects
3 Total Projects
Ongoing Projects (1)
AICRP on Honey Bees & Pollinators, AAU, Jorhat
Completed Projects (2)
Development of quality nucleus stock production unit of honey bees (Apis cerana) colonies
Development of gamma ray induced mutant strain of honeybee resistant to insecticides
Department Photo Gallery
1 Photos