Stingless bees culture (Meliponiculture) in Kerala: hand book for farmers

Download or read book Stingless bees culture (Meliponiculture) in Kerala: hand book for farmers written by Prem Jose Vazhacahrickal and published by Amazon Publishers, USA. This book was released on 2018-10-25 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stingless bees are highly social insects which populated the tropical earth 65 million years ago longer than honey bees. They are limited to tropics and subtropics lacking venom apparatus and cannot sting. Impacts of anthropogenic influences on honey bees were already reported. Recent studies also showed that the nesting behaviour of Trigona iridipennis Smith in natural habitat also vary due to interaction, pheromones and environmental stimulus. A little is reported so far about the various natural and domesticated nesting of the Trigona iridipennis Smith in Kerala. Trigona iridipennis Smith shows great diversity in plant selection for dietary as well as resin sources. The shift towards ornamental plants for foraging may be an adaptation evolved in response to human modification of the environment. The bees collect resin from a variety of sources for building nest, its maintenance and also for defence. This hand book deals with several aspect of Meliponiculture and various problems dealing with stingless bees in Kerala.