STUDIES ON TRADITIONAL Apis cerana F. BEEKEEPING PRACTICES IN KULLU VALLEY OF HIMACHAL PRADESH
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Date
2023-12-19
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UHF Nauni
Abstract
The current studies entitled "Studies on traditional Apis cerana F. beekeeping practices in the Kullu valley of Himachal Pradesh," were conducted during 2022-23. Three sites viz., Hurla (1086 m), Kasol (1640 m) and Buruwa (2204 m), representing different altitudes of the valley, were used to collect worker bees and honey samples for morphometric and honey analysis. A survey of traditional beekeeping practices was done in the valley for the collection of information on different kinds of hives, bee flora, pest control approaches, honey extraction techniques, and the economic significance of beekeeping. Three types of hives, viz., log hives (76.08× 38.80 cm), rectangular wooden hives (39.46× 36.53× 33.09 cm), and wall hives (51.15× 24.67× 26.66 cm), were recorded in the valley. Analysis of A. cerana honey collected from various elevations showed significantly higher values of EC (0.60 mS/cm), fructose (36.92%), F: G ratio (1.40), HMF (12.20 mg/100 g), total phenols (162.01 mg/100 g), Vit C (21.82 mg/100g), and mineral content in Buruwa honey; pH in Buruwa (4.66) and Kasol (4.74) honey; moisture (15.62%) content in Hurla honey. Kasol honey samples had statistically higher contents of TSS (79.13°B), sucrose (4.62%) and glucose (33.67%), while honeys from Hurla and Buruwa showed statistically at par acidity (32.44, 34.37 miliequi/kg) and amino acid (83.43, 54.31 mg/100g) contents. However, all three locations were at par w.r.t. pollen count, optical density, and DPPH content of honey. The physical characteristics of A. cerana workers obtained from various elevations in the Kullu Valley showed significant differences in morphological characteristics. The observations revealed variations in body length (13.11 to 13.60 mm), head length (2.95 to 3.21 mm), thorax length (4.03 to 4.30 mm), abdomen length (5.72 to 6.31 mm), antennal length (3.97 to 4.01 mm), proboscis length (4.20 to 5.05 mm), forewing length x breadth (8.76-8.93 mm x 2.88-3.04 mm), hindwing length x breadth (6.04 mm-6.21 mm x 1.56 mm-1.7 mm), hamuli number (18.48 to 18.80), tibia length (2.79 to 2.91 mm), metatarsus length (2.08 to 2.11 mm). The body colour of the worker bees ranged from yellowish brown to brownish black. Further, it can also be concluded that most of the morphological features evaluated had a positive correlation with altitude.