Stingless bees increase production and quality of crops through pollination: Nagaland study

Guwahati: Pollination from two stingless bees species such as Tetragonula iridipennis Smith and Lepidotrigona arcifera Cockerell can increase the yield and quality of crops, apart from production of honey, a research team in Nagaland stated.

The team at Nagaland University carried out research for nearly 10 years by using stingless bees for pollination in greenhouse conditions, the result of which showed an increase in yield and quality of produce several times better in different crops.

"Stingless bees could be used for pollination without fear of being stung. They are known for their popular medicinal honey and pollination potential, which paves the way for the formulation of crop pollination calendars to benefit all stakeholders. The honey produced by the bees during the experiments also provided extra income besides good crop production," said the team led by Avinash Chauhan, Scientist and Principal Investigator (AICRP Honeybees & Pollinators), department of Entomology, School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagaland University.

The findings of the team have been published in several peer-reviewed journals, including International Journal of Farm Sciences, they said on Monday.

During the research, the team found that the per cent fruit set in king chilli increased to 29.46 per cent in pollinated crops compared to 21 per cent in non-pollinated crops. Similarly, in Chilli (Capsicum annuum), the fruit set and healthy fruits increased by 7.42 per cent and 7.92 per cent over non-pollinated crops. The seed weight, which is an indicator of viability or germination, also increased by 60.74 per cent when pollinated by stingless bees.

"This is the maiden attempt to work out the pollination potential of stingless bees and quality production of honey, which led to increased income and sustainable livelihood. Earlier, it was difficult to use honeybees for pollination of crops (inadequate pollination) due to their natural attributes," said the team.

For supplementing the pollination deficit in chilli, stingless bees and honeybee species like A dorsata, A florea, and other wild bees like halictid bees, syrphid bees and Amegiella bees need to be conserved, the team said.

“The crops which are less known such as passion fruits, solanum spp, chow chow and others but geographically important will be taken for future studies. Focus will also be given for extraction techniques for honey produced by stingless bees. The medicinal properties of the honey will also be worked out by proper analysis and Melissa palynological studies.”

Stingless bees are reported from North East India, Eastern India and Southern Indian states, with recent additions from North, Central and Western Indian states. Unlike all the states where stingless bee rearing is still in nascent stages, in North Eastern and Southern states, the stingless bees are reared in the traditional manner in homestead apiaries.

However, in the last 7-10 years, the scientific domestication of these bees involving the development of scientific hives and mass multiplication of stingless bee colonies using queen cells is achieved in Nagaland and is extended to other states like Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, said the team.