Stingless Honey a Sustainable Economy in Nagaland

Moasunep Kichu,Manali Bhattacharya

doi:10.47392/irjash.2020.125

Abstract

Nagaland has a tradition of beekeeping since time immemorial. They practice both apiculture and meliponiculture, while the former is preferred over the latter. Meliponicluture or stingless beekeeping is negligible due to little or no domestication technology. Stingless bee is the smallest honey producing bee. The honey of stingless bee taste sweet and sour and is different from common honey. Nagas use the stingless honey as an ethno-remedy to treat various diseases and usually take it before going out for hard work to get more strength and energy. It has high demand in the market because of its great medicinal value. However demand of the market is not fulfilled due to less number of stingless bee keepers. Nagaland Beekeeping and Honey Mission- NBHM has opened many avenues for the beekeepers to sell their pure organic produce like in Hornbill festival at Kohima, and also to local, national and international tourist. This paper would like to study the economic importance of beekeeper with a special reference to stingless bee in rural areas. The researcher would like to emphasize on how the village livelihood are sustained by rearing bee. It will also cover the farmers with beekeeping as hobby turn into full time prosperous beekeepers.

Highlights

Bees are known for honey and sting but stingless bees are exceptional, priceless and incredible
One interesting thing is that when a person is bitten by a snake or by a spider, stingless bee propolis is usually warmed with candle or heated and is applied on the wound
After the intervention by NBHM, the production of honey in Nagaland is around 420 metric tons per annum (NBHM Souvenir 1, 2018)

Summary

Introduction

Bees are known for honey and sting but stingless bees are exceptional, priceless and incredible. In the case of common bees the honey is stored in combs This is the uniqueness of stingless bee. One interesting thing is that when a person is bitten by a snake or by a spider, stingless bee propolis is usually warmed with candle or heated and is applied on the wound. That is how they have been using it as a first aid in the village. Was started in the year 2007 as part of post-harvest and honey enterprise They source 3 three varieties of natural and pure honey; Apiscerena (common honey bee), Apislaboriosa (rock bee) and tetragonula (stingless bee) from the project beekeeping villages. After the intervention by NBHM, the production of honey in Nagaland is around 420 metric tons per annum (NBHM Souvenir 1, 2018)

Review of literature

Objective

Methodology

Findings

Discussion and Finding- Economic Prospect