Beneficial Insects

India has four Apis species: Apis dorsata (rock bee / giant honey bee) — largest, cannot be domesticated, makes single large combs on cliffs and trees; Apis florea (little bee / dwarf bee) — smallest, makes small single combs in open; Apis cerana indica (Indian hive bee) — domesticated in traditional hives, produces 6–8 kg honey/colony/year; Apis mellifera (European/Italian bee) — most widely domesticated, produces 25–40 kg honey/colony/year, used in commercial apiculture.

Mulberry silk is produced by Bombyx mori (domesticated silkworm) fed exclusively on mulberry leaves (Morus alba). It accounts for ~90% of global silk production and is the finest, most lustrous silk. Non-mulberry (vanya) silks include Tasar (Antheraea mylitta — oak/arjun leaves), Eri (Samia cynthia ricini — castor leaves), and Muga (Antheraea assama — som/sualu leaves, golden-coloured, unique to Assam). Muga silk has GI tag from Assam.

The lac insect is Kerria lacca (formerly Laccifer lacca), a scale insect (Hemiptera: Kerriidae) that feeds on host trees (kusum, ber, palash, semur) and secretes a resinous protective covering — lac. The encrusted branches (stick lac) are harvested, crushed (seed lac), and processed into shellac by melting and straining. India produces ~50% of the world's lac. Key hosts: kusum (Schleichera oleosa) gives best quality lac.

The waggle dance is a figure-eight movement performed by forager bees on the vertical surface of the comb to communicate the direction and distance of a food source to hive-mates. The angle of the straight run relative to vertical = angle of the food source relative to the sun. Duration of waggle run = distance (longer = farther). Discovered by Karl von Frisch (Nobel Prize 1973). Round dance signals food within 50 metres.

Honey — food and medicine; moisture content must be <20% for storage without fermentation. Beeswax — cosmetics, polishes, candles; produced by wax glands on worker bee abdomen. Royal jelly — secreted by nurse bees, fed to queen larvae and young larvae; used in nutrition supplements. Propolis — resinous substance collected from plants, used by bees to seal the hive; antimicrobial properties. Bee venom — melittin is the main component; used in apitherapy. Bee pollen — protein-rich, used as health supplement.

Apiculture: National Bee Board (NBB) under Ministry of Agriculture implements the National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM) with subsidies on bee boxes and equipment; KVIC (Khadi and Village Industries Commission) provides training and infrastructure. Sericulture: Central Silk Board (CSB) under Ministry of Textiles runs the Silk Samagra scheme — covering mulberry plantation, silkworm seed production, reeling technology upgradation, and export promotion. Tasar silk is promoted through tribal development boards in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.