Principal Investigator : Bhopinder Mehta, Society for Technology & Development

Co-Principal Investigator : Anjana Sharma

Contact details: 

Email : sfdnagwain [at] gmail [dot] com  Mob No. :+91-9805120849

Thrust Area : Balancing Forest use & Conservation

Project Area : Sadar Block, Mandi District, Himachal Pradesh

Objectives :

• To promote and conserve indigenous honeybee , Apis cerana

• To impart training to farmers on mud hive preparation and management of Apis cerana for ensuring proper pollination and better livelihood opportunity.

• To study various parameters/factors affecting bee activities in mud hives

• To study the impact of mud hives on productivity of apples

• To establish centralized facility centre for processing of honey

Click to View  OBJECTIVELY VERIFIABLE INDICATORS (150 Kb)

Progress:

• About 80 colonies of local bees introduced which are working well, and has led to an increase in their population.
• Training in fabrication of mud hives provided to all beneficiaries.
• 5 days’ training program on scientific management of honey bees in mud hives were organized in which 45 farmers participated.
• Hands on training in handling bee colonies provided.
• Training program on processing and packaging of honey was organized for a group of 20 progressive farmers in the established common facility center (CFC) at Jawalpur.
• Study was carried out at Nagwain.
• Both wooden and mud hives in the orchards have been compared.
• Dr. Harish Sharma, Scientist bee-keeping visited the project site. Plan for trials is made, and the impact studied.
• All equipment transferred to the beneficiaries, and installed at the center.
• A total of 41 beneficiaries from 8 villages have been provided with mud hive fabrication, and bee-keeping technology.
• All the beneficiaries are local farmers, practising apple cultivation.
• Total 5 meetings along with 3 awareness workshops have been conducted.
• 2 trainings on bee keeping in mud hives, 1 training in honey processing have been imparted.
• A total of 220 males and 12 females participated.
• A Common Facility Centre has been established in village Pub, and is provided with honey processing unit (1)  comb foundation sheet roller (1)
• 3 information centres have been established and provided with Honey Extractor (6), Smokers (6).
• Beneficiaries were provided with Bee handling kits (50), Hand gloves, uncapping knives, hive tools, Bee brushes & Veils
• Honey and beeswax were also provided as raw materials.
• There has been about 20-25 % increase in apple productivity post the intervention.
• A direct 20-25 % increase in income of the beneficiaries has been reported.
• A profit of 10 -15 % is being earned on the apples.
• 1 article published in TIME Magazine.