Honey Bees and Pollinators, GKVK, Bengaluru

AICRP Scheme/Unit : All India Coordinated Research Project on Honeybees and Pollinators
Location : Bangalore
Year of Start : 2009
Mandates : v Conservation and Sustainable Use of Pollinators (CSUP) and to promote coordinated action across the country v Assessing the economic value of pollination and the economic impact of the decline of pollination services to Indian agriculture v Promote wider use of pollinators, as essential input for cross pollinated crops, to enhance / maintain agricultural productivity v Monitor pollinator decline, its causes and its impact on pollination services v Address the lack of taxonomic information on pollinators; v Promote conservation and restoration of pollinators for the sake of sustainability of agriculture in India
Research Programmes : v Standardization of rearing methodologies for stingless bees v Domiciliation of leaf cutter bees v Conservation of wild honey bees: Nesting and migratory behavior of giant honey bee, Apis dorsata F v Bee Health: The Survey on pest and diseases of honey bees in Beekeeping districts of Karnataka v Bee disease management by Non-Chemical methods v Domiciliation of Hoplonomia westwoodi v Selection of better strains of Apis cerana colonies through participatory research v Foraging Ecology & Pollination efficiency of Hoplonomia westwoodi in chilli
Research Accomplishments : (Varieties released /Technologies developed / Patents developed/ Commercialized etc…) a. Double queen system for management of Apis cerana b. Adoption of 6 frame ISI A type bee hive for Apis cerana in Karnataka c. Different pollen substitutes and feeding methods for Apis cerana
Awards / Recognitions : v Received young scientist award during “Asia-Pacific Conference on Beekeeping for Sustainable Agriculture, Ecosystems and Rural Livelihoods (BEE-2022)” v Best TSP center during Group meeting of AICRP (HB & P) in 2016 and 2022 v Best presenting center during Annual Group meeting of AICRP (HB & P) in 2023 v Best Demonstration plot Award during Krishi mela in 2019, 2020, 2021& 2022
Facilities Available : v Well equipped laboratory for honey analysis and molecular works v Facilities to study pollination biology v Apiary with different species of honey bees
Other Activities : v Regular scientific bee keeping trainings for farmers v Sale of bee colonies and bee keeping equipments
Externally Funded Projects in Operation :
No.	Project Title	Principal Investigator	Funding agency	Year of Start	Year of Completion	Significant Outcome
1	Holistic management of strategies for Thai sac brood virus in Karnataka	Dr. K. T. Vijayakumar	National Bee board	2021-2022	2023-2024	a) Standardization of protocols for detection of infection through RTPCR and RPA methods b) Development of holistic approaches for the management of TSBV disease