ADVANCE APICULTURE COURSE CONCLUDES AT PAU

Ludhiana, December 26, 2017: A seven-day advance apiculture course on “Queen Bee Rearing, Hive Products and Bee Enemies and Diseases” concluded at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU). The training was organized by the Department of Entomology, PAU, under the project on Integrated Beekeeping Development Centre, funded by National Bee Board, Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare. A total of 24 progressive beekeepers from 12 districts of the state acquired the advance training.

Dr Pardeep K. Chhuneja, Course Director and Head, Department of Entomology, saidthe present beekeeping training course was endeavoured at improving the skills of the progressive beekeepers for dealing with the key problems of this enterprise in a scientific manner and promoting the diversification in apiculture towards enhancing apiary income. Queen bees are required for stock multiplication, requeening and also for business purpose, he observed. During the training, practical hands-on-experience was provided on various beekeeping aspects like traditional and novel methods of mass queen bee rearing, production technologies for various hive products, and on diagnosis and management of bee enemies and diseases, he added. The trainees were also apprised of the finance and subsidy schemes available from NABARD and State Department of Horticulture, he said. Trainees were also informed about AgMARK by the technical expert, he added.

Dr D.M. Wakhle from Baramati (M.S.) delved on the potential and quality aspects of various hive products.

Dr Jaspal Singh, Senior Entomologist and Technical Coordinator of the course, informed that another apiculture training course for beginners, especially, for schedule castes will be organized fromDecember 18-22at PAU.