Traditional beekeeping with the Indian honey bee (Apis cerana F.) in District Chamoli, Uttarakhand, India P Tiwari, J K Tiwari, Dinesh Singh and Dhanbir Singh Department of Botany and Microbiology HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar Garhwal-246174, Uttarakhand E-mail:
[email protected] Abstract microphyllus, Cornus capitata, Juglans regia, The present study aimed to recognize and Lagerstroemia spp., Myrica esculenta, document the traditional knowledge and Ougeinia oojeinensis, Phyllanthus emblica, methods of beekeeping in district Chamoli. A Prunus cerasoides, Prinsepia utilis, Pyrus structured questionnaire on different aspects spp., Rosa spp., Rubus spp., Rhododendron of traditional beekeeping was administered to arboreum, Terminalia spp., Toona hexandra, 460 traditional beekeepers to collect data from Zanthoxylum armatum and numerous 110 villages of the district during 2011. Asteracean, Crassulacean, Lamiacean Beekeeping with Apis cerana is a common members along with oil, vegetable, fruit and practice in district Chamoli and has been cereal crops which are good sources of nectar mostly carried out through traditional methods. and pollen for bees. Authentic documentation The bees are mainly kept in wall hives besides of traditional beekeeping in this region is the log and miscellaneous hives, which are lacking; the present study is an attempt to made from locally available materials. The record the knowledge and methods of people have indigenous knowledge of traditional beekeeping as practised in district beekeeping which is passed from one Chamoli. generation to another. In the hill area traditional hives are more suitable than Study area modern hives but for the drawback in colony The present study was conducted in district management. Modern beekeeping is in its Chamoli of Uttarakhand which is well known infancy in the area, so people need to be for its rich biodiversity and cultural mosaic.