BY PARUL SHARMA
The red dwarf honeybee (Apis florea) is the most common honey-producing bee species throughout tropical and subtropical Asia. This small bee is naturally distributed from India to the Malaysian peninsula.
It is also present in several Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.
This honeybee is also commonly found in East Africa, but its populations are expanding westward. Abrol brought together 37 researchers to write this multidisciplinary treatise.
Its 23 chapters include details on the biology, natural history, genetic diversity, distribution, foraging, nesting behaviour, pollination behaviour, and ecology of this species.
The book highlights the manufacture of honey by these bees and their management from the viewpoints of tropical agricultural production and conservation of biodiversity.
This work encourages utilisation of a highly dependable pollinator that can help with food production in tropical and subtropical areas that are increasingly affected by climate change.
It is an interesting technical book for entomologists, biologists, agronomists, horticulturists, and those particularly interested in bee-pollinated tropical crops.”
The future role of dwarf honeybees in natural and agricultural systems provides multidisciplinary perspective about the different facets of dwarf honeybees. The role of dwarf honeybee Apis florea assumes utmost importance in the context of pollinator decline throughout the world threatening stability of ecosystems and global food security.
Apis florea is a low land species of south Asia extending more to the west than other Asiatic Apis species. It is an important pollinator of crops in hot and dry agricultural plains. The book is first of its kind which deals in details on varied aspects of Apis florea biology, management, conservation strategies for protecting biodiversity and enhancing crop productivity.
The book aims to promote a large, diverse, sustainable, and dependable bee pollinator workforce that can meet the challenge for optimising food production well into the 21st century. Apis florea provides source of livelihood in mountainous areas and marginal farmers.
This book will for the first time present the beekeeping from the perspective of agricultural production and biodiversity conservation. An excellent source of advanced study material for academics, researchers and students and programme planners.
Excellent pollinator of tropical and subtropical crops fruits vegetables etc less prone to diseases and enemies. Covering the latest information on various aspects of Apis florea biology, this book brings the latest advances together in a single volume for researchers and advanced level students
This book will be useful to pollination biologists, honeybee biologists in entomology departments, students, teachers, scientists of agriculture, animal behaviour, botany, conservation, biology, ecology, entomology, environmental biology, forestry, genetics, plant breeding, horticulture, toxicology, zoology, seed growers and seed agencies and shall serve as reference book for students, teachers, researchers, extension functionaries and policy planners.
Parul Sharma, Department of Computer Science & IT, University of Jammu
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.