Nauni/Solan: In its efforts to raise awareness about scientific beekeeping and use of its products, the Department of Entomology at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry celebrated the World Honey Bee day with the students of Government Senior Secondary School, Shamrod, Nauni.

The event was part of the initiative taken by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, GoI, under which it was decided to celebrate ‘World Honey Bee Day’ on 20th May, 2018 along with additional 2-3 days programme. The main theme of this year celebration was ‘Save Honeybees’.

As part of the event, the university scientists organized an interactive session and exhibition for the students and staff of the school.

Dr Harish Sharma, Principal Scientist at Nauni University and a renowned apiculturist in his address explained about the great economic importance and role of honeybees in managed pollination and honey production. He said that the World Honey Bee Day is celebrated every year so that concrete action can be taken to preserve and protect honeybees and spread awareness about beekeeping as the future of food security depends on bees as they are on the largest pollinators.

University scientists Dr Kiran Rana and Dr Meena Thakur acquainted students and teachers of the school about the different bee products and importance of beekeeping. Students of the apiculture section of the Department of Entomology, demonstrated various aspects of beekeeping through charts and display of beekeeping equipments.

Honeybees are one of the best pollinators, which help in increasing the yield of various agricultural and horticultural crops through pollination support. Further, it provides income and employment to the rural people by way of increasing yield of various crops and providing honey and other beehive products. Keeping in view the importance of beekeeping, a component ‘Pollination support through beekeeping’ has been incorporated in Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) in the country.