Skill development workshop in Beekeeping held at MCM

Mohali: The Department of Zoology at Mehr Chand Mahajan DAV College for Women, Chandigarh, in association with Mahatma Gandhi National Council of Rural Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India, organised a 3-day skill-based workshop titled ‘Beekeeping for Beginners’ under VENTEL Action Plan. Mr. Madan Sharma, Founder, Global Apiaries India, conducted the workshop that witnessed keen participation of 40 students. On day 1, Mr. Sharma shed light on the fundamentals of beekeeping including information about different species of honeybee, their life span, breeding, feeding, reproductive cycle and life history. He apprised the participants about the diversity in honey bee species which includes Apis dorsata (Rock bee), Apis laboriosa (the Himalayan giant honey bee), Apis cerana indica (Indian hive bee), Apis florea (dwarf bee), Apis mellifera (European or Italian bee) and Tetragonula iridipennis (Dammar or stingless bee). He also shared some life-saving tactics as a means of protection from honeybee swarms along with his intriguing personal experiences in this field. Special emphasis was laid on ecological significance of beekeeping. On the second day, Mr. Sharma educated the participants about various bee products including the highly nutritional royal jelly, medicinal products such as honeybee venom, bee wax, bee bread and propolis. The participants were also shown various documentaries and video clips on honey harvesting, capturing a swarm and beekeeping business. Essential apiculture equipment such as a bee smoker, hive scrapper, honey extractor, beehive frame, queen excluder and a beehive were also shown to the students. On the third day of the workshop, Mr. Sharma guided the participants about seasonal management of bee boxes and protection of beehives during adverse conditions. He informed the participants that honey production is a lucrative business, economically profitable enterprise that generates employment opportunities, and added that with the current skyrocketing demand of honey, bee product manufacturing has a wide scope in today’s market. The participants found the workshop immensely useful as it widened their horizons by providing knowledge about various aspects of apiculture.
Principal Dr. Nisha Bhargava highlighted the significance of the workshop as she said that it is a relevant step towards motivating the youth to explore entrepreneurial opportunities in beekeeping and to help in conserving biodiversity. She informed that the college undertakes various skill development initiatives like this one with the objective of promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, and enhancing employability quotient of the students.