Greetings from BiggBees Honey Farms, Bhubaneswar, OD, IN

[BiggBees]

After completing my Diploma in Pharmacy in 1993, I pursued PGDCA and a few other IT courses to build my career in Medical Informatics. My last workplace was AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, where I provided my services as HIS Data Centre Engineer. Later got the responsibility of Domain Expert in NIC?s (a government of India enterprise) E-Hospital (pan-India) project.

I started keeping bees as a hobbyist around 1997 and then went on to get a university degree in apiculture. In 2017 I began to build a migratory beekeeping operation in Odisha, India, and currently run more than 150 hives, from which we make our livings. Apart from beekeeping, I am also involved in researching new methodologies, technologies, equipment, etc. in apiculture.

In 2018, I enlisted with KVK, CIFA, Kousalyaganga, Bhubaneswar and KVIB, Bhubaneswar as a resource person for training in beekeeping. To date, I have completed 108 (as of 10th Oct. 2024) training camps and trained more than 1500 new beekeepers.

Thank you and looking forward to learning and exploring more with all co-beekeepers present here.

Regards,
Susanta
BiggBees Honey Farms & Equipments

[BeeMaster2]

Susanta,
Welcome to Beemaster. With all of your experience, I hope you become a regular contributor here on BeeMaster. I would really like know what it is like beekeeping in India.
I read somewhere many years ago that when varroa hit that India did not treat their bees and developed bees that survived without treatment. Is that true?
Jim Altmiller

[Terri Yaki]

Welcome, Susanta. I am a first year beekeeper in USA, hoping to see my hive make it through the winter. I would love to learn from your experience and hope you are able to share your earned knowledge with us.

[BiggBees]

Susanta,
Welcome to Beemaster. With all of your experience, I hope you become a regular contributor here on BeeMaster. I would really like know what it is like beekeeping in India.
I read somewhere many years ago that when varroa hit that India did not treat their bees and developed bees that survived without treatment. Is that true?
Jim Altmiller

Hi Jim,
You are right, The varroa mite was first reported in India in 1988 in colonies of the European honey bee Apis mellifera. The Apis mellifera was introduced to India in 1962 by Prof Ahluwalia of Punjab University. Still, we are having mites and other common bee disease problems in Apis Mellifera. But in the case of Apis Cerana Indica (which is native to the Indian subcontinent) not only Verrora Mites but also many other bee diseases hardly affect them. Apis Cerana Indica is mostly affected by Thaisac brood virus. Yield is very low compared to Apis Mellifera. I have Cerana Indica, Mellifera and Nikuti (Indian native stingless) bees in my apiary.

[The15thMember]

Welcome to Beemaster, Susanta!    Wow, it sounds like you have a lot of experience and how interesting that you keep species other than A. mellifera!  I'd love to hear more about the stingless bees.  I've read a little bit about stingless beekeeping in Mexico and Australia, but I don't know anything about the Indian stingless bees.     

[BiggBees]

Welcome, Susanta. I am a first year beekeeper in USA, hoping to see my hive make it through the winter. I would love to learn from your experience and hope you are able to share your earned knowledge with us.

Hello Terri Yaki,
Wishing you great luck for winter. For us, winter is the start of the BIG honey flow season. In our part of India, honey season mostly starts from mid-October to mid-June.

[BiggBees]

Welcome to Beemaster, Susanta!    Wow, it sounds like you have a lot of experience and how interesting that you keep species other than A. mellifera!  I'd love to hear more about the stingless bees.  I've read a little bit about stingless beekeeping in Mexico and Australia, but I don't know anything about the Indian stingless bees.   

In Asia and Australia, approximately 90 species of stingless bees are found, spanning from India to Australia. In the case of Indian native stingless bees, they cannot swarm long distances (due to the body size of their queen). They used to live in a place for a very long time (30 to 40 years). When a colony gets a new queen they find a new home within a 500 to 1000 meter radius to swarm.

All native bees are visibly distinguished by their hive entrance shape and structure without opening the hive. For Stingless Bees we used to have a wooden box 10x5 inches of 1.25-inch thick wood with an inside depth of 6 inches. they store honey and pollen in the same place in separate pots built with plant resin. Due to this harvesting is a very tedious process.

[Kathyp]

Welcome! I think you might be our first member from India. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your experiences. Old posts are searchable if you have a particular interest.

[Ben Framed]

Welcome! I think you might be our first member from India. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your experiences. Old posts are searchable if you have a particular interest.

Welcome BiggBees! We are glad you have joined us! As the others I look forward to your regular post!

Phillip

[BiggBees]

Welcome! I think you might be our first member from India. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your experiences. Old posts are searchable if you have a particular interest.

Thanks for the warm welcome! I'm thrilled to be part of the community and happy to represent India. I'm eager to dive into the old posts and learn from everyone's insights. Looking forward to some great discussions!