Beneficial Insects and Allied Enterprises
Beneficial insects and allied enterprises covers apiculture, sericulture, lac culture, biological control, pollination and soil fauna-the productive and ecological side of entomology.
Core rules
- Apiculture: Apis cerana indica (Indian hive bee), A. mellifera (Italian bee), A. dorsata (rock bee) and A. florea (dwarf bee). Products: honey, beeswax, royal jelly, propolis, bee venom. Pollination raises yields of mustard, sunflower and fruit crops.
- Sericulture: Bombyx mori (mulberry silkworm); egg, larva, pupa, adult; larvae feed mulberry; cocoon reeling gives silk. Rearing needs disinfection, controlled temperature and humidity.
- Lac culture: Kerria lacca on hosts such as palas, kusum and ber; the female secretes resin. Stick lac, seed lac and shellac are products.
- Biological control: Trichogramma egg parasitoids, Chrysoperla predators, ladybird beetles, NPV, Bacillus thuringiensis. Conservation of natural enemies is part of IPM.
- Soil fauna: earthworms, collembola, mites and nematodes influence decomposition and soil fertility.
Worked example
A farmer wants less bollworm damage without daily sprays. Releasing Trichogramma and conserving ladybirds targets eggs and soft stages; Bt or NPV can be used selectively; chemical sprays are reserved for ETL. The reasoning is stage-specific control, not total eradication.
Traps
Do not confuse A. dorsata with A. mellifera. Silk comes from cocoon filament, not the adult moth. Lac is insect resin, not beeswax.