Chennai, February 5, 2011: The Kerala Agricultural University scientists have been investigating the biology and rearing of the common stingless bee, Trigona iridipennis. A recent meeting of the Board of Studies, Faculty of Agriculture of the University recommended meliponiculture (rearing of stingless bees, Meliponini) in homesteads of Kerala using 1500 cc capacity bamboo 'hives'. Under a project of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research the University developed a bamboo box to rear these bees and has now taken up popularizing the rearing of these bees.
An Express News Service report dated February 3, 2011 says that a workshop for farmers would be held during February 24-25, 2011 in Kochi to disseminate the meliponiculture technology developed by the University, which would coincide with the inauguration of the project to popularize meliponiculture to be held at Kanakakkunnu. The University is taking up this work under the project 'Popularization of Meliponiculture in Kerala', granted to them under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.
The project would involve besides the training in basics of stingless bee rearing, transfer of technologies developed by the University for rearing Trigona colonies, hygienic harvest of honey as also its marketing.