THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a discovery that could open up avenues for large-scale production of high-quality honey, researchers from the state have discovered a new species of honey bee that is endemic to the Western Ghats. The species, discovered after a gap of over 200 years, has been named Apis karinjodian, with the common name, ‘Indian black honey bee’.
The honey bee last discovered from India was Apis indica which was identified in 1798 by Fabricius. The latest finding has been published in the September issue of the journal ‘Entomon’. The discovery has increased the species of honey bees in the world to 11.
The research was carried out by a team consisting of Shanas S, Assistant Professor at Kerala Agricultural University’s Integrated Farming Systems Research Station (IFSRS), Karamana; Anju Krishnan G, a PhD research scholar from Zoology department of SN College, Cherthala, and Dr Mashhoor K from EMEA College of Arts and Science, Malappuram.
Cavity nesting honey bees are used in India for commercial honey production. The research has also given a new direction to apiculture in the country by proving that there are three species of cavity-nesting honey bees in India - Apis indica, Apis cerana and the newly discovered Apis karinjodian.
“What is notable is the ability of the Indian black honey bee to produce higher quantities of honey which is thicker and consistent,” Shanas told TNIE. Currently, farmers have been complaining of high moisture content of above 25% in the honey produced by bees of the Apis indica species. According to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), moisture content of above 20% in honey is not permissible.
“In order to reduce the water content, the honey is heated which leads to change in the colour, texture and loss of nutrients. However, the thicker honey produced by the newly discovered species, with low water content, does not require such processes and hence, the natural goodness is retained,” Shanas explained. The propagation of the new species could facilitate large-scale production of high-quality honey, he added.
The distribution of Apis karinjodian ranges from the central Western Ghats and Nilgiris to the southern Western Ghats, covering the states of Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and parts of Tamil Nadu. The species has been classified as Near Threatened (NT) in Kerala based on the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, an easily and widely understood system for classifying species at high-risk of global extinction.
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