EVALUATION OF POLLEN SOURCES OF HONEYBEES AT PIALI TOWN, DIST. 24- PARAGANAS, WEST BENGAL.

摘要

The 1366 pollen loads collected during 1995-96 at Piali town, District 24, Paraganas, West Bengal were analysed to evaluate pollen sources of Apis mellifera L. Forty six plant species have been found to offer pollen to honey bees. Five major pollen sources were identified viz., Cocos nucifera L., Borasses flabellifer L., Citrus sp., Brassica sp. and Phoneix sylvestris Roxb., and others are Cucurbita sp., Psidium guajava L., Syzygium cumini Skeels., Lathyrus sativus L., Cyanotis sp. etc. Although pollen was available throughout the year in a locality, the peak pollen availability was from January to April and again from September to December while the poorest time was August. The study reveals that this region has good potential for bee keeping and the knowledge of the floral wealth of this region is important for maximum exploitation.