Beekeeping in Nagaland with Stingless Bees:Present and Future

Stingless bees are mostly found in tropical parts of the world. In India, these inhabit North Eastern states and South Indian Peninsula. About nine species of stingless bees are reported from India. Out ofwhich five species are reported from Nagaland. These belong to Family Apidae with different genus. Tetragonula iridipennis is dominant followed by Lepidotrigona spp. Floral cycle of stingless bees disclosed important plants for different development seasons. Stingless bees nesting sites and architecture revealed different forms of cells comprising of queen, males and worker. Bees store honey and pollen in different cells which are bigger than brood cells. Rearing of bees is discussed with their utilization for pollination of crops. Different hive products are discussed with the constraints in stingless bee rearing.