Honey Bee Diversity in Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture and Urban Forest-Outlook Study from Bengaluru-Silicon Valley of India: A Review

The “Silicon Valley” of India, Bengaluru is one of the fastest growing cities, with many middle-class residents growing fruits and vegetables in their private spaces. This kind of Localized food systems (LFS) has been considered not only for obtaining mental pleasure and health consciousness, but also food for home consumption. This outlook study examined the honey bee diversity and possibilities of integrating different honey bees in urban agriculture and forests across the Bengaluru city. The urban forestry study across the Bengaluru city revealed presence of 374 species with the highest species diversity in parks (291) followed by residential areas and layouts (164) showing species richness. Polyalthia sp. and Pongamia glabra were found to be the most dominated tree species around the Bangaluru city. Majority of the plant species were offering good foraging sources for honey bees, including Apis indica, Apis dorsata, Apis florea and Trigona iridipennis. The urban agriculture and urban forest system in the Bengaluru was ideal for bee-keeping, especially stingless bees, which could be easily reared with limited space and care. Thus, the urban agro-ecosystem and the possible pollination services through integrating honey bees could be very much useful in making the cities more sustainable and resilient.