Research Projects

Pollinators play a crucial role in India's agricultural economy, providing food security and biodiversity. However, there is limited research on pollinators in India, and global declines in wild and domesticated pollinators are affecting plants that rely on their services. Bees are the most valuable pollinator, but global land use patterns, habitat transformation, and exposure to agrochemicals (pesticides) pose threats to them. Most studies focus on the Western honeybee Apis mellifera and the bumblebee Bombus terrestris. However, tropical bees experience different patterns of resource availability, pathogen prevalence, and stressors, making it important to study native bees. The project aims to examine the prevalence of pesticides in honey samples from multiple agricultural locations and their spill over into forest locations, as well as the status and health of native social honeybees (Apis cerana, A. dorsata, A. florea) and stingless bees (Tetragonula iridipennis) in representative agricultural and forest sites and controlled laboratory experiments. Honey samples will be analyzed for pesticides using HPLC and mass spectrometry, and pollen will be assessed for pollen dietary diversity. Experimental studies will determine flight distances, estimate foraging success, and monitor colony growth, survival, reproduction, and development. The scope and scale of this project are relevant because India is primarily an agrarian economy with extensive acreage under intensive farming, and habitat modification has implications for pesticide spillover into wild bee colonies. Information on bee stratus and health in different landscapes is essential for establishing conservation or management plans for these important pollinators.