Knowing the Difference Apiculture and Sericulture
We all know cultivation is a practice by which food is produced. All the crops are produced by the process of cultivation and crops are the source of food. But have you heard about apiculture or sericulture? These terms might be new to you, right?
In this article, we are going to learn about sericulture and apiculture, what is apiculture and sericulture, the difference between apiculture and sericulture and the study of sericulture and apiculture industry.
Sericulture
What is sericulture? Sericulture is a technique of rearing silk. In sericulture, silkworms are used to rear raw silk. It comes under associate agro-based trade.
Sericulture
In India, production of silk is in Assam, Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Kashmir and Karnataka.
Few varieties of silk obtained from silk worms are as follows:
Tasar Silkworm: The silkworm that feeds on oak. The silk obtained is termed tasar silk.
Mulberry Silkworm(Bombyx Mori): This feeds on mulberry and also the thread obtained is mulberry silk.
Similarly, there are varied forms of silk obtained from different worms.
Apiculture
What is apiculture? In scientific terminology, the term ‘apis’ is used for bees . Therefore, apiculture could be a method of rearing bees for honey and wax. It is a type of science for the preservation or maintenance of bee colonies. It's usually artificial stores (hives), by humans for the apiculture also we can call it beekeeping. A apiculturist gathers bees for their product and honey that the hive produces.
Process of Apiculture
The honeybee is a commercially very useful insect that is useful for all of us by secreting varied products like honey, honey wax, and jelly; all of these have vital medicative properties. The area where a large range of beehives are often placed is termed apiary.
In the apiary, the honeybees are the upkeep of and manage to produce wax, royal jelly, and honey. Apiaries typically provide areas also for the flowering plants. A standard apiculture strategy of beekeeping is a fixed comb hive, it's a hive within which the combs can't be detached or manipulated for harvesting without permanently damaging the comb. Top Bar hives are the modern strategy of apiculture that is being followed in Africa. This method keeps the bees in a less stressful condition.
Difference Between Apiculture and Sericulture
Uses of Sericulture
Sericulture provides profitable employment, economic development and improvement within the quality of life to the folks in rural areas and thus it plays a vital role in anti-poverty programmes and prevents migration of rural folks to urban areas in search of employment.
Study of Sericulture and Apiculture Industry
In modern strategies of apiculture, it makes use of artificial bee hives. These beehives are a lot more convenient as compared to natural hives as they can be simply shifted and reused. Honey bees manufacture honey and wax that are very useful to man. They conjointly play a vital role in fertilisation of agricultural and horticulture fields.
In sericulture, silk fibre could be a protein made from silk glands of silkworm. Silk glands are modified salivary glands of larvae of caterpillars of the insect Bombyx mori. These caterpillars form a cocoon around them and these cocoons are hard-boiled in hot water, this method is termed stiffing and further the silk fibre is separated from the cocoons.
Interesting Facts
India is the only country in the world having all four types of silk.
In apiculture, during fertilisation, the queen bee lays about 2000 eggs per day.
Conclusion
Sericulture is an agro-based trade. The major activities of sericulture consists of food-plant cultivation to feed the silkworms that spin silk cocoons and reeling the cocoons for unwinding the silk filament for value-added advantages like processing and weaving. In apiculture the bees are bred commercially in apiaries, an area where loads of beehives can be placed. Usually, apiaries are set up in areas where there are sufficient bee pastures – like areas that have flowering plants.
FAQs on Apiculture and Sericulture
1. What is the main difference between apiculture and sericulture?
The main difference lies in the organisms and products involved. Apiculture is the scientific practice of rearing honeybees to produce honey, beeswax, royal jelly, and other bee products. In contrast, sericulture is the process of cultivating silkworms to produce raw silk.
2. How are apiculture, sericulture, and pisciculture different from one another?
These are all forms of animal husbandry but focus on different organisms for different commercial purposes:
- Apiculture: Involves rearing honeybees for honey and wax.
- Sericulture: Involves cultivating silkworms for silk production.
- Pisciculture: Involves the controlled breeding and rearing of fish in ponds or tanks for food.
3. What are the different roles of bees inside a beehive?
A honeybee colony has a clear division of labour among three types of bees:
- The Queen Bee: The only fertile female, whose primary role is to lay thousands of eggs.
- The Drone Bees: These are the male bees whose main function is to fertilize the queen.
- The Worker Bees: These are sterile females that perform all other tasks, such as collecting nectar, feeding the young, cleaning the hive, and defending it.
4. What are some of the main products obtained from apiculture?
Apiculture, or beekeeping, provides several valuable products. The most common product is honey, but bees also produce beeswax (used in cosmetics and candles), royal jelly (a nutritional supplement), and propolis (a resinous substance with medicinal properties). Bees also play a crucial role in agriculture through pollination.
5. Why are apiculture and sericulture considered important agro-based industries?
Both are important because they provide significant income to farmers and support rural economies. Apiculture not only yields products like honey but is essential for increasing crop yields through pollination. Sericulture provides raw silk, a high-value fibre that is the backbone of the textile industry in many regions, creating widespread employment.
6. How is silk thread actually obtained from a silkworm's cocoon?
The process involves several key steps. First, the cocoons are boiled or steamed. This kills the pupa inside and loosens the sericin, a gummy substance that holds the silk filament together. After this, the end of the filament is carefully found, and the single, continuous thread from the cocoon is unwound, or 'reeled', onto a spool. Several filaments are often combined to create a stronger silk thread.
7. Why is the Mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori, the most commonly used species in sericulture?
Bombyx mori is preferred in commercial sericulture mainly because it has been domesticated for thousands of years. It produces a very high-quality, fine, and lustrous white silk. Furthermore, its life cycle is well-understood, and its diet, consisting solely of mulberry leaves, can be easily cultivated, making large-scale production predictable and manageable.
8. What is the advantage of using a modern movable-frame hive over a traditional fixed-comb hive in apiculture?
A modern movable-frame hive allows beekeepers to remove and inspect individual combs without destroying them or the colony's structure. This makes it easy to check for diseases, assess the queen's health, and harvest honey without harming the bees. In a traditional fixed-comb hive, the combs are attached to the hive walls, and harvesting often requires destroying the comb, which is highly stressful for the bee colony.
