Role of honey bees as beneficial insects: Significance and challenges

Abstract

Insects play a vital role in both nature and human culture, and can either be hazardous or beneficial to society. The agricultural sector faces systematic annual losses due to harmful insect pests and in India total losses caused by insects are estimated to be 26%. The challenge to food security posed by invasive and evolving pests, which has caused a considerable rise in crop costs and posed a harm to the ecology, is one of the biggest problems facing humanity. Considerable increase in use of chemicals as crop protectants poses the beneficial insects to as serious threat in crop ecosystem resulting as decrease in crop production day by day. In this context, protecting beneficial insects may help the farming community's economic well-being and crop output. Beneficial insects are such that perform valued services in our ecosystem and thus benefited us. The honey bee is one of such beneficial insects that take part in global food security and ecosystem sustainability through their ever-known free service i.e., pollination. Even better, farmers can benefit from the priceless products produced by bee colonies and improve their capacity for economic viability. The present article concern about the importance of honey bee as a beneficial insect in rural agricultural economic development as well threats imposed to their population.