Identify the statements which hold true for apiculture.
(A) Apis dorsata is the most common honey bee species used for apiculture
(B) Honey is the food of high nutritive value and finds use in indigenous system of medicine
(C) Bee keeping is not labour intensive
(D) Honeybees also produce beewax
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → (B), (C) and (D) only
(A) Apis dorsata is the most common honey bee species used for apiculture — Incorrect. NCERT names Apis indica as the most common species.
(B) Honey is the food of high nutritive value and finds use in indigenous system of medicine — Correct.
(C) Bee keeping is not labour intensive — Correct. Hives can be kept in a courtyard, on a verandah or on the roof.
(D) Honeybees also produce beewax — Correct. Beeswax is used in cosmetics and polishes.
Note: This question is from Chapter 9, Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production, of the pre-rationalised NCERT book. This chapter is not in the present NCERT book (2026-27). The extract below is from the pre-rationalised edition.
NCERT Extract (Pre-rationalised edition, Chapter 9, Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production):
Bee-keeping – “… Bee-keeping can be practiced in any area where there are sufficient bee pastures of some wild shrubs, fruit orchards and cultivated crops. There are several species of honeybees which can be reared. Of these, the most common species is Apis indica. Beehives can be kept in one’s courtyard, on the verandah of the house or even on the roof. Bee-keeping is not labour-intensive.”
Bee-keeping – “… Honey is a food of high nutritive value and also finds use in the indigenous systems of medicine. Honeybee also produces beeswax, which finds many uses in industry, such as in the preparation of cosmetics and polishes of various kinds.”