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First migratory honey bees to winter in Kashmir under new protocols; mono-floral apple honey recorded
CSIR-IIIM Pulwama demonstrated the first surviving migratory honey bee colony (Apis mellifera) in Kashmir on January 29, 2026. The article also reports new protocols enabling wintering of bees in sub-zero temperatures and notes Kashmir's first mono-floral apple honey as a spinoff.
Why It Matters
This marks a potential shift away from seasonal hive migration, aiming to reduce mortality and stabilize honey production. The emergence of mono-floral apple honey indicates product diversification for Kashmir’s apiculture sector.
Timeline
2 Events
Wintering protocols enable bees to stay in sub-zero Kashmir; mono-floral apple honey recorded
April 19, 2026
The article reports a new set of protocols and scientific interventions that will allow beekeepers to rear colonies in sub-zero temperatures instead of migrating hives to plains for about six months with an estimated 30% mortality. As a spinoff, Kashmir has recorded its first mono-floral apple honey.
CSIR-IIIM demonstrates first surviving migratory honey bee colony in Kashmir
January 29, 2026
On January 29, Kashmir Valley, still covered by snow, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Pulwama, invited around 200 orchardists to the Bonera farm to demonstrate the first surviving colony of Apis mellifera, a migratory bee species central to Kashmir's production of around 2,000 metric tonnes of honey annually worth ₹12.5 lakh.