Bombiculture: A fascinating insect industry for crop pollination in Korea

• Published in: Entomological research Vol. 38; no. s1; pp. S66 - S70
• Main Author: KWON, Yong Jung
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Melbourne, Australia Melbourne, Australia : Blackwell Publishing Asia 01.11.2008; Blackwell Publishing Asia; 한국곤충학회
• Subjects: artificial rearing; biological resources; bombiculture; Bombus; Bombus terrestris; bumblebee; Food and Agriculture Organization; industry; Korean Peninsula; mass rearing; pollinating insects; pollination; production technology; 생물학; Korean Peninsula
• ISSN: 1738-2297; 1748-5967; 1748-5967
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-5967.2008.00176.x

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has recently taken on the leading roles internationally in the conservation and sustainable use of insect pollinators, which initiated the artificial rearing project of a European bumblebee of Bombus terrestris in Korea since 1999 (project number FAO/TCP/ROK/8921). The main purpose of the present project has focused on unveiling the production technology of B. terrestris for environmentally-friendly crop pollination. Currently, the new establishment of a mass rearing system can be facilitated with compatibility commercially, and is expected to supply the domestic demand with reduced costs for the crop pollination. Therefore, bombiculture is a new technology in the entomological industry, utilizing one of the wild insect resources previously overlooked. This technology shows how the wild insects can contribute to our welfare as one of the useful biological resources.