Neturlim is home to European honey bee

Neturlim: In an attempt to dig into the rich flora and fauna of Goa, highly-motivated villagers have turned to apiculture or beekeeping, eager to explore the local market in the state, breeding the European honey bee in particular.
Nearly 30 farmers from Neturlim, Tudou and Gaondongrim are now engaged in beekeeping, after being trained by experts from the National Bee Board in Pune in January 2012. The directorate of agriculture, which has been constantly working on promoting apiculture in Goa from the past two years rearing Apis Cerana or Satode, has found enthusiasm in farmers keen on rearing honey bees, especially Apis Mellifera or the European honey bee.
After knowing Apis Mellifera has a higher yield and that they can go upto three km in search of pollen, the agriculture department brought in about 350 bee boxes from Uttar Pradesh in March. Starting out in April 2013, 21 of the 30 farmers are commercially beekeeping, adopting various methods to get higher produce. Zonal Agricultural Officer, Dattaprasad Desai has been actively part of this change since the beginning along with the sarpanch, Shashikant Gaonkar.
Desai says, "When we started two years back with Satode, we did not get a great response. We revived apiculture in January this year and by April, began breeding them in Neturlim". As monsoon is not a favourable breeding period for bees, the process has been slower. Desai says, "We have tried rearing this breed for the first time and we are studying if they will adapt to the climate in Goa. By September, the process is expected to speed up. While a local honey bee would produce about seven to eight kg of honey a year, Apis Mellifera can generate upto 50 kg of clean, unadulterated honey".