Passion for learning about honey bees

Bee hive spotted

One morning while watering the garden I noticed a beehive that was built by a colony of small varieties of honey bees which was on a branch of the jasmine creeper growing in my garden.
                                 

Trip to Madikeri

I came across a Kannada article about bee keeping where it said that a person named Thimmaiah is a professional bee keeper and is successfully keeping bees on his farm in Madikeri. So I decided to leave the next day itself to Madikeri to know more about honey bees .. I took a KSRTC bus to Mysore and from Mysore I found a bus that was going to Madikeri. As I was travelling in the bus I had no idea that it would take nearly half of my day to travel all the way to Madikeri. It started raining heavily when I reached around Kushalnagar.Felt like I am  somewhere far away from Bangalore. By the time I reached Madikeri it was already 6- 6:30 in the evening and I still had some 30 kilometers of travelling to  to reach Chettimani a small village very close to Bhagamandala. From Madikeri I had to take a small minibus that would go through the Ghats and it was a slow journey as it involved climbing up and down through the Ghats so by the time I reached Chettimani it was around 7:30 and was dark.Conductor said he knows Thimmaiahand he will drop me at the right palace .The bus conductor dropped me at the wrong Thimmaiah masters house as his name was also Thimmaiah and he also lived in Chettimani. But thankfully this Thimmaiah and his son were kind enough to show me the way to the other Thimmaiah master who I was looking for.They called for a minivan that took me to my destination. When I reached the farm Thimmaiah master was actually surprised to see me. Thimmaiah lives with his wife and has a cofee plantation and paddy field  .He told me he wasn’t expecting me at this point of time and he had assumed that I had stayed in my cousin’s house which is in Madikeri. Night was so peaceful I spent the night at his place had dinner and went to sleep. I got up early at 6 in the morning and I started my classes with him. These were some of the facts and knowledge that I got from him about honey bees, the facts given here are his own practical experience with bees and does not include scientific knowledge as such.

Thimmaiah master lesson -1

Enemies of the bees :vairiee (as he calls them):

·         Wasps (kaNaja, kadandu) àThese wasps come to hijack the colony and invade the hive, they kill the bees for their food and take them to their nests, they even take the eggs, larvae and the honey for their nest. The bees do fight off these wasps if the number of wasps are less by forming a clump/surrounding the wasp and kill it.

·         Ants (kenjiragu, chavali)à Most of the ants come in large numbers and can easily destroy a hive.

·         Mammals (Maranaayi)àThis mammal looks like a small bear that can climb trees and it destroys hives for getting honey.

·         Snail/slug (basavanahula) àThese are sticky and slimy, so the bees cannot really attack them and kill them, the snails come to feed on the waxy nest that is made by the bees.

·         Wax beetle (Maenachetty)àIts larvae feeds on the bees wax of the hive and builds a cottony cocoon across the whole of the hive thereby preventing the bees from doing their work and this makes the bees to leave their nest.

·         Spiders(Jedra hula)à Builds web and traps bees, also some spiders capture the bees waiting near the hive.

Thimmaiah master lesson -2

The Colony/The office (he says)

·         The bee hive colony works like an office/department. They have surveyers, army, doctors, forest revenue and collectors. Army mostly consists of very old bees and they just guard the hive/attack and do not go to collect nectar/pollen.

·         The average lifespan of a bee can be upto 2-6 months whereas the queen bee can live upto 1-3 years. The hive usually consists of two sections the top part of the hive stores/contains jenu/honey and the bottom portion has the larvae chambers known as yeri/combs which contains honey for the growing larvae.

·         The queen bee can produce male drones as well as female worker bees at random whenever it is required, the queen bee also lays eggs that can develop into new queens to start a new colony.

Thimmaiah master lesson -3

Attack..!! Attack..!

When food does get scarce one colony of bees can invade another colony for getting nectar and other resources for food. The major varieties of bees that can attack other bee colonies are Hejjenu(large forest varieties/wild bees) and Koljenu(smaller shrub dwelling varieties)

There is one more variety of honey bees known as Umanijenu/Nusijenu/black honey bees that produce sticky hives and the honey they produce is said to be the highest/good quality of honey.

Emergency….!!.emergency..!!

 If due to any circumstances the queen bee dies there arise many changes in the hive. The female worker bees develop an egg laying structure called the ‘Mendiblor’ because the scent/pheromone of the queen bee will be missing from the hive. The female workers during this period do not go to collect nectar or do any work. They become idle and start to lay eggs. These eggs when they hatch can only develop into male drones. and the hive results in forming many male drones .The hive gets destroyed due to starvation as there are no more female workers or queen bee.

Emerging Queen..!!

In other circumstances if by chance after the death of the queen bee the other baby princes will hatch from the cells, and they fight against each other  to become a next queen .The princes that is strongest becomes the new queen of the hive. The new queen bee successfully cross/mate with other male drones within 3-8 days or else if no crossing has occurred the new queen may become infertile and can only lay eggs that result in forming male drones.

 Many male drones try to mate/cross with the queen by following her pheromones but only one is successful. The male drone that the female has crossed with dies because its internal organs get torn/are expelled after crossing. The new queen then returns to its hive and within a period of 10 days starts laying eggs male/female.

Queen from outside:

In some cases a stranger queen enters a hive that has no queen and the hive members are not its own, the workers may except her  as a new queen considering  its scent/pheromone  or they kill her

Old v/s new

The older queen has to leave her colony if her daughter (new queen) is ready to become a queen.

The old, mother queen immediately leaves the hive to make a new colony by gathering some members/workers of that colony.The workers of the colony that decide to form a new colony along with their queen and leave the hive with her.

In a nutshell mother queen bee has to leave the nest when new queen emerge out of the combs.

The male drones

The male drones are black in color and are slightly dwarf, they do not work and do not possess the sting. When male bees are seen in a hive it is a sign that the hive is ready for swarming or there is death of a queen and the hive could be destroyed. Sometimes when more food is present the faster the hive will have male bees and it will be ready for swarming.

Thimmaiah master lesson -4

The major trees of the Western Ghats and flowering plants that is suitable for good quality honey:

Bethumara(5 varieties), Kari mara, Valeymara(Philiagenyphillonigay), Barkattey, Coffee flower, Yelaki flower,(Cardamom )Shikakai flower,(soap nut)Nerleyhannu(Jamun).

Thimmaiah master lesson -5

The basic methods to produce a new queen for starting a new colony (artificially): not perfect info

Take an empty box for the hive, and in that put 4 frames that have empty combs to one side. Put one frame that has queen’s eggs and introduce female workers and male drones, it should be 1 furlong distance away from the four frames and should be put at night. No gate is needed for this process.

The empty box should have yeri/combs; have male drones, workers and queen. The empty box can also be cultivated to form a new colony by pasting the bees wax onto the frames in the empty box and hope a new colony comes inside the box.

There are 2 major varieties of bees that are used in apiculture:

Apisindica-very small in numbers, but are very quick in producing honey, small in size, do not require much of food,much preferred by apiculturists.

Apismallipura-large in numbers, much bigger, very slow in producing honey, produce large quantities,need a large number of food.

Few points about honeyàbees wax/honey used for improving lustre of skin, hair, lovely physique is developed, should be taken in small amounts like medicine.

The lessons over .Timmayya master was a good teacher. He wanted me to learn 100 percent. As he spoke Coorg kannada which i dint understand properly .Whenever I said I din’t get it…he was surprised  after completing B.Sc also i cant understand what he says ...He gave me  a award of "pedda" which means dumb in Kannada.

                                      

Chameleon

Here is an experience that i would like to share-

This amazing excitement began with my brother Anvay coming with all his excitement brimming on his face saying he has seen a creature that he has seen before on National Geographic and he really couldn't tell what he had seen. All he did was take my mum on the two wheeler and left me behind in a hurry. I was really upset as he took my mum first to see this amazing creature and not me who has the love for discovering new life. I really wanted to see what creature he really had seen and was so excited about that I couldn't stop myself. I decided to go take the car all the way where this creature was. When I reached the spot to my surprise this creature was really amazing/splendid. This was a green chameleon that I knew about but had never seen a live one ever before my own eyes. There was my mum standing beside helplessly with my brother .There were few other people who are  afraid to go near it as they feared it was poisonous and that it would bite them. Even my brother and mother were really afraid to even catch it.
I just got down from the car and dint even bother about what my mum or anyone was blabbering out there and straight went towards the chameleon, took it in my hands carefully and gently held it. To my surprise some of the people there got really afraid saying that it is poisonous and it will bite me. But I just laughed within myself because I knew that chameleons are harmless creature and they eat only insects. I did try to explain to them that it would not harm me, but they did not seem to be satisfied with my explanation.
So me and my mother made a quick decision to first take it home and get it cooled down as the day was really hot and the poor chameleon was already exhausted with the heat and was also stressed by the many people surrounding it and taking pictures. When it was crawling on my hand I could really feel how tensed/stressed it was as it would sometimes hold on to my arm really tightly with its claws and it would be as if I could really feel what exactly it is feeling.

We finally got it home and I took it to a very cool place where it could relax and become for a while. I made sure it was really comfortable on my arms. Then my mother decided to call Sudha aunty  or jayram uncle  at the valley school to know what to do with this creature  I decided that it would be best if we go to the school as quickly as possible before the chameleon dies of exhaustion. My mother had also got a box with green leaves in them so that I could keep the chameleon inside the box. But it wouldn't go in and wanted to be on my arms only. Probably it liked open spaces and dint want to be cramped up in a closed and stuffy box.

So my mum and I left for valley school and I held the chameleon carefully and made sure it did not get too stressed due to my mums bad driving which was really bumpy for me as well as the chameleon. I could feel the stress of the chameleon the whole time as we were driving. Every time it was nervous it would hold on to my arms really tightly and I would ask my mother to slow down.
When we reached valley school we met Skanda who was sitting under a tree. He came and examined the chameleon for any injuries but there were no injuries. Even some local people at the school started warning us about the creature being poisonous and it could bite me. Skanda explained to them that it’s a false myth and that chameleon cannot harm a human.Me and my mum took the chameleon to the office to show it to Jayaram uncle and Inamdar uncle. We wanted to confirm whether it is safe for us to leave it in the forest and will it like it or not. Jazz was busy in a meeting so we really couldn't meet him. But we did meet Inamdar uncle and he was really excited about it and he took pictures of it. He also took a few pictures of me and the chameleon.
I then finally took the chameleon and before leaving met a few kids that were amazed by it and wanted to see it. I left the chameleon inside the bamboo forest and it seemed very happy. I feel perhaps the chameleon did thank me before it disappeared deep into the forest.

The time i spent with the chameleon-

At Valley school -Satish  Uncle,s office 

Wonderful world of weeds....

Walking in the path of
The valley..Discovering…
wonderful world of weeds…..


Introduction..
• Of all the plants on the surface of the Earth, many are considered to be weeds. Unless they possess beautiful flowers or bear fruit to eat, or even provide shade in the sun, we call them weeds, tread them down and pull them up. Primitive cultures retain the knowledge of plants that serve man as medicinal herbs to cure ailments.

• Our attitude towards plants is a singularly narrow one. If we see any immediate utility in a plant
we foster it. If for any reason we find its presence undesirable or merely a matter of indifference,
we may condemn it to destruction forthwith.

• we turn our backs on the wealth of tasty and nutritious foods that we literally walk over each day– the foods that are growing beneath our feet

How it has started..

What a diversity of creative wanderers: Weeds. I enjoy their beauty and variety, and do nothing to reap their
rewards. I neither hoe, nor plant, nor water, nor fertilize, nor prune ... and they come and go in lovely
profusion as the seasons move.
• When I was walking with my grand mother in the path of the valley school she was plucking leaves, smelling them ,tasting them..
• I exclaimed "Yuk, those are just weeds. Who would eat those?" I told her they are weeds- ,we always get rid of them. we step on them ..and we never bothered about it . When she started talking to me about them I was amazed. And realized how precious they are.
• I thought of documenting it before we eliminate it totally..

A flowering weed;
Hearing its name,
I looked anew at it.

About the Project…
• The area I have chosen to document the weeds is just the path from Valley school’s main gate to the other gate which opens to Jayaram uncles house (the newly constructed houses for the teachers)
Deliverables:
I have used 3 means of presentation in this project
• Herbarium
• Slide presentation
• Written presentation

• My dream is to document all the weeds in Valley school with the help of my grand mother

Landmark..
• The landmarks on the path I have walked with my grand mother to document the weeds are mentioned below (map given in a different sheet)
• The main gate—office (right )—dining room---teachers residence—five stones—boys hostel—jayrams old residence----jayrams new residence—hagars family—sudha auntys house----the other gate -Exit
Scope..
• Realize that primitive culture lore holds a wealth of information of medicinal uses of the native flora. Many of the modern pharmaceutical wonder drugs came from plant finds in the Amazonian rainforests.
• the primitive cultures knew that the plants held the answers for the ailments of the body.
• uncultivated foods have been the source of life for the poor. Many types of green leaves are consumed as veggies and most are rich sources of calcium, iron, carotene, vitamin C, riboflavin and folic acid.

I Observed…
• Most of the medicinal weeds found near Jayaram and Sudha antys house (not planted)
• Most of them are seasonal weeds. I have collected them in the month of November just after the monsoon
• Lot of them are creepers and herbs.
• They are healthy and survived wherever they are.

I Discovered..
• Uncultivated or forest food is nothing new in our culture. It's always there, especially for the indigenous people. The whole notion of 'weed' doesn't really exist.

• In rural India these are what sustain a large chunk of the families. Sometimes as much as 50 to 60 percent of the diet comprises “forest weeds".

• Most of the weeds are edible and has got medicinal properties.

• Local people (old generation) fairly recognize them and they know the value of it

• Unfortunately the knowledge hasn’t passed to the next generation and soon this knowledge will be nowhere


Limitations
• It is I suppose pretty much a labor intensive job collecting these and as a result they cannot possibly have any market value (which is sometimes a dashed good thing, considering what GM foods has done to a major portions of the indigenous plant varieties in this country, with active participation from the Indian government and the thoroughly stupid and ignorant bureaucrats).

The sad part..
• What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Fortune of the Republic, 1878.
• Weeds are always considered waste and we always tried to get rid of them in our beautiful well maintained gardens.
• Nature created it for us. We destroy it without knowing its value. When we realized it may be too late.
• Unfortunately the knowledge hasn’t passed to the next generation and soon this knowledge will be nowhere

Amazed…
• Any plant species that has survived the hundreds of millions of years it took to arrive at the present era has acquired some very ingenious and aggressive strategies for disseminating it's seeds and flourishing wherever the winds or tides may take it. With all the efforts humans take to eliminate many of these plants, it stands to reason that the successful species of the future may be even more aggressive and adaptable to a variety of threatening situations.

Reflection….

• People have become conditioned to the idea that only bought things have value and command respect. Foraging is viewed by those of that mind-set as a "dirty activity." It is an affront to their dignity to get their hands dirty harvesting "weeds" to eat. People who do that aren't respected, and respect is everything in their eyes. Besides, they wouldn't know which wild plants were which anyway.

• Today, when money runs out and people are hungry, they go to food pantries. If THEY are out, they have no idea where to turn. It is the rare person or family who will scavenge in the trash bins behind grocery stores, and even rarer those who know which of the plants they are walking over every day are edible, and will stoop down, grab the leaves, and graze on them.






• Scientific name: Mimosa pudica

• Local kannada name: muttidare muni, nachike mullu
• Sanskrit name: Lajjalu (shy natured)
Namaskaari (leaves fold in 'Namaste' posture)
• Value:
• It arrests bleeding.
• Fastens the wound healing process.
• Very useful in diarrhea (athisaara) Amoebic dysentery (raktaatisaara) and bleeding piles.
• It is mainly used in herbal preparations for gynecological disorders.
• It has been said to have medicinal properties to cure skin diseases.
• It is also used in conditions like bronchitis, general weakness and impotence.







• Scientific name :. Phyllanthus amarus
• Kannada- Nela nelli, Kiranelli gida
• Sanskrit- Bhumyamalaki, Bahupatri;
• Used as medicine as well as food:.
• Medicinal uses:
• expels stones, supports kidneys
• kills bacteria,
• treats malaria
• increases urination
• prevents mutation
• relieves pain
• reduces fever times daily
• protects liver
• mildly laxative
• detoxifies liver
• expels worms
• reduces spasms
• reduces inflammation
• kills viruses
• aids digestion
• reduces blood sugar
• lowers blood pressure
• lowers cholesterol



• Botanical Name: Cassia tora
• Family:Caesalpinraceae
• Kannada name:togache togate
• Sanskrit : Chakramarda,Dadmari,Dadrughra,Taga

• Uses: the leaves and seeds are acrid, laxative , antiperiodic, anthelmintic, ophthalmic, liver tonic, cardiotonic and expectorant. The leaves and seeds are useful in leprosy, ringworm, flatulence, colic, dyspepsia, constipation, cough, bronchitis, cardiac disorders.



• Botanical name : Achyranthes aspera Linn.
Family : Amaranthaceae
• Kannada Name: bili utrani
APAMARGA (SVETA)
• SANSKRIT Apamargah,
• MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Plant pacifies vitiated vata, kapha, asthma, bronchitis, flatulence, painful inflammations, vomiting, skin diseases, renal and vesical calculi.
Useful part : The whole plant




• Local Name: Ekke,
• Biological Name: Calotropis gigantea, Asclepias gigantea
• Asclepiadaceae family
• use
• , It is used as a traditional medicinal plant raditionally alotropis is used alone or with other medicinals to treat common disease such as fevers, rheumatism, indigestion, cough, cold, eczema, asthma, elephantiasis, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
• According to Ayurveda, dried whole plant is a good tonic, expectorant, depurative, and anthelmintic. The dried root bark is a substitute for ipecacuanha. The root bark is febrifuge, anthelmintic, depurative, expectorant, and laxative. The powdered root used in asthama, bronchitis, and dyspepsia.
• The leaves are useful in the treatment of paralysis, arthralegia, swellings, and intermittent fevers.
• The flowers are bitter, digestive, astringent, stomachic, anthelmintic, and tonic
• Other Uses
• Arka is a main ingredient of Arka tailam, an ayurvedic herbal oil. This oil is useful in eczema and eruptive skin diseases. It relieves the pain and burning in scorpion and insect bites. It is used by women for removing hair from parts of body. It is a useful local application for the relief of painful joints and swellings, and for ringworm of the scalp.




• Kannada:kadu jirige
• Botanical name : Vernonia cinerea (Linn.) Less.
Family : Asteraceae
SANSKRIT Sahadevi, uttamakanyapatra

• MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Plant pacifies vitiated vata, pitta, tonsillitis, stomach pain, diarrhea, intermittent fever, eczema, herpes, ringworm, and elephantiasis. Leaves are useful in conjunctivitis, and in lacrimation. Seeds are useful in worm infestation, cough, psoriasis, leukoderma and in other skin diseases. Plant possess anti cancerous property.
•
Useful part : Whole plant




• Botanical Name : Sida Cordifolia
• Family Name : Malvaceae
• Common Name : Bala, Country
• Part Used : Whole Plant
• Product offered : Wholeplant
• Uses : The plant is aphrodisiac, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and tonic in nature. It effects on central nervous system and provides relief from anxiety. It is used to reduce the body weight. It lowers the blood pressure and improves cardiac irregularity. It is useful in fevers, fits, ophthalmia, rheumatism, leucorrhoea, micturition, gonorrhoea, colic, nervous disorders and general debility. The root juice is used for the healing of wound. Whole plant juice is used in spermatorrhoea. Plant bark is effective in curing facial paralysis and sciatica. It is also used to improve sexual strength. The oils are used topically to the sore muscles, sore joints in arthritis and rheumatism, in sciatica and neuritis of legs. It is diaphoretic in nature and increases perspiration and thus reduces fever.




• Botanical name: Boerhavia diffusa
• Family: Nyctaginaceae
• Kannada name: adaku puttana gida

• Main Uses:
• for liver disorders (jaundice, hepatitis, cirrhosis, anemia, flukes, detoxification, chemical injury, etc)
• for gallbladder disorders (stones, sluggish function, low bile production, emptying, and detoxification)
• for kidney and urinary tract disorders (stones, nephritis, urethritis, infections, renal insufficiency/injury, etc)
• for menstrual disorders (pain, cramps, excessive bleeding, uterine spasms, water retention)
• to tone, balance, and strengthen the adrenals (and for adrenal exhaustion and excess cortisol production


• Botanical name : Curculigo orchioides Gaertn.
• Kannada: nela tengu
• Family : Amaryllidaceae
Sanskrit: Talamoolika,
• Plant pacifies vitiated pitta, vata, leucorrhoea, sexual weakness, skin disease, diarrhea, colic, vomiting and jaundice.
Useful part : Tuberous root


• Botanical name : Tylophora indica

• Kannada: ananta moola, nepalada beru,aadu muttada balli

• Family : Asclepiadaceae

• Sanskrit: Svasaghni,
• Medicinal uses
•
Plant pacifies vitiated vata, kapha, cough, asthma, bronchitis, dysentery, diarrhea, wounds, ulcer, hemorrhoids, malignant tumor, and leukemia.
•
Useful part : Roots, Leaves.





• Botanical Name:Cocculus hirsutus.

• Local Name:dagadiballi, Jal Jamani , patalagarudi

• Family: Menispermaceae

• Uses:
• The roots and leaves of external application of its paste alleviates the toxins.
• The leaves are cooling, mucilaginous and are useful in eczema.
• . The decoction of its roots, dried ginger and pippali (Piper longum) is given along with milk in rheumatic disorders.
• To alleviate the abdominal pain, the combination of its roots and latakaranja (Caesalpinia crista) seed, matted in water is given orally. In gonorrhoea,
• the leaves juice with cumin seed powder and sugar, works well.
• As a general tonic, the powder of its leaves is recommended along with the milk and rock candy
• . The roots are useful as an adjunct in diabetes mellitus.
• . It is used in anorexia, with great benefit.
• It also works well in asthma, cough and cold.
• extremely good results in delaying the ejaculation. The roots are useful in serpant bite;
• Along with poisonous bites, they are useful in leprosy, skin diseases, pruritus, dyspepsia, colic, flatulence, bronchitis, cough, gout, intermittent fever, tubercular glands, hypertension and general debility.



• Scientific name : Oxalis corniculata

• Family : Oxalidaceae
• Local kannada name: HulichikkiSanskrit

• Sanskrit: Changeri, Amlapatri

• MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
• It is used in the treatment of influenza, fever, urinary tract infections, enteritis, diarrhoea, traumatic injuries, sprains and poisonous snake bites[].
• An infusion can be used as a wash to rid children of hookworms.
• The plant is a good source of vitamin C and is used as an antiscorbutic in the treatment of scurvy[

The leaves are used as an antidote to poisoning by the seeds of Datura spp, arsenic and mercury].

The leaf juice is applied to insect bites, burns and skin eruptions.
• It has an antibacterial activity.
• Useful part : Whole plant.
• Found near jayaram uncles house


• Botanical name:Emilia sonchifolia DC.\
• kannada name: Ilikivi soppu
• Uses:
• The use of Emilia coccinea as a vegetable
• leaves are chopped and cooked alone or with pulses such as peas and beans
• Crushed green leaves are used to treat wounds, sores and sinusitis. Dried powdered leaves are also applied to sores. Roots or leaves are boiled and the decoction is used to treat syphilis. The roots are used to treat colic in babies





• Botanical name:Euphorbia hirta Linn.
• Kannada name:bayi odakana gida,kempu neneyakki gida,halu kudi
• Sanskrit:Nagarjun
• Uses
• Called halu kudi because of the healing property of the milky juice.
Juice used for colics.
Juice used as ophthalmic drops for conjunctivitis or ulceration of the cornea.
Infusion or tea of the plant, 4 glasses daily, for bronchits and labored breathing, asthma, chronic dysentery.
Used for boils and wounds.
Decoction of dry plant used for skin disease.
Decoction of fresh plant used as gargle for the treatment of thrusth.
Decoction of the root used to allay vomiting, chronic diarrheas, and fevers.
Root decoction also beneficial for nursing mothers deficient in milk: 4-5 glasses of tea.
The same root decoction as an enema for constipation.
Root used for snake bites.
Used in sores, wounds, boils. As ear drop for pustular swellings in the ear.
Asthma: Make into cigarette or burn and inhale smoke.
Superficial bleeding: Crush leaves and apply on affected paret, as local hemostatic.
Recent interests from the folk medicine grapevine
Dengue
• A flurry of queries and web blogs, gatas-gatas has found new interest for gatas-gatas (tawa-tawa) for its use in dengue, with increasing anecdotal reports of "cures."



• Botanical name:Passiflora foetida L. (stinking passion flower)
• Kannada name kukke(basket)balli
• Uses
• Young leaves and plant tips are edible.
• Dry leaves are used in tea in Vietnamese folk medicine to relieve sleeping problems.
• The antibacterial properties of
• leaf and fruit (ethanol and acetone) extracts were screened against four human pathogenic bacteria
• The results showed the leaf extract having remarkable activity against all bacterial pathogens
• compared to fruits to cure many
• diseases like diarrhea, intestinal tract, throat, ear infections, fever and skin diseases



• Botanical name: Asparagus racemosus
• Local name:Shatavari
• Uses:
• This plant is used traditionally for treatment of many diseases. Tuber, leaves and fruits are used in gonorrhea, piles, diabetes, rheumatism, cough, diarrhoea, dysentery, gastric troubles and headache, also for increasing lactation.




Local name: agniballi, bekkinatoddinaballi
Botanical name: Cardiospermum halicacabum
Sanskrit name: karnaspota
English:baloon vine
Uses:
• It is used in the treatment of rheumatism, nervous diseases, stiffness of the limbs and snakebite

• The leaves are applied as a poultice in the treatment of rheumatism
• A tea made from them is used in the treatment of itchy skin
• Salted leaves are used as a poultice on swellings.
• The leaf juice has been used as a treatment for earache


A flowering weed;
Hearing its name,
I looked anew at it.



Weeds should get a new name
"volunteer vegetables"-- uncultivated foods"-- I think I like "uncultivated foods" better.

About Me

About me
I OBSERVED:
I have met many people in my life who when asked questions about themselves cannot really say much about them as every human being observes others behavior and can talk about another person. We never observe ourselves as we feel we are perfect in every ways.
I am that kind of a person who really does not observe myself and cannot really say anything about myself as much as other people can say about me.
I have been brought up in a place where village life and forest life has been valued and given a space to it. If I could describe myself I would say I love any kind of adventure that comes in life. I cannot sit still in one place at all. The place I can sit and observe is the beautiful nature that surrounds me. I can sit for hours together without getting distracted.Whenever i sit and observe it seems to me as if nature is trying to tell me its whole story.
I still remember as a little boy when the first monsoon rains came I used to observe these large termites with wings coming out of termite nests. I imagined them to be little fairies emerging from the ground to witness the rain and the beauty around them. I found that these ‘fairies’ were actually prince and princesses of the termite kingdom that have come to look for their soul mates. Some would be successful and others would die. I used to act like a match maker for these creatures by helping them find their mates as I used to enjoy it when I saw two termites forming a chain where the male followed the female. The two would find a suitable piece of land and dig deeper in the soil to establish their new kingdom.
My grandmother also played a vital role for the development of this interest. She had this amazing knowledge about plants especially in medicinal plants. Most of the time she would spend the time in her herbal garden and me the curious child followed her asking numerous questions about the plants that she would tend to. So my interest towards plants is mainly because of my grandmother. Rainy season was the best time I used to enjoy whenever I visited my grandparents house as that was the time when everything around me would come to life.
INTEREST IN FROGS:
My grandparent’s house is located on a hilly plateau of the Western Ghats. The area also lies on the coastal belt of Karnataka.
The rains are heavy in this region and as a small boy I was always surrounded by small water bodies like ponds and streams. As I was a curious child I always wanted to see what lies in these waters. I used to observe the small tadpoles and never knew they would grow up to become frogs. As my interest grew in these fish-like looking amphibians. I started going deeper into the waters just to notice many small balls made up of jelly-like substance attached to water plants. This was a new discovery in my life even though scientists had already discovered these many years back before me!! But for me it was a great achievement. I felt I finally got a complete set of the life cycle of a frog in my very own pond which was very exciting for a child of 11-12 years of age.
I remember taking these jellies in my hands and putting them in our little tank and observe them developing before my very eyes.
STUDY OF ANT LION LARVA:
I used to see these funnel-shaped structures in sand and asked my mother what lived in them. My mother smiled and simply picked up a twig and carefully excavated that pit (me watching the technique carefully!!) and from it came out a weird looking insect that looked like a turtle with a soft shell and two large jaws. What I found most fascinating about this creature was that it moved backwards.
This is one insect that I have studied extensively about and conducted simple experiments and have done documentation on it.
All these little things in my life has greatly effected in many ways for growing this kind of interest. I feel the need to learn more about the life around me go deep into it and find the need of documenting it.
Recently I have been observing snail eggs, dragon fly nymph, documenting wonderful weeds that can be used as edible vegetables and learning about the medicinal plants around me with the help of my grandmother.
Whatever I have observed are only 2% of the nature. There is so much that I can discover just at my grandparent’s place as my childhood was mainly spent there.
Besides all this I love trekking, hiking, rock climbing, rappelling, it is endless. All the adventure sports that I can imagine.

An ant lion larvae

Discovering

Life…
-An ant lion larvae……









-A project by Atmeeya Nayak
2008-09


Introduction:
The ant lion was closely observed for many years with my own interest.
I had started the observation of the larvae when I was 12 years old. When I went to my grandparents place in summer vacations I had picked up this interest. I collected some 2-3 dozens of ant lions in coconut shells and fed them ant’s everyday.
One fine day as I went to observe them I found that the ant lion pits were missing and when I dug inside the sand I was surprised to find a small sand ball which was actually a cocoon. Along the years of observation I have obtained more findings and have discussed here.
Methodology:
• Field observation and laboratory rearing.
• Observations in Valley School and my grandparents place. (Western Ghats).
• To collect specimens for the activity, I used normal small twigs as I knew the technique of locating the ant lion and transfer it in a coconut shell containing loose soil or sand.







Setting-up an ant lion farm….for the observation.



Classification:
Ant lions are a family of insects given the zoological classification Myrmeleontidae. The name is rooted in the Greek word myrmex (ant) and leon (lion). The family Myrmeleontidae is part is part of the order Neroptera, translated variously as “nerve wings” or “net wings”.
Why are they called ant lions?:
Since it preys primarily on ants, the ant lion is metaphorically speaking, a “lion” among ants.
They are also called “Doodle bugs” because of the designs they make in the sand. As a doodle bug seeks an ideal location to dig its pit, it leaves meandering patterns that resembles the random “doodles” of a preoccupied artist. When it finally finds a place to dig it spirals deeper inside every spiral.
Where do ant lions live?
Pit-digging ant lions are easiest to find because of their distinctive, cone-shaped pits, which are often found in clusters.



Ant lions can be found in sheltered, sandy areas such as outside walls under the shelter of the roof, often sheltered from the rain.
Ant lions are typically most active during late spring and summer, although they may remain active during winter in warmer climates.



Making their pits in the shady area(Valley School)



My Observations:
• The habitat or location depends upon the season.
• In my grandparents house I saw them outside the walls which is protected by the roof as that place is affected by heavy rains.
• In Valley School even though they lie scattered everywhere throughout the year; I observed them clustered under a bench to protect them from the rains.
• It depends on the food availability.
• They prefer smooth and dry soil.
• I have also seen pits on pebbles with soft soil.
• They prefer shady areas.
Ant lion Larvae Behavior:
Digging the pit:
The ant lion larva digs its pit in dry, sunny spots sheltered from wind and rain particularly on south-facing slopes. The soil must be light and easy to shift. Pushing itself backwards, the larva first draws a circle on the ground; then it digs deeper and deeper down and spirals towards the centre.
The excavated soil is thrown out energetically with the head. It takes about 45 minutes for the ant lion to finish its funnel-shaped cone trap. It buries itself at the bottom so that only the head, with opened jaws can be seen and there it waits for its prey. If their pits are disturbed they rebuild it immediately. One can even observe the interesting sand flicking behavior.
My Observation:
• The size of the crater is related not to the size of the ant lion, but to its hunger, the longer it has gone without food, and the larger it makes its pit.
• Ant lions dig bigger pits in full moon.



The soil must be light and easy to shift….

The ant lion:



Taken out from its habitat….



An ant lion preparing itself to dig a pit….

Digging the pit:



Ant lion in the process of digging the pit; it pushes itself backwards….



Then it digs deeper into the soil and spirals towards the centre.



Capturing the prey:
When ants or other small insects come up to the edge of the crater, the soil slips and the prey slides down, straight into the large, curved, piercing-sucking mandibles of the ant lion. It seizes the victim, paralyzes it with the poison injected at the first bite and sucks out its vital juices. If the prey manages to escape or stops itself from sliding all the down to the crater, the ant lion accurately hurls a rain of sand at it, invariably causing the captive to lose grip and fall at the bottom.

Capturing the prey……



Each pit is a hidden minefield…!
Lurking beneath the sand…..
-The Ant Lion.



The target!! Mission accomplished!!

Discarding the body:
Once it finishes sucking the juices out of the prey, the ant lion uses the same throwing motion of the head that it used to catch the prey to fling its now lifeless body out of the crater.
What happens to all the food an ant lion larva consumes during its life?
When I kept ant lions in coconut shells I noticed small ‘sand lumps” in the sand which suggested that ant lions excrete some fluid during their larval stage.
Ant lions digestive tract lacks an external opening for solid wastes, so faeces accumulate within the body for the entire larval stage up to three years. Some of the waste is processed into silk and is used for making its cocoon.
Discarding the body….



The second stage of the ant lion larva:
One morning as I went to feed my ant lions I noticed that some of the craters in the coconut shells had disappeared or some had become shapeless having only deep sand but no crater. To see if they were there, I dug into the sand and to my surprise I found a small sand ball and no ant lion.
I realized that these were ant lion cocoons and I collected 4-5 of the cocoons. Ant lion cocoon resemble rabbit droppings covered with sand grains. They are often buried several centimeters deep in soft sand and are difficult to spot when u attempt to excavate them. It undergoes metamorphosis to form a pupa.
The rare photograph of an ant lion cocoon….



It undergoes metamorphosis into a pupa...



Ant lion cocoon resembles rabbit droppings covered with sand grains. They are often buried deep in soft sand and are difficult to spot when you attempt to excavate them.



The ant lion moves deeper into the sand to build its cocoon…

The third stage:
After about a period of about three weeks, a tiny winged imago (adult) emerges from the cocoon, leaving a small hatch at the opening and climbs to the surface. The adult ant lion usually emerges from its cocoon in the evenings. It is unable to fly just after coming out, so it climbs up the nearest plant or tree where it waits for its wings to expand and harden. After about 20 minutes the adult’s wings are fully formed. An adult ant lion may eat small flies or drink water, but its real purpose now is reproduction, not feeding. Its remaining life lasts less than a month on an average-enough time for it to mate and lay eggs.
Note: - My observation is limited to larvae only.



After about a period of three weeks an adult ant lion (sand dragon) emerges from the cocoon….







Finally the pupa nibbled a hole and flew away…without me noticing it…



Observing and capturing ant lions:
Observing ant lions in the wild:
Catching ant lions is a technique that one masters while studying it. For most people who try to catch it, they lose them. I use a twig to catch the insect and carefully excavate it trying not to hurt it in the process. The trick is to first locate its jaws at the bottom of the pit.



Taking ant lions out of their habitat:
Removing insects from their natural habitat is always a risky proportion. If one decides to take home an ant lion for study he/she has to be prepared to feed it regularly. I put them in coconut shells and fed them regularly. One can also observe the adult by keeping a net over the container when the ant lion enters its pupa stage. This ensures that you don’t miss it when it emerges out of its cocoon.



Searching for the ant lion…



Removing from the habitat…



Collecting them carefully…







Adding loose soil for keeping ant lion in container…







Ant lion farm ready for observation.
Myth, religion and science:
The earliest ant lions are described in literature as mythical creatures. Described in ancient Greek texts and later in medieval Christian bestiaries, these fictious “ant lions” became the focus of fantastic stories which fulfilled symbolic or religious functions in their respective cultures. In the period ranging from the 11th to the 13th, a scientific revival occurred.
The path to an accurate, scientific understanding of true ant lions, however, is just as fascinating and nearly as confusing as the history of the mythical ant lions. Early naturalists had to overcome translation errors and widely varying classification attempts. Even the development of a more universally-accepted taxonomic nomenclature did not eliminate disagreements over some ant lion genus and species names-disagreements which persists even to present days.
Early European scholars, typically members of the clergy, actually considered ant lions to be larger species of ants.Maurus wrote: “The ant lion is a small creature, extremely hostile to ants. It conceals itself in dust and kills ants that carry provisions. It is justly called formicaleon towards ant it behaves like a lion, although towards other creatures only like an ant”.
Swedish botanist Carlos Linnaeus wrote and introduced the group name Neuroptera for the first time. He was the founder of the nomenclature system
In the Twelth edition of Systema Naturae (1767) Linnaeus first proposed the generic name Mermeleon
Modern nomenclature:
Still, there persists much confusion over the use of the name Formicaleo. One scholar, Leraut, attempted in 1980 to overcome the confusion by proposing that the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature should use its powers to suppress the names Hemerobius formicaleo and H.formicalynx, both of which was proposed by Linnaeus and to validate Myrmeleon formicarium(us) of Linnaeus. As of 1991 no action had been taken regarding this proposal.
Observed!!







The a.b.c of the ant lion:
Common Name: Ant lion
Class: Insecta
Order: Neuraptera
Genus and Species: Brachynemurus ferox
Physical Description: Larva: 1 ¾ “. Adult: 2 ½”
Range: Honnavara, The Valley School.
Habitat: Larvae live in sand traps.
Food: A larva eats any insect that falls in its trap.
Lifecycle: Complete metamorphosis- 4 stages.
Winter Survival: Hibernation.
Life Span: Unknown
Adaptations: Large jaws, ability to create sand traps.
Sleep Cycle: Diurnal.
Niche: Predator.

Observations and findings:
This study focuses on the following questions:
OBSERVATION 1:
Aim: To elucidate the relation between the feeding level and pit relocation.
Method: Artificial sans constructed in the field to observe the foraging behavior of a pit building ant lion larva.
Findings: Rarely changed the positions of their pits, though several ant lions had moved actively until they constructed pits.
The average feeding rate was 3 prey/day/pit, and about 60% of preys captured were ants.
OBSERVATION 2:
Aim: Whether they actively choose from a range of habitat types.
How pit structure varies with various biotic and abiotic factors.
Findings: It was found that ant lions tend to distribute themselves uniformly under both natural and experimental conditions, do
not have substrate preference but prefer shaded areas.
During monsoon they shift to sheltered areas.
They build larger cones in absence of food; trap efficiency is related to its size.
OBSERVATION 3:
Aim: To examine whether or not ant lion larvae concentrate into the area where they can capture more prey.
Method: I released four ant lions in a large container and divided that into a half. In one half I fed both the ant lions with
prey and on the other half no prey was fed.
Findings: The non-fed ant lions did not move into areas where prey concentration was increased.
Even under starved conditions they did not relocate their pits until death.
OBSERVATION 4:
Aim: Influence of soil illumination and soil temperature.
Findings: Pit constructed by ant lion are most frequently found in areas which are darker and cooler than areas exposed to
the sun. This supports the view that construction of pits in shaded areas is a response to temperature than light.
Field Study:



I have observed ant lions in their natural habitat also. In the Valley School I had chosen three places for my study where their population was more.
 Around Mahasagar
 Path leading to the amphitheatre.
 The Neem tree.
OBSERVATION:
 In mahasagar most of them had taken shelter under the benches. Under one bench I found around 38 pits!! In a small area. Most of the cocoons were found in and around Mahasagar area.
 There were no cocoons found near the neem tree or the path.
 Ant lions around neem tree were bigger as compared to the ones found at mahasagar.
 In the path area the pits were larger and deeper compared to the other areas.
 The cocoons were found near the mahasagar in the months of December-January.
 In the neem tree area the pits were scattered everywhere and there were many of them. I think it was because of the lose and light soil present there. Surprisingly the ant lions were not in a shady area.