Myagdi. There are small holes in the wall of the fence. A flag has been placed inside the nearby hole and covered. There are shells of Aringal under these covers.
Ashok Shahi of Jamunakhark, Beni Municipality-6, Myagdi, has been raising Aringal commercially in the fence in Rahuwada. Shahi informed that he brought 11 shells of Aringal from the nearby forest and started raising them.
Shramatit Geeta, along with him, has been raising Aringal in the fence wall prepared for pepper cultivation in Rahuwada and in the garden of his house in Jamunakhark. “As per the plan to start a new type of business, the beekeeping that was brought home from the forest last year has been successful,” said Geeta. “Like bees, raising bees through the method of transferring the bees’ eggs will protect them and provide them with a source of income.”
Geta, who is also the micro-enterprise development facilitator of Jaljala Rural Municipality in Parbat, has been supported by her husband Ashok, who has been running a handicraft and furniture industry in the village.
Shahi informed that up to eight kilograms of beekeeping larvae can be extracted from one egg every two months. “We give half of the income from selling the Aringal larvae to those who show us the larvae in the forest,” said Ashok. “We use clothes that Aringal cannot bite and safety belts to climb trees and bring the Aringal larvae with the queen and raise them.”
The Shahi couple has the experience that 25 percent of the Aringal larvae brought from the forest escape and only 75 percent stay in the place where they are kept. “Dishes made from Aringal larvae are sold at Beni’s hotel. Raw larvae are sold at a rate of Rs 3,500 per kilogram,” said Shahi. The royal couple, who produced 30 kg of larvae last year, said they are aiming to raise 25 shells and sell about one quintal of larvae this year.
“Up to eight kg of larvae can be removed from one shell at a time. Larvae can be removed every two months,” he said. The reared aringals go to forests and fields for grazing. Insects, grasshoppers, various types of flowers and fruits are the food of the aringals. Shahi said that meat and fruits are given as food during the rainy season. Beni hotelier Rajan Lama said that fried larvae of the Aringal, which are considered to be a powerhouse, are sold at a rate of Rs 600 per copy.
He has experience that Aringal is the main choice of guests visiting Beni during the rainy season. The larvae of the Aringal, which start making shells from Jestha, are sold until Kartik. “Raising the Aringal is not an easy task. If precautions are not taken while moving the shells from the forest, lives can be at risk.
The Aringal is more likely to get angry and bite,” said Ashok. “It should be relocated during the period of residence. We have brought them to a place where there is less human traffic and raised them.” According to him, red and black varieties of Aringal are more common. Bishnu Prasad Adhikari, head of the district-based Division Forest Office, said that Aringal farming is a new forestry enterprise in Myagdi.
“Rather than destroying the Aringal lineage by burning the shells for larvae, rearing them will not only protect them but also generate income,” he said. “Since there is a risk, it is necessary to take precautions in Aringal farming.”-RSS
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