Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Apiculture
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
Many competitive exams in general science and biology test basic terms related to useful animals and their management. Honey bees are extremely important for honey, wax and pollination, so the technical term for their rearing and management is a standard question in agricultural science and general awareness.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The key idea is to match each option with the organism or activity it refers to. These terms often derive from Latin roots:
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the word apis in Latin means bee. Terms that start with api usually relate to bees.
Step 2: Apiculture is defined as the scientific rearing, breeding and management of honey bees for honey, wax and pollination services.
Step 3: Pisciculture refers to fish farming, that is, breeding and management of fish, especially in artificial ponds or tanks.
Step 4: Sericulture is the rearing of silkworms for silk production, commonly using mulberry leaves as feed.
Step 5: Silviculture deals with the cultivation and management of forest trees for timber and other forest products.
Step 6: Only apiculture directly refers to bees and therefore fits the description in the question.
Verification / Alternative check:
As a quick check, think of the word apiary, which means a place where beehives are kept. Since apiary clearly relates to bees, apiculture, which shares the same root, must be the branch that deals with bee rearing and management. None of the other terms shares that direct linguistic connection with bees, so the answer is verified as correct.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option Pisciculture is wrong because it is fish farming and not related to bees.
Option Sericulture is wrong because it refers to rearing silkworms for silk, not honey bees.
Option Silviculture is wrong because it is about cultivation and management of forests and trees.
Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse sericulture and apiculture because both involve insects and both end with the suffix culture. Another common mistake is to select pisciculture simply because fish and bees are both animals used by humans. The safest method is to remember the Latin roots: apis for bee, pisci for fish, seri for silk and silvi for forests. Building such root based memory helps avoid errors in similar questions across biology and environmental science topics.
Final Answer:
The correct technical term for breeding, rearing and systematic management of honey bees is Apiculture.
Discussion & Comments