Lac Cultivation

Lac insects thrive on twigs of certain plant species, suck the plant sap, and grow all the while secreting lac resin from their bodies. These plants are called host plants. So far, over four hundred species of plants have been recorded as hosts out of which the commonly used host plants are –

• Palas (Butea monosperma)
• Kusum (Schleichera oleosa)
• Ber (Zizyphus mauritiana)

Palash Tree

Kusum Tree

Ber Tree

Two strains of the lac insects are recognized in India, the RANGEENI AND KUSUMI. Each strain completes its life cycle twice a year but the seasons of maturity differ considerably. There are four lac crops in a year that are named after the Hindi months. 

The crops are shown in the table given below:

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