New Special Cover : Indian Insect Diversity

Celebrating Indian Insect Diversity 

India is one of earth's biologically wealthiest nations with insects contributing in a big measure to its status as one of the world's 17 mega-biodiversity countries. Measuring biodiversity and designating conservation areas is impossible without the science of taxonomy. Professor C. A. Viraktamath, an insect taxonomist par excellence, has contributed immensely to promoting taxonomy. This Postal special cover is released on the occasion of the seminar, 'Celebrating Indian Insect Diversity' on January 31, 2019, the 75th birthday of Professor C. A. Viraktamath. 

- Suresh.R

Bengaluru

Special Covers on Gass Forest Museum and Insect Museum, Coimbatore

Gass Forest Museum

Two special Covers were released on 4th and 5th December at Coimbatore  featuring India's First Insect Museum and Gass Forest Museum, Coimbatore.

Gass Forest Museum

The Gass Forest Museum was established by Horace Archibald Gass, a British Forest Officer in 1902. This is the oldest forest museum in our Country located in forest campus of Institute of Forest Genetics & Tree Breeding (lFGTB) Coimbatore. The museum houses a rich collection of specimens on wildlife and all important timber species found in India. The museum also has collections of seeds, barks, roots, wide range of useful and harmful insects, rock samples and minerals of forests.

India's first Insect Museum

India's first Insect Museum

India's first Insect museum was established in Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. The museum was commissioned in the year 2013 and was completed by 2017. Insects collected since 1900s are housed here. The museum showcases a rich diversity of insects from all over the country as never seen before. 

The museum aims to create interest and scientific curiosity about the world of insects among students, the torch bearers of science. It serves as a reference point on insect identification for researchers. It is an all-know-about insect knowledge hub for the general public. Farmers also will be benefited with the knowledge on crop pests, their damage symptoms and the beneficial nature of insects.

-Suresh.R, Bengaluru

New Stamps from India...Ladybird Beetle

Ladybird Beetle

Date of Issue : 23 February 2017

 Image source - Stamps of India



India Post released a set of four stamps and a Miniature sheet featuring Ladybird Beetles on 23 rd February 2017.

New stamps from Hungary

 

HUNGARIAN OLD - TIMER MOTORCYCLES

Date of issue: 09 September 2014

Magyar Posta issued a special miniature sheet stamp entitled “Hungarian old-timer motorcycles”. The sheet contains twelve stamps depicting historical motorcycles. It was released on the 9^th of September.

 

On each denomination of the miniature sheet containing twelve stamp designs a vehicle is shown from the Maróti Motorcycle collection, and the background design is decorated with a montage of contemporary photographs ad newspaper articles. On the special envelope the picture of a letter-collecting motor-tricycle can be seen, which was built on the basis of the plans of János Csonka and belongs to the collection of the Postal Museum. The special postage stamp shows a stylised motorcycle wheel with spokes and a valve, where the tyre is formed by words. The special feature of the miniature sheet is that for the first time in the history of issuing Hungarian stamps, the offset printing method was supplemented with so-called 3D UV varnishing, as a result of which the surface of the motorcycles slightly stands out of the plane of the paper sheet and has a unique glitter.

 

 

THE FAUNA OF HUNGARY – INSECTS

Date of Issue 9 September 2014

Magyar Posta  issued  new stamps on insects .The stamps feature well-known and less well-known insects : the Green Hawker is shown on a numbered stamp block, while the Dendroleon pantherinus, the mantidfly, the Carabus auronitens and the Stilbium cyanurum are shown on the denominations of a set of stamps. In the case of the last two denominations the offset printing method was supplemented with so-called diffraction film printing, as a result of which the insects shown on the stamps are shiny like real insects.

New stamps from Poland

 

Folk Art - Traditional National Costumes

Date of Issue 11 September 2013

Polish Post issued a beautiful souvenir sheet on 11 September featuring traditional costumes of Poland.

Priority and economic stamp in circulation for registered mail

 

Date of Issue : 20 September 2013

 

From our Readers……

Urdu Philatelic Poem

Here is a combination of philately and Urdu poetry, a philatelic Ghazal sent by our distinguished reader Deepak Dube from Korba (Chhattisgarh). The ghazal from Mr Dube is under the title 'Vaah Daak', seeks to capture  the passion , purpose and purport of Philately . The poetic merit of the piece is that it is a proper Urdu ghazal , set in a traditional Urdu  meter. Hindi and Urdu Readers can read and understand the poem “ Vaah Daak ”….

Mr Deepak Dube writes…

Ghazals, conventionally, do not have a title as every couplet (sher) of it is supposed to be on an independent thought. But, if a poetic piece is in the form of a ghazal and yet has a single subject or thought running continuously through it , it becomes a "musalsal" ('continuous') ghazal , and , as such , qualifies to a title ; just as the present ghazal does. It would  not be exaggerated to claim that 'Vaah Daak' is the first proper metrical Urdu composition on the subject of Philately.

Vaah Daak !

[ Musalsal Ghazal ]

Tikat ke dum pe lifafon ko raah milti hai

Aur unke shauq mein hum ko panaah 1 milti hai

1.Refuge

Panaah de ke hifaazat 2 ki ik virasat 3 ko

Panaah-e-dil 4 mein khushi be-panaah 5 milti hai

2. Preservation . 3.Heritage4. Haven of the Heart . 5 Immeasurable

Voh card hon , ki lifafey, muhar, tikat hon ki taar

Saji ho unse kahaani to vaah milti hai

Tikat tikat pe kahaani hai uske aalam 6 ki

Khushi kahin , to kahin unpe aah milti hai

6.. World -context

Parakh sako to numayan 7 hain daak mein heerey

Nigah 8 rakho to guhar 9 se nigaah milti hai

7. Evident 8. Same as nigaah . 9. Pearl

Kahey koi ki faqat daak mein hai kya rakkhaa

Magar vahaan se bhi duniya ki thaah milti hai

 

Havas 10 ke daur mein bas daak-paat ki hasarat

Yahi hai baat jo kuchh be-gunaah 11 milti hai

10. Greed11. Innocuous

Kamaal ho ke muqaddar ka , daak bhi aksar

Kahin to khoob 12, kahin kham-khvaah 13 milti hai

12. Well-deserved . 13 . Needless

Ye kam nahin hai nafasat 14 ki raah mein ' Danish'

Ki subha dil mein bas ik khat ki chaah milti hai

14. Sophistication

 

- Deepak 'Danish'

email : deepakdube@ntpc.co.in

New stamps from Poland…

 

Date of Issue : 16 August 2013

Here are new  Priority and economic stamps from Polish Post, featuring insects   for registered mail.Other sets feature modern Polish weapons and ships.

   

 

Modern Polish Army Weapons

 

Date of Issue : 14 August 2013

 

Rally of Great Sailing Ships Szczecin 2013

Date of Issue : 3 August 2013

Honey Bees..

 

Date of Issue : 3 July 2013

New Zealand Post issued a set of 5 stamps and a miniature sheet featuring Honey Bees and honey industry.

The humble honey bee plays a crucial role in New Zealand's primary industry, and is responsible for much more than just honey production.

Honey bees have been kept in New Zealand for more than 150 years, and 2013 marks 100 years of the National Beekeepers' Association of New Zealand. In the years since bees were introduced to New Zealand, beekeeping has developed from a home craft to a progressive industry, and New Zealand is now recognised as one of the world's most advanced beekeeping countries.

The importance of horticulture and agriculture to New Zealand’s economy means that we may be more dependent on pollination from the honey bee than any other nation on Earth. Roughly one third of everything we eat is pollinated by bees, and many of our crops would not be viable without bee pollination.

Sadly honey bees in New Zealand are under threat as a result of the Varroa mite. This collectable stamp issue aims to raise awareness of the role the honey bee plays in New Zealand, and tells the story of how the precious honey bee makes its honey.

From the hive to the table...

70c - Collecting the nectar 

The first step in making honey is the gathering of nectar, which is normally done by ‘field bees’. The busy bees fly from flower to flower using their long tongues (proboscises) like straws to extract the nectar. Each bee stores the nectar in its ‘honey sac’, which can weigh almost as much as the bee itself when full. Within the honey sac, enzymes break down the complex sugars of the nectar into simpler sugars – a process known as ‘inversion’.

$1.40 - Returning to the hive 

Once the field bees’ honey sacs are full of nectar, the bees return to their hives. A single hive can contain thousands of bees, most of which are workers. When the field bees are back inside the hive, they place the honey into the cells closest to the entrance. Within each hive is a single queen bee, which goes out to mate with a drone (male) in the air and then returns to the hive where she lays eggs to produce more workers.

$1.90 - In the hive 

Inside the hive, the young worker ‘house bees’ transfer the nectar to the honey storage area of the hive. Enzymes are added to the nectar and the nectar is then further concentrated by house bees creating an air current inside the hive by fanning their wings to dry the nectar into honey. This process is called ‘ripening’. Once the honey has a water content less than 20 percent, the bees seal the cell of the honeycomb with a wax cap.

$2.40 - Harvesting the honey

To harvest the honey, beekeepers remove the combs from the hives and spin them in centrifuges, or honey extractors. This process removes the honey from the combs and makes it relatively easy for the beekeepers to harvest the honey without damaging the hives or hurting the bees. Many beekeepers use veils and gloves to protect themselves during harvesting. Some also use bee smokers to mask a pheromone emitted by bees – making it less likely that the bees will become agitated as the beekeepers work.

$2.90 - Ready to eat 

Once harvested, the honey is processed and packaged into the jars and bottles we see on supermarket shelves. New Zealand honey products are sought after worldwide, and of the 9,000 to 12,000 tonnes of honey that are produced annually, one-third to half is exported. Honey is increasingly differentiated according to the flower source, and New Zealand is known around the world for its premium natural honey, particularly manuka honey, which is renowned for its antiseptic properties.

Club News

President Emeritus of Gujarat Philatelists’ Association Mr. Mainak Kathiara was interviewed for Doordarshan program and was telecast on Doordarshan’s Girnar Channelseveral times. The focus of interview was on Hobby of Philately and concerns and activities of promoting Philately right from beginning of life.

From Our Readers…

Publicity Folder from France showing  various mode of mail delivery

: Timir R. Shah – Vadodara

New stamps on wildlife..

 

    

Birds from Latvia

Latvijas Pasts issued two stamps within the series “Birds of Latvia” featuring Long-tailed Duck and European Bee-eater. Long-tailed Duck (Clangulahyemalis L.) is a medium-sized sea duck. Adults have white underparts, though the rest of the plumage goes through a complex moulting process.

The male has a long pointed tail (10 to 15 cm) and a dark grey bill crossed by a pink band. The female has a brown back and a relatively short pointed tail. In winter, the female’s head and neck are white with a dark crown.Their breeding habitat is in tundra pools and marshes, but also along sea coasts and in large mountain lakes in the North Atlantic region, Alaska, northern Canada, northern Europe and Russia.

European Bee-eater (Meropsapiaster L.) is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family Meropidae. It is strongly migratory, wintering in tropical Africa, India and Sri Lanka. This species occurs as a spring overshoot north of its range, with occasional breeding in northwest Europe. This species is a richly-coloured, slender bird. It has brown and yellow upper parts, whilst the wings are green and the beak is black.

 

 

Weasel on a new Estonian stamp

Eesti Post issued a stamp depicting weasel (Mustelanivalis), a representative of Estonian fauna.

The tail of the weasel, brownish on the back and white on the belly in the summer, is slightly shorter than that of the other small carnivore, the ermine, and the hair at the end of its tail is never black. In the winter, the weasel turns white all over. Weasels live everywhere where they can hide and where there is prey, from sand dunes to grasslands to forests and hills. They are active round the clock.

The tracks mostly come in pairs, and the track of the tail is noticeably only seldom. The weasel likes to sometimes stand up and observe the neighbourhood. When disturbed it hisses or trills at a high pitch. It expresses fear by means of sharp yelping. The weasel is so small (body length 15 to 20 cm) that it can follow rodents into their nests. It mainly catches and eats microta and mice, but does not refuse birds and eggs either.

Otiorhynchusmonoecirupis – New Species, Discovery in Monaco

A new stamp was issued by Monaco post to celebrate the discovery of Otiorhynchusmonoecirupis.

A new species of Curculionidae, endemic to the Principality has been discovered in the underground tunnels of the Prince’s Palace. This is the weevil Otiorhynchusmonoecirupis. This species will be the focus of an exhibition organized this summer at Monaco’s Exotic Garden by the Department of the Environment in association with the scientists who led the inventory exercise into Monaco’s entomological heritage from 2008 to late 2010.

Stamps on Bees

 

Date of issue: 12 July 2012

Bees play an important role in pollinating flowering plants. Their disappearance could lead to food shortages. In order to raise understanding about bees and pay more attention to the conservation of ecology, Chunghwa Post will issue a souvenir sheet which comprises six stamps, each featuring a bee species of Taiwan . The designs follow:

1. Phimenes flavopictus (NT＄5): This predatory wasp has yellow markings on its black body, giving it coloring that resembles that of a yellow and black striped tiger. Females build their mud nests in places such as tree trunks and cliff-face crevices. It is also called the "tiger-striped potter wasp" in Chinese.

2. Apis mellifera (NT＄10): Commonly known as the western honey bee, most of them have a yellowish brown chest. The species' worker bees have specialized pollen baskets, which can be found on the tibia of their hind legs.

3. Xanthopimpla pedator (NT＄5): The range of this parasitic wasp was once used to control she-oak pests.

4. Xylocopa tranquebarorum (NT＄10): This pollinator has almost dark black body. Its wings have a purple, copper sheen to them. Females build their nests by boring holes into dead bamboo.

5. Vespa ducalis (NT＄5): This stinging wasp has two golden yellow rings on its abdomen which are its most salient feature. Its last four abdominal segments are black.

6. Apis cerana (NT＄10): Commonly known as the eastern honey bee, this pollinator lives in the wild mostly. Its appearance greatly resembles the western honey bee. It has alternating yellow and black stripes on its abdomen.

SOURCE: Chunghwa Post

Club News

Stamp exhibition on Olympics

Aakruti Books Rajajinagar In association with
Karnataka philatelic Society presents

Olymplex-2012

* Exhibition of Olympic and Sports Stamps
* Exhibition and sale of Books related to Philately, Olympics and Sports
* Daily talks on philately by senior philatelists

Venue : Aakruti Books

No.31/1, 12th Main,
3rd Block, Rajajinagar,
Bangalore-560010
Ph: (080) 23409479, (080) 23506788

Landmark: Near State Bank of Hyderabad - Bhashyam circle
Date: Inauguration on 15th July 2012 at 10:30 Am
by Dr. Sangoram - President, Karnataka Philatelic Association

The Exhibition will end of 22nd July 2012 at 9:00 PM

Mumbai Mint Starts the booking of commemorative coin sets on the occasion of ‘1000 YEARS OF BIHADEESWARAR TEMPLE’ Booking starts from- 03/07/12 TO 31/08/12

: Vishal Sanganeria – Guwahati - Assam

Johann Dzierzon – Father of modern apiculture

 

Date of Issue : 2 September 2011

Polish Post will issue a stamp on September 2, 2011 on ‘ father of modern bee culture John Dzierzon ’ to commemorate his 200th Birth Centenary. He is known for his pioneering work in the study bees and beehives which was later used in bee culture.The FDC design depicts Stacks of Dzierzon hives.

 John Dzierzon (16 January 1811 – 26 October 1906), was a pioneering apiarist who discovered the phenomenon of parthenogenesis in bees, and designed the first successful movable-frame beehive.

Dzierzon came from a Polish family in Silesia. Trained in theology, he combined his theoretical and practical work in apiculture with his duties as a Roman Catholic priest.His discoveries and innovations made him world-famous in scientific and bee-keeping circles, and he has been described as the "father of modern apiculture".

In his apiary, Dzierzon studied the social life of honeybees and constructed several experimental beehives. In 1838 he devised the first practical movable-comb beehive, which allowed manipulation of individual honeycombs without destroying the structure of the hive. The correct distance between combs had been described as 1½ inches from the center of one top bar to the center of the next one. In 1848 Dzierzon introduced grooves into the hive’s side walls, replacing the strips of wood for moving top bars. The grooves were 8 × 8 mm—the exact average between ¼ and ⅜ inch, which is the range called the "bee space." His design quickly gained popularity in Europe and North America. On the basis of the aforementioned measurements, August von Berlepsch (May 1852) in Thuringia and L.L. Langstroth (October 1852) in the United States designed their frame-movable hives.

Special Covers

West Bengal

DEPEX ‘76

: Ashwani Dubey, Gorakhpur

Club News

UPHILEX 2011

A state level exhibition is proposed to be held in Lucknow from 16 to 18 December 2011.