Lac Insects: The tiny creatures behind nature’s resin

In the intricate dance of nature, certain insects commit their entire existence to a single tree in the forest. Among these intriguing creatures are lac insects, which live and die on their chosen host, leaving behind a precious legacy. These insects produce lac—a resinous substance valued at thousands of rupees—that has been woven into human civilisation for centuries, if not more.

Throughout history, humans have transformed lacquer into ornaments, utensils, and decorative pieces. As time progressed, this versatile substance found new purpose in our modern  life—now essential in everything from nail polish to electrical insulators. 

The forest product created by these insects has evolved from traditional craftsmanship to modern technology, serving as a vital source of livelihood for half of India's tribal households and bridging ancient traditions with contemporary commerce.

What is lac?

Lac (also called Laksha) is a sticky substance made by tiny insects called Laccifer lacca. These insects attach themselves to certain plants and trees, drink their sap, and create lac as a protective covering. The insects are so small they often look like tiny spots on plants with no legs, covered in the sticky substance. Sometimes, you can only see the resin they produce, not the insects themselves. When this secretion dries, it is scraped off and is commonly called lac or resin. 

Lac insects are important cash crops grown mainly in Burma, India, and Thailand. After collecting lac from plants, it must be heated and filtered to purify it before it can be used for various purposes. 

Nearly 3 lakh tiny insects lose their lives to produce just 1 kilogram of lac resin. More than 2 thousand species of these insects are found all over the world, which are collectively called lac insects. These insects are of very fine size. The male lac worm (Laccifer lacca) is about 1.2 to 1.5 mm long, while the female moth (Kerria lacca) is larger, measuring 4 to 5 mm.

Although lac is produced only by the secretion of female insects, this process is incomplete without male insects. Usually, the female sticks to the trees and does not move from there again in her lifetime. During this time she secretes a thick secretion of lac. In this process the female loses her eye pair and wings. She lays her eggs inside this secretion. The insects emerging from these eggs get nutrition from this secretion. 

When these insects grow up, they come out of this lac covering. Generally, the red-coloured male insects have stopped taking food because they have lost their mouth by the time they reach adulthood. After coming out, the male insects return to the process of fertilization and this cycle continues. 

The natural resin is an important source of livelihood for many tribal communities, particularly in regions like Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. Lac collection is a generational practice, passed on by mothers to their children from ages.

Goodness of lac 

Lac is made up of several parts that create different useful materials. Most of lac (68-90%) is resin, which is its most important part. Lac also contains colour (2-10%), wax (5-6%), protein substances, and water. How much of each part is present affects the lac's quality and what it can be used for.

Today, lac is used in many industries. People make toys, jewelry, and decorative items with it. Lac is also used in oil and paint because it sticks well and protects surfaces. It's also found in nail polish and is used to paint the back of a mirror.

Lac cultivation in Madhya Pradesh 

In Madhya Pradesh, there are two types of lac: Rangini and Kusumi. Rangini lac grows on many plants except the Kusum tree and makes up about 90 percent of all lac produced in the state. Farmers harvest lac twice a year: the Kataki crop in October and the Baisakhi crop in May-June. 

On the other hand, the Kusumi variety is mainly grown on Kusum trees (Schleichera oleosa) and contributes about 10 percent of the total lac production. This variety is famous for its excellent quality. Kusumi produces two crops called Jethavi and Aagahani. The Kusumi variety is harvested around June for the Jethavi crop and during December to February for the Aagahani crop. 

Overall, the life cycle of these species is about six months. Both natural and scientific farming methods are used in the state. These range from environmentally friendly traditional practices with minimal chemical inputs to modern techniques involving host plant propagation, pest management, and controlled vaccination.

Madhya Pradesh is the third largest lac producing state in the country after Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. 14 percent of the country's lac is produced in Madhya Pradesh. If research conducted in 2021 is considered as the basis, then a maximum of 900 metric tonnes of lac are produced annually in Seoni in Madhya Pradesh. After Seoni, the highest production of lac is in Balaghat, Mandla, Chhindwara, Dindori, Narsinghpur, and Narmadapuram. 80 percent of the state's lac is produced in these districts. 

Threats to lac insects survival

However, the production of lac is not as simple as it seems. Many natural, climatic threats can arise on this. Entomologists classify it mainly into two parts: insect and non-insect threats. Pest threats include insects that disrupt the life cycle of these lac insects in the form of predators and parasites. 

Among these, the noctuid moth (Eublemma amabilis) and the black-gray moth (Holococera pulverea) are prominent, which can cause considerable damage to lac insects. These moths can reduce the production of lac by about 35 percent. Additionally, small winged insects such as chalcids (Chalcidoidea) lay their eggs with lac insects. The insects that emerge from these eggs eat the lac insects and can cause the death of about 5 to 10 percent of the lac insects. 

On the other hand, other enemies include squirrels, monkeys, birds, and rats, which can cause damage to lacquer. Additionally, environmental factors such as extreme heat, cold, heavy rains, or storms also pose challenges to lac growers. If we look at the weather events on the lac, then almost 50 percent of the lac crop is destroyed due to bad weather. Apart from all this, continuous deforestation is the biggest challenge in the path of lac production. 

Gradual decline in production

India's lac production has seen a significant decline in the last few decades. The average production during 2007-08 to 2011-12 was recorded at around 16,246 tonnes, whereas the annual production of lac in India in the mid-1950s after independence was around 50,000 tonnes. But this figure has reduced to only 16,246 tonnes between 2007-08 and 2010-11. Whereas during the year 2007-12, 13.66 percent of India's total lac was produced in Madhya Pradesh, which fell by 3.20 percent during 2012-17. 

Since recent data on lac production in India isn't available publicly, we can look at India's total lac exports instead. A reply from the Ministry of Trade and Commerce in Parliament shows that lac exports have been falling since 2004. In recent years, exports dropped from 105 tonnes in 2021-22 to just 51 tonnes in 2023-24—almost half.

Over the past few decades, lac production has been steadily declining, while plastic use has been rising across India. This change reflects ‘Gresham’s Law’ in economics, which says that bad money drives out good money. In the same way, plastic—a harmful material—has replaced lac, a natural and biodegradable product. As a result, plastic is not only harming the environment but also affecting lac production.

Lac, an environmentally sustainable resource, now faces three significant challenges. Production is steadily declining while seasonal disruptions further diminish existing potential. Simultaneously, synthetic alternatives like plastic continue to erode lac's market position, threatening this traditional industry's future. 

Edited by Diwash Gahatraj

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