Indian Shellac Industries Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh

Lac is the scarlet resinous secretion of a number of species of lac insects, of which the most commonly cultivated species is kerria lacca. Cultivation begins when a farmer gets a stick (broodlac) that contains eggs ready to hatch and ties it to the tree to be infested. Thousands of lac insects colonize the branches of the host trees and secrete the resinous pigment. The coated branches of the host trees are cut and harvested as sticklac. The harvested sticklac is crushed and sieved to remove impurities.