LAC CULTURE Lac is a resinous substance secreted by a tiny insect called Laccifer lacca (“lac insect”) Shellac is the purified lac usually prepared in the orange or yellow flakes. Lac or shellac is used in many ways · Commonest use is in polishing wooden furniture. · The granules are dissolved in spirit and then are applied in very thin layers on the wooden surfaces · In sealing parcels, packets, and envelopes · As insulating material in electrical work · In making phonograph records (now replaced by synthetic material) · In shoe polishes · In toys and jewellery Utilization of lac for various purposes has been very ancient in India. A “lac palace” is described in Mahabharata, which was intended to be used for burning the Pandavas alive. Lac insec LAC INSECT: ü The lac insect lives on native trees in India, Burma (now called Myanmar) and ü Malaysia. In India it is chiefly grown on trees like “Kusum”, “ Palas”, and “Ber”. o