Honeybee Colony Management Practices and Identification of Honeybee Floras in Eastern Amhara, Ethiopia

1) Honeybee feed shortage occurrence

Knowledge of honeybee flora across seasons is vital to utilize or supplement if there is a shortage. In this study, most of the respondents (82.8%) noticed the problem of feed shortage. The more series months of the year where feed shortage occurs were given in Table 2. About 58.6% of respondent beekeepers, provide additional feed for their bee colonies during the feed shortage period. Of which 44.1% of respondents have used sugar syrup as the supplementary feed, while, about 26.5% of the respondents were separately fed sugar syrup, roasted wheat flour, and roasted barley flour for their honeybee colonies. The rest 29.4% of respondents fed the combination of roasted chickpea flour, roasted bean flour, and roasted chickpea flour for their honeybee colonies during the dearth period.

2) Honeybee colony absconding condition in the study area

The honeybee colonies̓ dynamics were varied based on several factors such as management and season. About 86.6% of respondents have noticed the problem of colony absconding. Of those respondents, 23.3% lost at least one honeybee colony in each production year. The rest 20.4%, 15.5%, and 42.1% of the respondents experienced losses of about 2, 3, and 4 honeybee colonies, respectively. Months from April to June were the seasons when higher honeybee colony abscond occurred, whereas from October to December and from January to March lower abscond was observed (Table 3).

3) Reason for honeybee colony absconding and swarming

The most important reasons for the absconding of honeybee colonies were poor honeybee management, especially for frame hives (49%), shortage of feed (22%), and others (29.2%). Lemma et al. (2016) report that the absconding may be due to frequent disturbances, pest attacks shortage of bee forage, lack of bee shelter, and generally poor management.

At the same time, about 37.5% of colonies swarmed in their apiaries, and the rest 62.5% did not. Of those who have got reproductive swarm, the majorities 45.2% have only one reproductive swarm and about 28.6% have got two. Three and above were about 26.2%. This is maybe due to the tropical honeybees having high reproductive swarming impulses and tendencies (Alemu et al., 2014; Lemma et al., 2016; Abejew and Zeleke, 2017; Dubale, 2017). The respondents noted that the major reasons for swarming were a type of management (33.3%), type of vegetation and pollen availability (41.2%), instinct behavior of the colony (7.8%), and small hive volume (3.9%), and others (13.7%).

4) Months of colony transfer and honey harvest

Most respondents (75%) transfer their honeybee colonies from traditional hives to the modern or transitional hives from July to September, some (13.4%) in April to June and others (11.6%) in October to December. The reason for the selection of transferring period is the availability of flowers about 77.6%, and other reasons about 22.4%. About 90.7% of honey is harvested in October-December, followed by April-June (3.4%). Rarely, it is also harvested in July-September, and January-March (5.1%).

5) Amount and frequency of honey harvest and practices of honey grading

Honey production and productivity depend on various factors including the type of the honeybee races, agroecology, weather conditions, the availability of flora, health status, and strength of the colonies (Lemma et al., 2016). Hence, the respondent beekeeper farmers harvest honey from the three types of hives, i.e., traditional, transitional, and modern hives. In this study, they have harvested honey from traditional hives in the range of 2 to 35 kg with an average of 8.15 kg annually. About 76% of respondents have harvested honey from transitional hives from 20 to 30 kg. About 65.3% of respondents have harvested from 4 to 50 kg of honey from modern hives. Lemma et al. (2016) reported that the mean honey yield per harvest per frame hive was 15.2 kg at the Wag-Himra zone using experimental colonies.

The frequency of honey harvest ranges from one to three times per annum. About 56.9% of the respondents were harvested twice a year, about 33.6% harvested once, and the remaining 9.5% harvested three times a year. About 88.5% of the respondents classify their honey, and 11.5% do not. The parameters to classify their honey was color (70.1%), taste (9.3%), plant sources (1.9%), and both colors of the honey and plant sources were 18.7%.

1) Honeybee flora composition

Due to its favorable climatic conditions and edaphic factors, a wide range of species of cultivated and uncultivated honey plants that comprise herbaceous, shrubs, and trees are grown in Ethiopia (Ejigu et al., 2017). About 104 plant species were identified as honeybee floras either pollen or nectar source or both, and some can be propolis sources like Tid (Juniperus species). Of which about 15 (14.4%), 21 (20.2%), 39 (37.5%), and 29 (27.8%) were domesticated cultivated crops, wild herbs (including grass and legume), shrubs, and tree plants, respectively, this result was summarized in Table 4 and the details of each flora were explained in Table 7. Hence, a lower number of bee flora species were reported by Jenberie et al. (2016), which was a total of 80 honeybee floral resource plant species (composed of 7.5% grasses, 21.25% herbs, 41.25% shrubs, and 30% trees) in the Wag-Lasta area of the Amhara Region.

The number of identified bee flora species was lower than Ejigu et al. (2017), who found a total of 290 important bee plant species in the Western Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Besides, in this study, about 23 (22.1%) were annuals, while 81 (76.2%) were also perennials bee forages. Shrubs were the dominant honeybee plants followed by trees, herbs, and domesticated crops, respectively. This may be because shrubs grow in different land-use systems, including steep mountainous areas with shower rain in a short period (Jenberie et al., 2016). Additionally, about 61.7% of respondents plant honeybee floras around their apiaries site, but 38.3% did not. The source of such plant seedling is government nurseries (47.6%), other sources (30.2%), private nurseries (9.5%), and a combination of one or two of the above sources (7.9%).

2) Easily propagated honeybee floras

Honeybee floras are a source of either pollen or nectar or both. If those plants are easily propagated (such as higher rates of seed germination, a short time from sowing to blooming, and grown in poor fertile soil), they are more advantageous for the beekeeping sector. According to the respondent beekeepers, the easiest propagative floras in decreasing order were Zea mays, Guizotia abyssinica, Sorghum bicolor, Eucalyptus species, Cordia africana, Acacia abyssinica, Guizotia scabra, Carissa edulis, Croton macrostachya, Coffea arabica, Helianthus annuus, Zizyphus spynachristus, Lantana camara, Sesamum indicum, Ehretia cymosa, Citrus sinensis and Brassica niger in Dawa Chefa district; Guizotia scabra, Vicia sativa, Schinus molle, Bidens pachyloma, Helianthus annuus, Cordia africana, Euclea racemosa, and Eucalyptus species in Meket district as well as Euphorbia abyssinica, Euphorbia tirucalli, Agave americana, Eucalyptus species, Acacia abyssinica, Aloe berhana, Cordia africana, Ehretia cymosa in Ambasel district.

3) Floras have a longer flowering period and bloom more than once a year

In giving flower for a longer period, Eucalyptus species, Acacia abyssinica, Cordia africana, Carissa edulis, Zea mays, Zizyphus spynachristus, Coffea arabica, Helianthus annuus, Guizotia abyssinica, Grevillea robusta, Citrus sinensis, Musa x-paradisiaca, Carica papaya, Croton macrostachya, and Mangifera indica has been selected in Dawa Chefa district, Bidens pachyloma, Eucalyptus species, Croton macrostachya, Acacia abyssinica, Schinus molle, Guizotia scabra, Guizotia scabra, Vicia sativa, Guizotia abyssinica, Helianthus annuus, and Cordia africana has been selected in Meket district, as well as Euphorbia tirucalli, Eucalyptus species, Schinus molle, Acacia abyssinica, Cordia africana, Acacia brevispica, Erica arborea, Agave sisalana, Typha genus in Ambasel district.

When the frequency of giving flowers more than once in a year is concerned, Eucalyptus species, Acacia abyssinica, Cordia africana, Croton macrostachya, Zea mays, Acacia brevispica, Musa x-paradisiaca, Pterrolobium stellatum, Guizotia abyssinica, Ehretia cymosa, Zizyphus spynachristus, Citrus sinensis, Coffea arabica, Schinus molle, Trifolium rueppellianum, Sorghum bicolor, Carissa edulis, Typha genus, Helianthus annuus were mentioned in Dawa Chefa district. In Meket district, Bidens pachyloma, Cordia africana, Trifolium rueppellianum, Guizotia scabra, Vicia sativa, Croton macrostachya, Euclea racemosa, Acacia abyssinica, Eucalyptus species, Helianthus annuus were flower more than once in a year. Eucalyptus species, Schinus molle, Cordia africana, Ehretia cymosa, Pterolobium stellatum, Lippia adoensis, and Aloe berhana were flowered more than once a year in the Ambasel district.

4) Major bee floras in each district and flowering calendar in eastern Amhara

The honeybee flora sources used as major sources of honey and pollen production in Dawa Chefa district were Cordia africana, Eucalyptus species, Acacia abyssinica, Zea mays, Guizotia abyssinica, Sorghum bicolor, Carissa edulis, Citrus sinensis, Croton macrostachya, Coffea arabica, Ehretia cymosa, Mangifera indica, Helianthus annuus, Guizotia scabra, Rersea americana, Zizyphus spynachristus, Citrus aruntifolia, Brassica niger, Lippia adoensis, and Grevillea robusta.

In Meket district, Cordia africana, Bidens pachyloma, Schinus molle, Guizotia scabra, Vicia sativa, Euclea racemosa, Helianthus annuus, Eucalyptus species, Croton macrostachya, Acacia abyssinica, Cicer arietinum, Euphorbia tirucalli, Lippia adoensis, Trifolium rueppellianum, and Sorghum bicolor were the major honey source plants. Whereas in Ambasel district, Cordia africana, Eucalyptus species, Euphorbia tirucalli, Pterolobium stellatum, Euclea racemosa, Zizyphus spynachristus, Bidens pachyloma, Acacia abyssinica, Guizotia scabra, Croton macrostachys, Erica arborea, Rhus natalensis, Hypoestes triflora, Lippia adoensis, Carissa edulis, Ehretia cymosa, and Euphorbia abyssinica were selected honey sources.

Bareke and Addi (2019), and Adgaba et al. (2017) noted that characterizing the flowering calendar of the area is an important tool for effective management of the honeybee colonies. Hence, this study revealed that there were floras that give flowers from three days to a year-round. According to the respondents, the major flowering seasons for the flora were identified based on prolonged floral periods, and the largest abundant and values were given ranges from one to five for each month of the year, one for the lowest and five for the highest flowering month (Table 5).

Based on the total values for each month, three classifications can be made for the sake of honeybee colonies management. The result in Table 1 indicates that a severe dearth period occurred starting from January-March due to flower shade, July-August also due to over rain that washes nectar and pollen of the floras. This indicates intensive feeding is an essential management option during these months. Moderate period, from April to June, and December, during this period moderate level feeding in is essential. Honey flow period, during this period, there was ample bee flora. This period extends from September to November. This was the honey harvesting season. Similar bee flora flowering pattern was reported in the Wag-Lasta area, Amhara Region (Jenberie et al., 2016).

5) Honey pollen analysis marks

Honey pollen analysis is important to identify the major and minor flora in the area and to authenticate the beekeeping farmer’s knowledge and experience in the identification of honeybee floral resource plants (Jenberie et al., 2016). According to the honey pollen analysis result, there were different pollen sources of flowering plant species for each district and sampling site. Table 6 indicates the honey pollen analysis result for each district and sampling site.

6) Plants used for hive fumigation/smoking purposes

Plants were used for the fumigation/ smoking of the hive to attract honeybees as baiting and maintaining the colony in the hive. It is also important for disinfecting the hive from previously contaminant agents including honeybee pests and diseases. The smoking process may take hours with every ten minutes of smoking, the hive sprayed with a small amount of water. The process ends up when the hive internal becomes gray color and has attractive smells.

The best-selected honeybee floras used for hive smoking in Dawa Chefa were Carissa edulis, Lippia adoensis, Flacourtia indica, Rosa abyssincia, Olea europaea, and Ocimum americanum, whereas the best honey producing flora such as Cordia africana, Acacia abyssinica, Eucalyptus species, Zea mays, Guizotia abyssinica, Croton macrostachys, Coffea arabica, Ehretia cymosa, Mangifera indica, Citrus sinensis, Helianthus annuus, Sorghum bicolor, and Guizotia scabra were ranked as poor hive smoking plant.

In Meket district, Syzygium guineense was the only better hive smoking plant, and others such as Cordia Africana, Helianthus annuus, Guizotia scabra, Acacia abyssinica, Eucalyptus species, and Schinus molle were ranked as poor hive smoking. In Ambasel district, Lippia adoensis, Olea europaea, Lippia adoensis, and Dodonaea angustifolia were the best hive smoking plant species for the hive, but Cordia africana, Carissa edulis, Croton macrostachyus, Euphorbia abyssinica, Typha genus, Eucalyptus species, Acacia abyssinica, Ehretia cymosa, Euclea racemosa, Pterolobium stellatum, Euphorbia tirucalli, Schinus molle, Aleo brahana, Cyperus longus, Erica arborea, Agave sisalana, Zizyphus spynachristus, and Bidens pachyloma were ranked as poor hive smoking plants.