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Hindi Research Article
Beekeeping Practices, Trends and Constraints in Bale, South-eastern Ethiopia
Tesfaye B1*, Begna D2 and Eshetu M31Researcher at Sinana Agriculture Research Center (SARC), Bale Zone, Ethiopia
2Researcher at Holeta Bee Research Center, Holeta Genet, Ethiopia
3Researcher at Haramay University, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia
- *Corresponding Author:
- Tesfaye B
Researcher at Sinana Agriculture Research Center
P.O. Box: 208, Bale Zone, Ethiopia
Tel: +251 92 592 0594
E-mail: tbekele2001@gmail.com
Received Date: December 08, 2016; Accepted Date: January 19, 2017; Published Date: January 25, 2017
Citation: Tesfaye B, Begna D, Eshetu M (2017) Beekeeping Practices, Trends and Constraints in Bale, South-eastern Ethiopia. J Fisheries Livest Prod 5: 215 doi: 10.4172/2332-2608.1000215
Copyright: © 2017 Tesfaye B, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
The study was planned to assess beekeeping practices, trends and constraints of beekeeping production in Bale, south-eastern Ethiopia in 2014/15. Three districts were considered based on variations in agro-ecology (high, mid and lowlands). From each districts two Rural Kebele (RKs, from each RK 30 beekeepers and a total of 180 beekeepers were selected using purposive sampling method. The selected beekeepers were interviewed using pretested structure questioners and single- visit – multiple formal survey method to collect the data. The data revealed that the majorities (98.26%) of the respondents follow traditional production system. An average honeybee colony holding size of the study area was about 6.18 per head with 5.70 kg mean honey yield per traditional hive and no record for transitional and movable-frame beehives. From result of this study, the major challenges of beekeeping identified were: application of herbicides and pesticides, pests, lack of beekeeping equipment’s, shortages of bee forages, lack of improved beehives, migration, absconding, lack of extension services, swarming, and death of bee colonies in order of their importance. The study identified major beekeeping constraints and beekeeping practices in Bale zone. Hence, it requires high attention and both techniques and technology intervention to make benefit of the large beekeepers in Bale zone and the country in general.
