Honey bee production practices, constraints and honey qualities in Sigmo District, Jimma zone, Southwestern Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was carried out on Honey bee production practices, constraints and honey qualities in Sigmo District, Jimma zone, Southwestern Ethiopia, in four selected kebeles of Sigmo district. Beekeeping is the practice of rearing bees with the aim of exploiting its products. The objective of this study was to asses honey bee production system, its constraints and honey quality produced in the study area. From each districts 120 beekeepers and 25 traders of honey were randomly selected and 8 key informant and 2 experts from office were purposively selected and interviewed. In general, a total of 155 respondents participated in this study. The selected beekeepers were interviewed using structured questioners, discussion and formal survey method. Quality of honey produced in the study area was analyzed in the laboratory. The result of the study showed that majority of the respondents in the study area followed traditional production system but only few beekeepers started transitional and modern beekeeping production system. Based on the result of this study, the existence of pests and predators were a major challenge to the honeybees and beekeepers in the study area. In all surveyed areas, the beekeepers reported the presence of ants, wax moth, honey badger, mites, spider, lizard and bee-eating birds in order of their decreasing importance. Traditionally, the beekeepers used their own methods of pests and predators control like application of ash under the stand of the hive, hanging hives on long trees, cleaning around the apiary site, using dog for large predators like honey badger, fencing their apiary site and etc. Laboratory analysis revealed that the quality of honey within the range of moisture content of highland honey was 17.1 while the midland honey was 18.99., Ash contents of highland honey was 1.9 while the midland was 1.70., pH of highland honey was 3.67 while mid land was 3.7. Almost all samples of honey examined were within the acceptable range of world and national standard. To sustain the beekeeping activity introducing affordable and appropriate beekeeping technologies with all accessories, strengthening the appropriate beekeeping management practices, and creating awareness specially to women is important