Beekeeping is a promising non-farm activity for the rural households. It directly and indirectly contributes to the incomes of households and the economy of the nation. The direct contribution of beekeeping includes the value of the outputs produced such as honey, beeswax, queen and bee colonies, and other products such as pollen, royal jelly, bee venom, and Propolis in cosmetics and medicine (ARSD, 2000; Gezahegn, 2001). It also provides an employment opportunity in the sector. The indirect, but very important contribution of beekeeping is through plant pollination and conservation of natural environment. Beekeeping is eanvironmentally sustainable activity that can be integrated with agricultural practices like crop production, animal husbandry, …show more content…
It is carried out dominantly in forest/bushes, and only few in home gardens in all parts of the country. The bees and the plants are constantly under threat because of land degradation and removal of vegetation cover for increasing crop production. Thus, production, productivity and quality of honey produced in the country is generally poor and below national potential (Ayalew & Gezahegn, 1991). In addition, the smallholder producers have currently limited access to market due to low level of productivity; poor product quality and market barriers, such as poor infrastructure, lack of favorable trade policy and shortage of finance and lack of collective bargaining power . Thus, there is a strong need to help small producers in Ethiopia to achieve sustainable and fair access to honey market in order to increase their income and secure their livelihoods. Ethiopia is one of the countries of the continent that has the largest honey bee population and owns a big potential of honey production owing to its varied ecological and climatic conditions. Ethiopia is home to some of the most diverse flora and fauna in Africa that provide surplus nectar and pollen to foraging bees. There is an ancient tradition for beekeeping in Ethiopia which stretches back into the millennia of the country's early history (Girma, 1998). Moreover, beekeeping is an appropriate and well-accepted farming technology and is best suited to extensive range of …show more content…
It is estimated that over two million bee-colonies in the country exists in the fore stand crevices. The density of hives occupied by the honeybees on the land may be the highest, at the present moment, of any country in the African continent (Ayalew and Gezahegn, 1991).
In general, the potential areas for honey and beeswax production in the country include Southwestern, Western and Northwestern parts of the country (ARSD, 2000; Gezahegn, 2001). These are grouped into high, medium and low potential areas. More specifically, southwestern and western areas of Kef zone, Masha, Tepi, DembiDolo, Gerra, Limu, Metu, Yayu-Hurumu, Sek Chekorsa, She be do have high honey production potential. These areas are covered with abundant forest, shrubs, bushes and comparatively less
It is not unusual for bees to die or colonies to be lost, but the nature and extent reported in the year 2006 was alarming. Statistics gathered in the United States alone show that 50-90% of the bees have been lost so far, due to this scientific phenomenon (Cox-Foster et al., 2007, p. 284). Honeybees play a very major role in the pollination of plants and therefore these huge losses have become a serious concern. There are many reasons that have been floated and acclaimed to be behind CCD and they include pesticides, parasites, electromagnetic radiation, malnutrition, climatic changes, and urban sprawl, among many others.... ...
Think for a moment of a world without bees; a world without our buzzing friend. They might look like they barely do much to help our ecosystem. However, bees are a vital part of our agriculture and this makes it vital that we keep them around. The bee population decline in recent years is troubling for both us and our little friends. As their friends, we must do all we can in order to ensure their survival which in turn will ensure our own.
The best action the public can take to improve honey bee survival is not to use pesticides indiscriminately. In particular, the public should avoid applying pesticides during mid-day hours, when honey bees are most likely to be out foraging for nectar and pollen on flowering plants. In addition, the public can plant pollinator-friendly plants—plants that are good sources of nectar and pollen such as red clover, foxglove, bee balm, joe-pye weed, and other native plants.
Honeybees collect nectar and pollen from flowers as food source. The nutrients needed to grow colony populations and maintain their health comes from nectar and pollen. Nectar which is then converted in to honey, provides carbohydrates. Pollen as bee-bread supplies dietary requirements such as proteins, lipids, vitamins and minerals (Huang 2010; Degrandi-Hoffman 2013). A review by Wakhle (1981) reported the versatile characters of pollen and bees products. The royal-jelly produced by honeybees for queen raring, for which pollen is most important, which is rich in most essential nutrients.
In the years since African bees invaded the United States, hybridization has become common. This has been problematic to beekeepers, as hybridized bees have heightened defensive behavior that may lead to serious injuries, and they produce less honey than European bees. However, due to scientists using genetic testing and morphometry, it has become possible to distinguish between different species. These scientists have been able to solve real world problems and help others deal with problems that may result when speciation occurs. This lab also provides an example of how invasive species may create damage when introduced to unnatural environments. The aggressive nature of the African honeybee presents danger to other organisms in the surrounding ecosystem. The European honeybee species have suffered due to the African honeybees’ habit of taking over their colonies and creating hybrids. This incident remains a warning to scientist to take care and consider the consequences when releasing a species into a new
All around the world honeybees are vanishing at an alarming rate, according to the documentary Vanishing of the Honeybees. This film features two commercial bee keepers and their fight to preserve their bee numbers. David Hackenburg was the first commercial bee keeper to go public the bee population was decreasing. Approximately two billions bees have vanished and nobody knows the reason why. Honeybees are used all across America to help pollinate monoculture crops like broccoli, watermelon, cherries, and other produce. Without the honeybees the price for fresh and local produce would be too much money. According, to this film commercial bee keeper’s help fifteen billion dollars of food get pollinated by commercial
How about fruits, vegetables, coffee, even shampoo or lotion? Our livestock depend on bee-pollinated plants like grain. Poorly pollinated plants produce fewer fruits and seeds leading to higher prices (New Agriculturist, n.d.). Some crops are entirely dependent on pollinators such as almonds and others are 90 percent dependent like blueberries and cherries (ABF, 2015). Bees give us honey and we use this honey in food, shampoo, and moisturizers (Mercola, 2015). Bees pollinate 70 out of our 100 major crops; that includes apples, cucumbers, pumpkins, and many more. Our bees are dying at the highest rates ever recorded: 42 percent of the United States bee colonies collapsed in 2015 (NRDC, 2015). 50 to 80 percent of the worlds food supply is directly affected by honeybee pollination (Pennsylvania Apiculture Inc., 2011). Reduced crop pollination will make food more expensive and can even make some crops harder to grow successfully (Worland,
The disappearance of honey bees is baffling scientists everywhere. Although most people see bees as useless annoying insects, they play an important role in the eco-system. Without bees, agricultural business would cease to exist, so it is vital that bees are saved. Currently, about one-third of the honey bees on the United states have disappeared. It seems that within a few days of having a good, healthy colony of bees, most of the adult population disappears. They can't even find any bodies near the hive. Scientists nicknamed this as CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder). Bees have been disappearing all over the globe. Countries such as Portugal, Poland, Central America, and South America have all reported cases of the phenomenon. When bees get sick, they sacrifice themselves and leave the colony to die to lessen possibility of spreading the disease or affliction to the rest of the hive. What is unique about CCD though, is the sheer number of bees leaving the hive.
The Apis Mellifera, or honey bee, have survived on this planet for fifty million years. This species of bee is responsible for pollinating flowers, grass, trees and crops around the world. Much of the food we eat is dependent on honey bees for pollination. Our ecosystem depends on the survival of the honey bee. Colonies of honeybees have been disappearing at an alarming rate around the world due to parasites, viral and bacterial diseases, and the introduction of pesticides and herbicides. Over the past six years, on average, 30 percent of all the honey bee colonies in the U.S. died off over the winter of 2012(NPR/TED). If this trend continues to spiral downward, honey bees will disappear from the world. We must understand the importance of the Honey bee and change our environmental practices in order to sustain this vital insect.
High declines in adult bee numbers in some colonies have been reported and this decline is known as colony collapse disorder6. These declines are higher than normal and can go unnoticed by bee keepers because the bees do not generally die in the nest, so the decrease is not immediately obvious. The problem addressed in this paper will be the decline of bees and the effects this decline has on the environment. The solutions proposed for this problem are increasing research, managing farming and spreading awareness. It is important to conserve the bee populations before the problem of decreasing pollinator numbers becomes too great to fix.
For thousands of years bees have been a vital element to the human race survival. I’m not talking about providing us with their famous honey, although that is a plus. According to the Natural
Issues Facing Bees Bees pollinate many crops and are vital to the survival of human beings. The population of bees has been declining due to the use of pesticides, pollution and disease (Klein, Cabirol, Devaud, Barron, & Lihoreau, 2017). Why Local Raw Honey? Local Raw Honey differs from the other honeys because it is 100% raw honey with pollen from bees that is cared for properly by the local farmer. Most honey has the vitamin-packed pollen stripped from it and has corn syrup added to it (Muhammad & Maulidya, 2016).
Coffee has its history as far back of the 9th century .It is believed to be originated in Ethiopia, particularly in the south western parts of the country called Kaffa (Wilson p-45) . The etymology of coffee presumed to be taken was from kaffa where it was originated.
Over the past decade bee populations have been dropping drastically. A 40% loss of honeybees happened in the U.S. and U.K. lose 45% of its commercial honeybee since 2010. This is a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in which worker bees from a beehive abruptly disappear in a short time. These data are definitely not meaningless since bees are a crucial part of the reproductive cycle of many foods. The impact bees have on the agriculture and the environment is far more crucial than we may think. Crops rely on bees to assist their reproduction and bring them life. Bees are renowned in facilitating pollination for most plant life, including over 100 different vegetable and fruit crops. Without bees, there would be a huge decrease in pollination, which later result in reduce in plant growth and food supplies. On the other hand, without the pollination progressed with the assistance from bees, the types of flowers According to Dr. Albert Einstein, “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live. No more bees, no more pollination…no more men”. That’s why bees’ extinction affects people more than we ever think, and could even forebode the doom day of human race.