DETERMINATION OF SUITABLE BEEKEEPING PLACES BY WEIGHTED OVERLAY ANALYSIS: A CASE STUDY OF BOLU, TURKIYE

Abstract

Beekeeping is one of the main livelihoods of our country, and our country's rich geography, different climate and topography are quite suitable for beekeeping. The increase in interest in beekeeping activities has led to more income with less maintenance and expense compared to other agricultural activities. The increasing interest has also revealed the necessity of determining suitable places for beekeeping to increase beekeeping activities' efficiency. For this purpose, weighted overlay analysis, which is one of the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) techniques, was carried out using ArcGIS 10.7.1 in this study for the province of Bolu. Slope, aspect, elevation, precipitation, vegetation and distance to roads, streams and settlements were used for analysis. As a result of the analyzes made, it was determined that 90.95% of Bolu province is suitable for beekeeping activities. In addition, it has been determined whether the existing beekeeping locations are suitable for beekeeping.