Investigating the Causes of Honeybee Colony Mobility in Central Rift Valley of Oromia, Ethiopia

The study was conducted in three selected districts of central rift valley of Oromia, Ethiopia with the objective to assess and prioritize the reasons of honeybee colony mobility. For this study, six peasant associations (PAs) were selected using purposive sampling techniques. From each PA, 20 beekeepers (a total of 120) were randomly selected and interviewed using pre-tested, structured questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0  software and descriptive statistics. Results of the study showed that the mean age of the respondents was 46.54 years, indicating an active and productive age. The beekeepers had an average experience of 5.76 years where male respondents (89.2%) take the largest share to be engaged in beekeeping activities. Ranking revealed that  pests, predators and Diseases (17.6%), shortage of bee forage (15.8%), unwise application of agrochemicals (15%), honeybee colony absconding and migration (10%), shortage of bee colony (9.4%), high cost of honeybee equipments and accessories (8.1%), recurrent drought and deforestation (6.8%), shortage of water (4.6%), lack of knowledge (3.6%), poor extension services (2.7%), poor hive management (2.7%), inadequate of business support services (2.1%) and bee poisoning from plants (1.5%) the main constraints of beekeeping in the study area in their order of importance. The main causes of colony absconds and migration in the study area were pests and predators (21%), shortage of bee forage and water (20.6%), incessant disturbance or poor hive management (18.3%), unwise application of agrochemicals (13.9%), unfavorable weather condition (8.1%), in appropriate of honey harvesting techniques (3.97%) and unknown reasons (2.2%). The main month in which colony absconding occurs is from December to February. Beekeepers in the study area prevent the incidence of swarming by using large volume of hive (33%), suppering of hive (26%), removal of queen cells (19.7%), killing new emerged queen (11.7%) and swarming return back to the colony (10%). The study demonstrated that honey productions in the study area are hampered by several constraints and challenges. Therefore, large scale and comprehensive research on constraints and honeybee diseases are highly recommended to take in preventing colony mobility as identified in this study. Keywords: Absconding, constraints, honeybee, colony mobility, pests, swarming DOI: 10.7176/FSQM/108-01 Publication date: May 31 st 2021