The Status of Beekeeping in Simada District, Amhara, Ethiopia, with Its Challenges and Opportunities

The study was designed to assess the existing beekeeping practices, constraints, and potential of honeybee production in Simada district. The study was carried out in four proportionally selected kebeles of highland, midland, and lowland agro-ecology. Accordingly, a total sample size of 146 beekeepers, depending on their potential, was interviewed using a structured and semi-structured questionnaire. A semi-structured questionnaire, field observation, and focal group discussion were employed to collect primary data. Descriptive statistics such as mean, frequency, and standard deviation were used to analyze the data. The majority of beekeepers in the district are mail-headed, and the majority can read and write. Beekeepers practiced three hive types but mostly used traditional hives. The majority of honeybee colonies are found in midland agro-ecology, but they are not significantly different (P0.05). About 57.5% of beekeepers obtain their colony through buying, and their colony increases through reproductive swarming. Beekeepers construct both traditional and top-bar hives from the surrounding available material. Frame hives were obtained from GOs on a credit basis. Beekeepers indicated that the majority of honey was harvested in October and November. The second minor harvesting period was from May to June, which depends on the nature of the yearly rainfall conditions. As the respondents described, they stored honey below one year in a plastic jar, clay jar, and plastic sack when plenty of products were obtained and for medicinal value, unless they used honey during harvesting as a source of income. Predators and pests are major constraints on honey bee production, followed by pesticides and herbicides in the study area. Other identified beekeeping constraints were shown in relative order of importance: drought, death of colony, lack of water, migration, and disease are some of the problems that hinder productivity. Honeybees required feed supplementation during the dry season; about 28% of beekeepers fed their colonies with higher supplements made from February to April. The commonly used supplements were peas and bean flour (Shiro), barley flour (Besso), sugar, honey, and others, including Niger.