Abstract:

Uganda’s annual honey yield is lower than the expected production potential of 500,000 tones basing on the country’s vegetation type. The aim of this study was to establish the factors that affect the performance of African honeybee colonies in honey production. It was conducted between May 2014 and May 2017 in four agro-ecological zones of Uganda where beekeeping is practiced viz- the Western highlands, Lake Victoria Crescent, Kyoga plains and Northeast savannah represented by Kabarole, Nakasongola, Tororo, and Lira, Kole districts respectively. Analyses of questionnaires administered to beekeepers on the socio-economic factors showed: high honey production observed among beekeepers ranking honey production as first position among their income generating activities, among beekeepers with only traditional hives compared to those with modern bee hives and those with available markets. Honey production was also ranked high in Kabarole and lowest in Tororo district. The production of honey did not increase with increasing number of colonized hives kept per farmer and neither did beekeeping trainings. Findings from hive inspections for honeybee pests showed: co-infestations with 2-4 different pest species in a single honeybee colony and the presence of the death head hawk moth, Acherontia atropos and Oplostomus haroldi in Lira and Nakasongola Districts, and a negative mean difference in honey production between the start and after 8 months that was attributed to co-infestations of pests. R.T-PCR analyses detected five bee viruses BQCV, ABPV, SBV, CBPV and DWV in adult honeybee samples and also co-infections with 2-4 different bee virus species in a single honeybee colony. When the colonies were classified strong and weak, pathogen analyses revealed that the proportion of infected colonies with CBPV were less in strong than in weak infected colonies; implying its presence reduces bee numbers in African honeybee colonies. Analyses of bee forage species revealed that the production of honey per hive is not affected by the agro-ecological zone; instead, it was influenced by the apiary location. This implies that bee forage species at the apiary location and other contributory factors at the site; pests and diseases affect honey production.