Assessment of Honeybee Colony Performance
in the Agro-Ecological Zones of Uganda
Volume 1 - Issue 5
Patrice Kasangaki1*, Gideon Nyamasyo2, Paul Ndegwa2 and Robert Kajobe3
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- 1National Livestock Resources Research Institute (NaLIRRI), Uganda
- 2School of Biological Sciences, University of Nairobi, Kenya
- 3Rwebitaba Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (RwebiZARDI), Uganda
*Corresponding author:
Patrice Kasangaki, National Livestock Resources Research Institute (NaLIRRI), Uganda
Received: March 16, 2018;; Published: March 26, 2018
DOI: 10.32474/CIACR.2018.01.000121
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Abstract
Honeybee colony performance is the ability of the honeybees to defend the colony and also to effectively collect nectar and
pollen and thus productivity. The colony performance of honeybees in nine agro-ecological zones of Uganda was assessed from
September 2012 to May 2013. Observations were made on the colonies for brood pattern, proportion of worker bees and combs
filled with honey and pollen. The obtained data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical package. The results indicated that both
colony strength and productivity varied significantly within agro-ecological zones. Mid North agro-ecological zone had significantly
stronger colonies with the highest productivity compared to other agro-ecological zones while Lake Victoria Crescent and Southern
Dry land agro-ecological zone had the lowest indicating that the Lake Victoria Crescent agro-ecological zone is not the best for
beekeeping in Uganda. The colony strength and productivity did not vary with the vegetation cover, honeybee race, type of bee hive
used and the elevation gradient. When promoting beekeeping in Uganda, more efforts should be put in areas such as the mid north
agro ecological zone.
Keywords: Colony strength; Productivity; Brood pattern; Apiary management; Vegetation cover
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