ASSESSMENT OF BEEKEEPING PRACTICES IN THREE AGRO-ECOLOGIES OF GRAWA DISTRICT AND EFFECT DIFFERENT CUTTING OF BROOD COMBEDGE ON SIZE OF SEALED QUEEN CELLS

Abstract

The study was conducted in Oromia Region, Eastern Hararghe zone,Grawa districtand in Haramaya University 2019/2020. The objectives were to assess beekeeping practices in Grawa district and the effect of different comb cuttingon the number and size of sealed queen cell cups in Haramaya University apiary to generate baseline information for further research and development. From Grawa district, six potential kebeleswere selected kebeles (two from three agro ecologies) and from those kebeles 120 beekeepers were selected randomly.The average colony holding of 120 respondents were 7.65 in highlands, 4.125 in mid-lands and 5.825 in lowlands with the range of 1-120colonies. Out of the respondents 57.5% placed their bee hives at their backyard, 16.67% in their own living house, and 25% undertheirhouse and 1.25 in the forest.Nearly 88.4% of respondents have more than 5 year’sbeekeeping experience with average experience of 16.65 years. Out of 120 respondents 81% suggested wax moth, ants, and birds as the 1st, 2nd and the 3rd most important constraints and the main cause of absconding. Though the main bee flora in three agro ecologies aredifferent Bidens spp, crop flowers’ are common and standing 1stand 2ndin ranking order respectively.The length the sealed queen cells from the brood comb cell edge M shape was=2.62 ± 0.003 cm, inverted Uwas =2.52 ± 0.003 cm, l was =2.42 ± 0.003 cm and controltreatment was =2.35 ± 0.003 cm. The average length was 2.47cm and range from 2.30-2.74 cm.Treatment M and Inverted U were not significantly different (P>0.05) whereas treatment M was significant different from l and control whereas, Inverted U and I were also not significantly different (P>0.05), but Inverted U was significantly different from control at (P<0.05) for the length of sealed queen cells during the study period with CV 3.16%.For base circumference size treatment M was seen significantly different from treatment l and control (P<0.05) whereas, M was not different from Inverted U (P> 0.05), but the rest treatments (Inverted U, l and control were not significantly different (P>0.05) with CV= 2.54%.Lastly what was concluded is that there is anurgent need for training of bee keepers on improved beekeeping practicesand also a needto fighting wax moth, ants and bee-eater birds which are the most enemies of beekeeping. Nowadays in the effort of attempting to avail queen bees for improved productivity increasing the brood comb cutting edge is found to be the best means in farmers’ condition to get many queen bees with better size during queen rearing