Efficiency of some common treatments on infestation level with wax moths, colony strength and honey yield in Northeast Ethiopia: Participatory and comparative analysis

• Main Authors: Ademe Mihiretu, Agazhe Tsegaye
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2020-01-01
• Series: Cogent Food & Agriculture
• Subjects: beehives; bee-keepers; preferences; partial budget; spearman’s correlation
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2020.1783172

Beekeeping is an integral part of livestock-based livelihood system in tropical and subtropical regions of Ethiopia. Despite its importance, the sub-sector is challenged by humble colony strength and honey yield due to pests including wax moths. To avert these challenges different treatments were suggested by researchers regardless of economic, social and technical efficiency analysis. This participatory study is thus intended to evaluate the efficiency of treatments on infestation level with wax moths, colony strength and honey yield in Northeast Ethiopia. Un-replicated on-farm experiment was conducted on six beekeepers comprising supplementary feeding, tobacco leaf smoking, the combination and control treatments. Economic, biological and preference data were collected periodically. Profitability was estimated in partial budget, while biological and preference data were analysed using ANOVA and weighted ranking matrix, respectively. Results revealed that tobacco smoking had the lowest infected combs (0.7 ± 0.2) followed by the combination, supplementary feeding and control groups in ascending order. Supplementary feeding provided highest mean honey yield (14.7 ± 1.2) (p < 0.05). Add to the honey yield improvement, ensuring active and strong colony with supplementary feeding is playing significant role in regulating wax moth infestation. Moreover, supplementary feeding was efficient with net benefit of ETB2811.2 (USD98.5) and 4396.9% marginal rate of return. It was also beekeepers’ primary choice by the overall preference parameters. Spearman’s correlation indicated that beekeepers’ preference rank was coincided by 80% with actual measured rank. Therefore, supplementary feeding is suggested for further promotion in similar agro-ecologies to regulate infestation level with wax moths, colony strength and honey yield enhancement.