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345965

Analysis of Tunisian Beekeepers' Perceptions in Honey Bee Diseases and Pests Management

Article

Last updated: 05 Jan 2025

Subjects

-

Tags

Agricultural Economic Entomology
Rural communities and the environment

Abstract

     Honey bee diseases and pests caused dramatic losses of Tunisian honey bee colonies during the past years. This research aimed to evaluate of beekeepers' perceptions on bee diseases and pests, and current management practices via interview method of 80 beekeepers in the North of Tunisia. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis. Most of the beekeepers reported that Varroosis was the most dangerous pest (97.5%), followed by Foulbrood (19%). Moreover, "moth" butterfly (heteroecious) was the most cited pest (15.2%). Diseases and pest reports were significantly correlated with the educational level of the beekeepers, their training, route to beekeeping (heritage) and number of bee hives. The treatment of diseases was carried out twice a year by most beekeepers (70.7%), once (25.3%) or three times (4%) per year, mainly in winter (62.1%) and autumn (37.9%). The used sanitary products by the respondents were Apivar® (63.9%), Apistan® (35.1%), Apiguard® (35.1%), a mixture of garlic and petrolatum (6.5%), or a mixture of garlic and thyme essential oil (1.3%), accordingly to the disease nature (p<0.05). The treatment type was significantly related to beekeepers' age and education, number of bee hives and the disease nature (p<0.05), whereas significant correlations of numbers and season of treatment applications were found with beekeepers' age, honey laboratory analysis and disease nature (p<0.05). Finally, 98% of beekeepers have implemented preventive prophylactic measures before honey harvesting based on apiary hygiene control, which confirms that the beekeepers are aware of the importance of sanitation. 

DOI

10.21608/ejarc.2024.345965

Keywords

Beekeeping, bee pests, bee diseases, varroosis, foulbrood perceptions, sanitation

Authors

First Name

Souha

Last Name

Jmal

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

National Institute of Agronomy of Tunisia (INAT), University of Carthage, UR17AGR01, 1082 Tunis, Tunisia

Email

jmal.souha.91@gmail.com

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Hanen

Last Name

Ben Ismail

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, LR11ES09, 2092 Tunis, Tunisia

Email

benismailhanen@yahoo.fr

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Manel

Last Name

Hamzaoui

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

National Institute of Agronomy of Tunisia (INAT), University of Carthage, UR17AGR01, 1082 Tunis, Tunisia

Email

-

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Hassene

Last Name

Ben Salem

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Office of Livestock and Pasture (OEP), 1002 Tunis, Tunisia

Email

-

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Hajer

Last Name

Debbabi

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

National Institute of Agronomy of Tunisia (INAT), University of Carthage, UR17AGR01, 1082 Tunis, Tunisia

Email

-

City

-

Orcid

-

Volume

75

Article Issue

1

Related Issue

45929

Issue Date

2024-01-01

Receive Date

2024-02-16

Publish Date

2024-01-01

Page Start

48

Page End

59

Print ISSN

2812-4847

Online ISSN

2812-4855

Link

https://ejarc.journals.ekb.eg/article_345965.html

Detail API

https://ejarc.journals.ekb.eg/service?article_code=345965

Order

345,965

Type

Research articles

Type Code

2,144

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Egyptian Journal of Agricultural Sciences

Publication Link

https://ejarc.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Analysis of Tunisian Beekeepers' Perceptions in Honey Bee Diseases and Pests Management

Details

Type

Article

Created At

28 Dec 2024