Review: Floral resources diversity and vegetation types important for honeybees in Ethiopia

Abstract

Abstract. Addi A, Bareke T. 2019. Review: Floral resources diversity and vegetation types important for honeybees in Ethiopia. Asian J For 3: 64-68. The high biodiversity of Ethiopia is attributed to its wide range of altitude and great geo-morphological diversity. This has resulted in the existence of a high diversity of floral resources of which majority of them are visited by honeybees. This paper aimed to review existing studies on bee floral resources in Ethiopia to understand the types of bee plants, floral diversity, flowering period and food source offered by the plants. Over 1500 species of indigenous and exotic plants belonging to 105 bee plant families have been identified. The growth form of bee forage comprises 41.6% herb, 28.7% shrubs, 21.7% trees, and 8% climbers. The majority of bee plant species flower from September to November and April to May, resulting in two major honey flow periods in the country. From this information, Ethiopia has rich bee forage diversity across different vegetation types, however, further collection and documentation of bee flora are required in unaddressed areas of the country. Thus in situ conservation by ecological restoration, and raising and planting of seedlings of bee forages should be promoted for sustainable honey production.

Floral Calendar of Honeybee Plants in Kellem and West Wollega Zone, Western Ethiopia

“…Similarly, information from Tesfaye et al [13] found that Guizotia from honey harvested in October-November accounted for 87% of total pollen counts. Our results are similar to Addi and Bareke [14], where G. scarba produced single-fower honey as it grows abundantly in diferent habitats, cultivated land, forest edges, and open grasslands.…”

“…Of the 6 plant families identifed, the highest number of melliferous plant species were found under Myrtaceae (50.0% of total plant species recorded) that contributed a cumulative 53.41% of the total pollen grain weighed, while Asteraceae is the second rich plant family (33.3%) but least cumulative pollen trapped (0.19%). Comparable information was reported by Addi and Bareke [14] in the Gera forest, 60% of the pollen was counted from C. macrostachyus honey harvested at the end of the small rainy season in June. Te dominance of a monoforal species from a honey source in honey samples is determined by its abundance, nectar potential, and fowering schedule of the plant [15].…”

“…Similarly, Tesfaye et al [13] demonstrated that from honey samples harvested in January through February, 46% and 20% of pollen were counted by C. arabica and V. amygdalina of the study area which could Herb be comparable with the current fnding. Furthermore, Addi and Bareke [14] identifed C. arabica monoforal honey (55% pollen count) with a mixture of V. amygdalina (15%), Rumex spp (11%), and V. auriculifera (19%), and C. arabica honey is mostly harvested from February to March. In contrary with the honey harvested in November, honey in February is mostly harvested from shrub plants in Rubiaceae.…”

“…A similar fnding by Tesfaye et al [13] stated that 87% of the total pollen grain was cropped by Guizotia spp from the study area. Furthermore, Addi and Bareke [14] indicated that G. scarba provided monoforal honey due to its growing in abundance in a wide range of habitats: cultivated felds, forest margins, and open grasslands.…”

Comparative analysis of the physicochemical, proximate, and antioxidant characteristics of stingless bee (Meliponula beccarii) honey from modern and wild beehives in Ethiopia

“…Moreover, the pollen shape study revealed that most of the plants displayed a spheroidal pollen shape with circular outline. The polar axis and equatorial diameter of pollen grain size ranges from 17.5-32.0 and 18.0-73.0 (Table 1 and Figure 2 shortly after the end of the main rainy season in most highlands of Ethiopia as reported by Addi and Bareke (2019).…”