Al-Ghamdi Ahmed, Adgaba Nuru, Getachew Awraris, Tadesse Yilma
Chair of Engineer Abdullah Ahmad Baqshan for Bee Research, Department of Plant Protection, College of Food and Agriculture Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
Saudi J Biol Sci. 2016 Jan;23(1):92-100. doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2014.09.020. Epub 2014 Oct 20.
The present study was carried out to determine an optimum honeybee colony's carrying capacity of selected valleys dominated by Ziziphus spina-christi and Acacia tortilis in the Al-Baha region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted based on the assessment of the number of colonies kept, their productivities and the existing productive bee forage resources in the target valleys with its economic implication. In the existing beekeeping practice, the average number of managed honeybee colonies introduced per square kilometer was 530 and 317 during the flowering period of Z. spina-christi and A. tortilis, respectively. Furthermore, the overall ratios of productive bee forage plants to the number of honeybee colonies introduced were 0.55 and 11.12 to Ziziphus trees and A. tortilis shrubs respectively. In the existing situation the average honey production potential of 5.21 and 0.34 kg was recorded per Ziziphus and A. tortilis plants per flowering season, respectively. The present study, revealed that the number of honeybee colonies introduced in relation to the existing bee forage potential was extremely overcrowding which is beyond the carrying capacity of bee forage resources in selected valleys and it has been observed to affect the productivities and subsequent profitability of beekeeping. The study infers that, by keeping the optimum honeybee colony's carrying capacity of valleys (88 traditional hives/km(2) or 54 Langstroth hives/km(2) in Ziziphus field and 72 traditional hives/km(2) or 44 Langstroth hives/km(2) in A. tortilis field), profitability of beekeeping can be boosted up to 130.39% and 207.98% during Z. spina-christi and A. tortilis, flowering seasons, respectively.
本研究旨在确定沙特阿拉伯王国巴哈地区以枣椰(Ziziphus spina-christi)和阿拉伯胶树(Acacia tortilis)为主的选定山谷中蜜蜂群落的最佳承载能力。该研究基于对目标山谷中饲养的蜂群数量、生产力以及现有的生产性蜜蜂饲料资源及其经济影响的评估。在现有的养蜂实践中,在枣椰花期和阿拉伯胶树花期,每平方公里引入的管理蜜蜂群落平均数量分别为530个和317个。此外,生产性蜜蜂饲料植物与引入的蜜蜂群落数量的总体比例分别为,枣椰树为0.55,阿拉伯胶树灌木为11.12。在现有情况下,每个枣椰和阿拉伯胶树植物每个花期的平均蜂蜜生产潜力分别记录为5.21千克和0.34千克。本研究表明,相对于现有的蜜蜂饲料潜力,引入的蜜蜂群落数量极度拥挤,超出了选定山谷中蜜蜂饲料资源的承载能力,并且已观察到这会影响养蜂的生产力和后续盈利能力。该研究推断,通过保持山谷中蜜蜂群落的最佳承载能力(枣椰地为88个传统蜂箱/平方公里或54个朗氏蜂箱/平方公里,阿拉伯胶树地为72个传统蜂箱/平方公里或44个朗氏蜂箱/平方公里),在枣椰花期和阿拉伯胶树花期,养蜂的盈利能力可分别提高130.39%和207.98%。