Honey Production for Assessing the Impact of Climatic Changes on Vegetation

Abstract

Burkina Faso is experiencing the effects of climate change in all sectors of its agriculture, including honey production. This study assessed the impact of climatic factors on countries' vegetation through honey production. Honey production of nine apiaries consisting of 165 rectangular movable frames beehives was monitored over a seven year period starting from 2002 to 2008. Climatic data such as rainfall, temperature and wind speed were obtained from the nearest meteorological station. Linear regression analysis showed weak positive correlations between honey production and mean temperature (18.3%), rainfall (8.5%) and wind speed (2.6%). There were positive correlations between honey production and rainfall, mean temperature and wind speed. The optimum foraging temperature for local honeybees oscillated between 25°C to 35°C.

Keywords

• Climatic changes
• Melliferous plants
• Honey production
• Apiculture
• Burkina Faso