Forests are the food and home for honeybees; and honeybees reserve the environment, increase agriculture productivity, sustain livelihoods, and provide food security. The objective of this research ...was to study the beekeeping practices of Sheka Forest Biosphere Reserve and quantify the quality attributes of
Schefflera abyssinica
honey. Primary and secondary data collection methods were used to collect data from key informants. Thirty-two honey samples were collected from traditional hives. The botanical origin of honey was determined using harmonized methods of Melissopalynology. Sheka forest accommodates 191,712 honeybees (91.02% from traditional and 8.99% from transitional and frame hives). Except for honey harvesting in the forest by mounting the tall trees, the majority of beekeeping activities executed by females. The dominant honey plants were
Schefflera abyssinica, Croton macrostachyus, Vernonia amygdalina, Manilkara butugi, Syzygium guineense, Coffea arabica, Aningeria altissima, Eucalyptus globulus, Olea capensis, Maesa lanceolata, Allophylus abyssinicus, Ilex mitis, Ekebergia capensis,
and
Albizia schimperiana.
In Sheka Forest Biosphere Reserve, a beekeeper accommodates 2–5 (3.27 ± 0.90) apiaries; and 105 ± 52.78, 8.78 ± 4.41, and 4.38 ± 2.83 colonies in traditional, transitional, and frame hives, respectively. Honey can be harvested three to four times a year (April–May, July–August, and January–February).
Schefflera abyssinica
honey had a moisture (20.24 ± 1.29 g/100 g), water activity (0.60 ± 0.02), pH (3.65 ± 0.24) and free acid (24.50 ± 1.91), ash (0.27 ± 0.04 g/100 g), electrical conductivity (0.31 ± 0.02), hydroxymethylfurfural (1.18 ± 0.11 mg/kg), specific rotation (−214.62 ± 16.83
α
D
20
), diastase activity (4.76 ± 0.54), and invertase number (3.60 ± 1.51). Fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, and total sugars were 38.49 ± 1.21, 29.54 ± 3.85, 2.09 ± 0.10, 0.53 ± 0.31, and 70.64 ± 4.75, respectively. Description of forest potential and characterization of honey help for proper handling of the forest in a standing position, which sustainably exploits the forest.
Research surveys were conducted from August through December 2011 and March through July 2012, in the regions of Lower Silesia, Opole, Silesia, and Wielkopolska, Poland. Respondents were chosen ...randomly and a sample of 540 respondents were surveyed. The first aim of this study was to investigate the quality and aesthetic factors expected of honey and its packaging in order to establish their influence on decisions related to the purchase of honey. The second aim was to determine the importance of the aesthetic factors of honey and its packaging in the process of influencing consumer behavior related to the purchase of honey. As many as 78% of respondents said that the honey from a beekeeper was better than that offered in the stores. A large number of respondents, 88.3%, choose honey produced domestically. However, our study showed that for 43.4% of the respondents, packaging and visual features did not affect the purchase of the product. Only for 23% of respondents, the origin of the honey and quality which was guaranteed with certificates were the most important factors taken into account when deciding on the place or form of a honey purchase. The varieties of honey most often indicated by the respondents were: multifloral honey 46.9%, linden honey 42.5%, rapeseed honey 16.2%, and acacia honey 12.8%. The selection of honey varieties was primarily determined by psychological factors, social factors, and only later by convenience of consumption or financial situation.
Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Medicina Veterinaria 7
Streszcz.Keywords and signatures in Figure and tab. Also in a moan. English
Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Medicina Veterinaria 7
Streszcz., słowa ...kluczowe oraz podpisy pod ryc. i tab. również w jęz. ang.
Tekst gł. częśc. w jęz. pol. i ang.; streszcz. pol. i ang.
In addition to the process of photosynthesis, the bee community is the main source of energy in food production, honey-plants used by game and people in the hunting grounds ecosystem. It is a ...well-known fact that thousands of plant species depend on the presence of bee communities (pollination, fertilization). In this paper we studied the presence of the bee community in the hunting grounds of Croatian Forests, and their influence on the number of game (wild pigs), as well as the quality of honey, honey plants in the hunting grounds used by people and game. We established the total number of game (wild boars). The honey quality parameters were determined using the Harmonised methods of the European Honey (Bogdanov et al., 1997) and the pollen analysis by were conducted according to Harmonised methods of melissopalynology (Von der Ohe et al., 2004). Research results indicate that the presence of the bee community influences the number of wild boars from 3–18%, and the quality of honey is in line with the European and world standards. The SAS/STAT package was used for the statistical analysis (SAS Institute Inc., 2000). The significance of the differences among the groups was determined by Duncan test.
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