Temporal availability of floral resources for the honey bee (Apis mellifera) in a forest ecosystem in the sudanian zone of Côte d’Ivoire: The case of Badenou classified forest
Paper Details
Temporal availability of floral resources for the honey bee (Apis mellifera) in a forest ecosystem in the sudanian zone of Côte d’Ivoire: The case of Badenou classified forest
Abstract
The development of beekeeping in the buffer zones of protected forests can involve local communities in the sustainable management of these ecosystems. However, successful beekeeping requires knowledge of the honey plants present in the apiaries’ environment and their flowering periods. This study aimed to determine the species richness of honey plants in the Badenou classified forest and the temporal availability of their floral resources. Data were collected in the Badenou classified forest using floristic inventories and observations of bee foraging activity conducted monthly during one year. A total of 112 honey plant species were recorded, corresponding to 77.24% of the 145 species that flowered. The species richness of flowering honey plants varied over time. It was lowest with 16 species in December and highest with 46 species in September. The trends in species richness of woody honey plants and herbaceous honey plants show a highly significant negative linear correlation (r = -0.644 and p = 0.024). Floral resources from honey plants were available year-round, with two periods of abundance: one corresponding to the abundant flowering of woody species during the dry season and the other to the abundant flowering of herbaceous species during the wet season. These characteristics of the honey plants in the Badenou classified forest are favourable to the development of modern beekeeping. However, an analysis of physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics of honey produced could be conducted to identify any distinctive properties that could be used to enhance its commercial value.
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Dofoungo Koné*, Comlan Mawussi Koudegnan, Siendou Coulibaly, Fofana Séguéna, Bruno Marcel Iritié, Wandan Eboua Narcisse, 2026. Temporal availability of floral resources for the honey bee (Apis mellifera) in a forest ecosystem in the sudanian zone of Côte d’Ivoire: The case of Badenou classified forest. J. Biodiv. Environ. Sci., 28(6), 56-67.
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