The deterioration of honey beekeeping and apiary management in Al-Rashidiya district and the factors affecting it

Abstract

Honeybee farming is a major activity and one of the most important pillars of agricultural production, as it is an important source of food and health for humans and a significant contributor to national income. This research examines the impact of natural, human, and biological factors, as well as the most significant problems facing honeybee farming and the most important preventive and therapeutic measures in the Rashidiya district. The research reached a number of conclusions due to the influence of natural and human factors that have a major role in the deterioration of honey beekeeping and apiary management in Al-Rashidiya district and the factors affecting it. The location of the study area is the first of the natural factors, as the study area is located in the north of Baghdad Governorate on the eastern bank of the Tigris River in the northern part of the alluvial plain of the central region of Iraq, in addition to the slope of the surface, which is suitable for establishing apiaries and the ease of carrying out agricultural operations for crops that are a source of nutrition for honey bees, and providing apiary requirements from storage rooms and sorting operations rooms. As for the climatic elements in Al-Rashidiya district, it is characterized by the abundance of solar radiation, which provided a suitable environment for honey beekeeping, with the exception of the hot summer season and the large amounts of solar radiation reaching the ground, which prompted beekeepers to take preventive measures to protect beehives from direct solar radiation by providing appropriate shade from the shade of trees or making sheds and providing water. As for the maximum and minimum temperatures in the study area, they are suitable for the diversity of agricultural crops and are also suitable for expanding beekeeping activity, while no direct impact of rain on beekeeping was recorded due to its fluctuations. Beekeepers depend on surface water, while soil diversity has led to diversity of plant cover, which in turn has led to the expansion of beekeeping activities. The study also concluded that honeybee breeding does not require a large number of workers.