Identification and characterization of honeybee flora in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia

Due to the existence of diverse floral resources and favorable ecological conditions, Ethiopia is still one of the top ten  natural honey producers worldwide. The study was conducted to identify and characterize the phenology and pollen  potential of major bee forages in the various Agro-ecological conditions of Jimma zone. A total of 90 beekeepers were  purposefully selected from three districts and interviewed using semi-structured questionnaire. The density and  abundance of flowering plants were determined using sixty main quadrant sampling techniques. In addition, sixty-six  pollen specimens were collected for one year using pollen traps at seven-day intervals and were also traced back to  plant species level under a light microscope. The diversity of the bee flora was determined using the Shannon-Wiener  diversity index. Based on survey, pollen load collection, and plant inventory data, the study has revealed the presence of  141 pollen and/or nectar-source honeybee plant species belonging to 62 families in the study area. Herbs were the most  dominant bee flora growth forms, accounting for 62 (44%) of a total of 141 honeybee plant species, followed by  trees at 48 (34%) and shrubs at 31 (22%), respectively. Herbaceous plant had a greater density value of plant species per  plot than did trees and shrubs. The families with the highest number of species were Fabaceae 18 (12.8%), Asteraceae  11(7.8%), Poaceae 9(6.4%), Solanaceae 6 (4.3%), Acanthaceae 4 (2.8%), and Euphorbiaceae 4 (2.8%) in the study area.  One hundred fifteen (81.6%) bee forage species were both sources of pollen and nectar, whereas fifteen (10.6%) were  pollen sources and the remaining eleven (7.8%) were nectar source plant species. The Shannon diversity index and  evenness were found to be 2.8 and 0.6, respectively. This indicated that the study area has a rich bee floral plant species  and is suitable for beekeeping. The midland Agro-ecology relatively has the highest species diversity, richness and  evenness compared to the highland and lowland Agro-ecologies. Two main flowering periods of honeybee plants were  followed by two honey flow season. Therefore, beekeepers should follow floral calendar of honeybee plants to exploit  the potential of the area for honey production.