Survey on honeybee pests and predators in Sidama and Gedeo zones of Southern Ethiopia with emphasis on control practices
ABSTRACT A survey study was carried out to identify the pests and predators of honey bee in Sidama and Gedeo zones during the year 2005 to 2006E.c in Dale and Shebedino woreda of Sidama zone and Kochere and Dilla zuria districts of Gedeo zone, and to asses indigenous control measures. Accordingly 20 beekeepers households per woreda were used for the structured questioner interview. Therefore a stratified random sampling method was used to select total 80 respondent households for the study. From the total of 80 sample households interviewed to generate qualitative and quantitative data on beekeeping, about 85.75% were male headed and the rest 14.5% were female headed with the average family size of 6 persons, with maximum and minimum family size of 7 and 2 persons, respectively. The experience of the respondents rests between 5-10 years (33.5%), greater than ten years (19.75%) and less than five years is (49.5%). This result shows that beekeeping can be performed by economically acti