APIS MELLIFERA KEEPING IN MILA DISTRICT FROM ALGERIA; COLONY MANAGEMENT AND VARROA DESTRUCTOR CONTROL PRACTICES

This study is conducted to determine the level of beekeeping management and know the state and control of the Varroa destructor infestation. A questionnaire is applied to 41 beekeepers during April and May 2018 in Mila district from Northern Algeria. It was found that 53.65% of beekeepers surveyed are between 20 and 40 years old, 46.34% have a secondary school level, and 19.51% have a university level. This is considered a constraint to the development of this activity. Most of the beekeepers have 30 to 100 beehives (41.46%) and often exercise transhumance (80.48%). The renewal of the hive is periodic according to the professional experience and the technicality, the majority of whom are artificial swarming (82.92%). Statistical analysis revealed a large difference in the behavior of apiaries (p <0.05). Losses of colonies are reported by 62% of beekeepers. The mortality in front of the hives is declared by 73.17% beekeepers. For monitoring and screening of varroa infestation, 39.02% of beekeepers never followed up. This screening is often carried out at the end of the season (36.58% after treatment). More than half of beekeepers practicing screening (60.97%) monitor natural mortalities. Thus, 43.90% of these beekeepers examined less than 20% of the colonies. This study visualize a critical situation of beekeeping in this region, which needs an adequate strategy to develop it.

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