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Standards on monitoring & positive feed-back loops between scientists and beekeepers , Arhus, Denmark, 16 June 2010
The survey combining the COLOSS questionnaire and the questionnaire prepared for colony losses in Turkey
Kence A.*1, Aslan O.C.1, Kayım M.1, Tozkar O.1, Kukrer M.1, Yucel B.2, Dogaroglu M.3, Muz M.4,
Giray T.5 & Kence M.1 1 Dept of Biology, Middle East Technical University, 06531 Ankara, Turkey 2Faculty of Agriculture, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey 3Faculty of Agriculture, Trakya University, Tekirdag, Turkey 4 Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty, Mustafa Kemal University, Antakya, Turkey 5 Dept of Biology, Puerto Rico University, San Juan, PR 00936-8377 *aykut@metu.edu.tr Phone: 0537 2211443
Turkey is enjoying very high genetic diversity of honey bees such that about twenty per cent of the honey bee races in the world could be found in this country. We intended to study the genetic basis of vitality of the different races.
We have chosen five regions representing most of this genetic diversity to carry out the survey on honey bee losses where we used a single questionnaire combining the COLOSS questionnaire and the questionnaire prepared to study the colony losses in Turkey. These five regions are also known to have both migratory and local colonies. We surveyed both migratory and local beekeepers to investigate the effects of migratory beekeeping on honey bee loses. The surveys are carried out both by face to face interview or by distributing the questionnaire to the beekeepers and collecting them later. Although the survey is continuing, our preliminary results for the three regions were as follows: 1. In the Mugla province which is one of the most important centres for beekeeping especially for pine honey production, proportion of the colony losses was 0.175±0.035 when a sample of 41 beekeepers interviewed. 2. In the Hatay province where Apis mellifera syriaca exists locally, the proportion of colony losses was 0.196±0.032 in a sample of 32 beekeepers 3. In the Trace region, which includes the Canakkale, Tekirdag, Edirne, Kirklareli and Istanbul provinces colony losses averaged 0.193±0.025 in a sample of 59 beekeepers. Overall average of these three regions is 0.187±0.017. We still have to study 4. The Ankara province and 5. The Eastern Blacksea region which includes the Artvin, Ardahan, Rize and other provinces.
These results involve only face to face interviews and surveys done indirectly are not included at this stage. The results involving indirect surveys will be included at a later stage as they come.