Abstract
Apiculture is a centennial practice in Burkina Faso. However
the material used, the beekeeping techniques and the absence of information on
the melliferous potentialities entail a low honey production in quantity and in
quality. It is to palliate to it that this study was undertaken on the theme
"Study of the melliferous potentialities of two zones of Burkina Faso: Garango
in the province of Boulgou and Nazinga in the province of Nahouri". It aims to
determine from apiaries of about ten hives installed in every zone, the
richness in melliferous species and their «Importance Value Index»
(IVI); to raise a flowering calendar of melliferous species and of apiaries
visits; to inventory the traditional beekeeping practices.
The richness in melliferous species, their foraging intensity
and the length of their nutriments availability are determined by direct
observations of Apis mellifera adansonii Latreille foraging on a ray
of 2 km around the apiaries. The IVI of foraged species is appreciated by a
quantitative analysis of vegetation. In the same way to the observations of
foraging, five hives per apiary are weighed monthly to follow the weight
variations. Slides reference are constituted by acetolysed pollen grains of the
melliferous species. The traditional beekeeping practices are inventoried by
"ethnoapicoles" investigations. The observations of foraging permitted to
inventory ninety six (96) and ninety seven (97) species that are respectively
foraged in the zone of Garango and Nazinga. Among these species, some present
an interest for beekeeping by their abundances, their IVI, their flowering
period and their foraging intensity. These are: Vitellaria paradoxa,
Sclerocarya birrea, Parkia biglobosa, Lannea
microcarpa, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Balanites aegyptiaca,
Acacia dudgeoni for the zone of Garango and, Vitellaria paradoxa,
Xeroderris stuhlmannii, Pseudocedrela kotschyi,
Terminalia avicennioides, Pterocarpus erinaceus, Afzelia
africana, Lannea acida, Daniellia oliveri,
Isoberlinia doka and Lannea kerstengii for the one of
Nazinga.
Two honey flow periods are determined. A main honey flow in
dry season dominated by the flowering of woody species and a secondary honey
flow in raining season where flowering is dominated by the one of the
herbaceous. The honey flows of Nazinga zone precede of one month the ones of
the zone of Garango. At the end of each honey flow period, takes place more or
long scarcity period.
A collection of pollen grains slides reference from forty five
(45) species have been constituted. The description of the pollen grains shows
that bees visit the plants without taking into account the morphology of the
pollen grains. The attraction of the bees seems to be exercised by the pollen
coat. The material used and the traditional beekeeping are similar in the two
zones and in the other African countries in general. Organs of plants are used
to smoke out hives. The products of the hive are used as well as in human food
and in the treatment of some illnesses.
Key words: Melliferous species, honeybee,
melliferous potentiality, pollen grain, «ethnoapicole», Nazinga,
Garango, Burkina Faso.
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