Adaptation of Bee Forage Species in Metekel Zone of Benishagul Gumuz

Availability of adequate perennial and annual source of nectar and pollen is the most limiting factor in the survival, abundance and distribution of honeybees. The study was conducted to evaluate the adaptation potential of three shrub and seven herb bee forage species across different agro-ecologies. The planting materials were Tebeb (bacium grandiflorum),Trelucent (Chamecytisus proliferus),Callistemon citrinus ,Gribia (hypoestus forskaoliil), Sweet clover (miloletus alba), Phacelia tanacetifolia ,Leonurus cardiaca, Buckwheat ,Sinaps alba and Guizotia abyssinica. The species were evaluated based on days to emergence, days to flowering, number of flower head per plant, number of tiller per plant at 50% flowering, foraging intensity per minutes, duration of flower and plant height at flowering stage. Accordingly, all treatments were significantly difference in different parameters. Among seven herb bee forage species six of them (Buckweat Sweet Clover Leonurus cardiaca Gribia Guizotia Abyssinica and Sinaps Alba) are adapted in Pawe (lowland), five of them (Buckweat, Sweet Clover, Gribia, Guizotia abyssinica and Sinaps alba) are adapted in Bullen (midland) and four of them (Phacelia tanacetifolia, Buckweat, Gribia Guizotia abyssinica and Sinaps Alba ) are adapted in Wombera(highland) districts. From this Buckwheat and sinaps alba were stable adaption throughout the study districts, and used for colony build up rather honey production. Becium grandiflorum (Tebeb) were adapted in all environment but the performance is lower in highland agroecology. Tebeb can flower four times if water is supplied. According to different parameters result Tebeb were selected for all study districts, whereas Gribia were selected for Pawe and Bullen and Leonurus cardiaca selected for Pawe district. To enhance the current shortage of bee forage and help for increasing honey production, highly adapted and performed bee forage species across the three study districts could be recommended. Therefore, Tebeb for three agroecology, Gribia for lowland and midland and Leonurus Cardiaca for lowland will promoted in the study area and similar environment. It requires further evaluation particularly on agronomic evaluation (seed rate and fertilizer rate) and nectar yield should be tested under different agro-ecologies of the country