Bees for development Journal 116 September 2015
Honey bees bring more cash from cashew Photo © Kwame S Aidoo
Kwame S Aidoo1 Mary Adzanyo2 Rita Weidinger2 André M Tandjiekpon2
Keywords: Apis mellifera adansonii, bee products, Benin, crop yield, Ghana, integration, top-bar hive The integration of beekeeping into cashew orchards has great potential to increase cashew nut yields and to also improve farmers’ income through the sale of bee products. Facts and figures for the benefits of this integration are not available in cashew producing countries. To measure the contribution of bee pollination for increasing yield and quality of cashew nuts, The African Cashew Initiative commissioned this study between October 2012 and June 2013. We introduced honey bee colonies into cashew farms in Benin and Ghana to find the effect on cashew production.
Materials and methods The study took place in the cashew growing belts of Benin and Ghana. In Ghana, two experimental farms were set up in each of four cashew growing communities: Badu, Kranka, Tanobuase and Wenchi.
Cashew fruits with the mature nut (which is the seed) In Benin, farms were selected in Bassila, Ouesse, Parakou and Tchaourou – a total of eight farms. Within each community, two farms with trees of a similar age, good cultural practice, and spaced not less than 2 km apart were used. The study began in October 2012, when cashew trees in both countries had just started flowering. Two honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera adansonii) in top-bar
One of the experimental hives overflowing with bees and stores
hives were set close to a marked experimental plot on the first farm. Seventy cashew trees (seven rows, ten in each row) were marked with red paint to form the experimental plot of the orchard. The hives were inspected internally and bathroom scales were used to record their initial weight. The second farm (control) was selected at a distance not less than 2 km away from the first and without managed honey bee colonies. Seventy trees were similarly marked with red paint.
Data collection
Four beekeeper-cashew farmers, in most cases owners of the experimental farms, were informed about the study after they agreed to fully support the research. Notebooks marked up with the relevant tables for data collection were explained to the farmers and they used them for record keeping. The farmers were taught to carry out the following: Accurate scale reading; Weighing hives weekly and recording their weight accurately; Weekly collection, weighing and recording of cashew nut yields from the 70 trees; Weekly sampling, weighing and recording the weight of 200 nuts from the total obtained from the 70 trees. 6
