Preliminary Identification of Poisonous Honeybee Plants in Western Amhara, Ethiopia

The knowledge about poisonous honeybee plants in the Amhara regional state, in general, and in Western Amhara, in particular, is inadequate. The survey was conducted in the western Amhara region: Awi, East Gojam, and South Gondar to identify and determine the distribution of major poisonous honeybee plants. A total of 186 respondents who have knowledge and experience with poisonous honeybee plants were used to collect the primary data through interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. Twenty plants were identified as poisonous plants against honeybees, among which Croton macrostachyus, Vernonia amygdalina, Justicia schenckiana, and Euphorbia abyssinica are the major and widely distributed ones in all study areas. About 65% of these poisonous plants flower during scarcity of nectar and pollen (December to February, and June to August), and thus there might be a high chance of being visited by honeybees and honeybees getting poisoned. Therefore, it is important to feed colonies during the dearth period and plant the non-poisonous major honey plants that flower during the dearth period to minimize the poisoning of honeybees by these poisonous plants.