Foraging behavior of honey bees (Apis mellifera) on cassava grits

Abstract

A study was conducted to assess honey bees' foraging activity on cassava grits (Apis mellifera L.) to identify times of day and parts of the processing season more favourable for sun-drying grits outdoors. Experiments were conducted in the Mtwara region, Tanzania, namely, Mbawala, Mtendachi, and Narunga villages—experiments involved two uncovered racks containing 10kg of cassava grits each. Population abundances of honey bees were estimated by counting all honey bees' foragers hourly using automated digital imaging cameras. The number of honey bees was recorded for sixteen weeks by manually counting the bee individuals visible in each image. The results indicated that higher honey bee population abundances were recorded at 15:00 and 16:00 hours. The lowest number of honey bee abundance was recorded at 10:00, 11:00, and 12:00 hours in all locations. It indicates that the village of Narunga should optimally select to sun-dry their cassava grits between 11:00 and 13:00 hrs, Mbawala between 10:00 and 12:00 hours, and Mtendachi between 11:00 and 14:00. The honey bees were monitored from May to November, and the lowest population abundances of honey bees were recorded during October in all locations, suggesting it is the most favorable month for outdoor drying.