Abstract:
In the process of crop production to feed the increasing world population, land-use intensification through different kinds of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, nematicides, fertilizers and soil amendments are now being used in higher quantities than in the past. Recently there is an alarming decline in honeybee colony population around the world and the toxic effects of different agrochemicals are currently being scrutinized as a contributing factor. This study was conducted to assess the status of farmers’ agrochemicals utilization, to identify the type and sources of agrochemicals applied and to determine and evaluate toxicity level on local honeybee race, apis mellifera jemenetica, in selected districts of Tigray Region. Questionnaire survey and laboratory analysis were used in the course of the study. During the questionnaire survey, 300 farmers (212 beekeepers and 88 non-beekeepers) were interviewed. In addition focus group discussion (FGD) sessions were held for triangulation of quantitative data. Three modes of honeybees exposure to agrochemicals (feeding, contact and fumigation) and the acute toxicity they impose on adult honeybees were determined under the laboratory condition. From the total 11 identified for being in use in the area, 6 of them were tested for their toxicity in laboratory. Office of agricultural and rural development (63%) and legal traders (23%) are the major sources of those agrochemicals in the study area. Of those agrochemicals used in the study area, 64 % of them were insecticides while 18% of them were herbicides and the other 18% were fungicides. And the study result revealed that the uses of agrochemicals in the study area were dramatically increasing for the last 5 years. Non-beekeepers were found to be more significantly higher agrochemicals users than that of beekeepers (𝑥2 =12.26, df = 1, P=.000). The study also showed that farmers of the study area overuse, misuse, and neither aware of safe handling nor proper disposal of empty containers. The laboratory toxicity test was mainly focused on feeding,
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contact and fumigation tests. All the tested agrochemicals were found to be significantly toxic