Bee Studies 2021, Vol 13, Num, 2     (Pages: 051-055)

Classification of the Provinces of the Black Sea Region in Terms of Beekeeping

Nur İlkay ABACI 1 ,Samet Hasan ABACI 2 ,Selim BIYIK 2

1 Ondokuz Mayis University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Economics, Samsun, Turkey
2 Ondokuz Mayis University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Animal Science, Samsun, Turkey
DOI : 10.51458/BSTD.2021.18 Viewed : 1883 - Downloaded : 923 This study aims to group the Black Sea provinces, which hold 27.48% of the honey production in Turkey, by cluster analysis. For this purpose, the number of beekeeping enterprises in the Black sea region, the total number of colonies (traditional and modern), honey production, and beeswax production data gathered from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) between 2016 and 2020 were used. As a result of the analysis, the Black sea region provinces were clustered into three groups based on their colony count and production. The first group consisted of; Amasya – Gümüşhane, Bayburt – Tokat, Düzce, Bolu – Karabük provinces, and Zonguldak – Çorum, Sinop provinces. The second group consisted of; Artvin, Kastamonu – Samsun, Bartın, Giresun – Trabzon, Rize provinces. The only province in the third group was Ordu. Assessing their development levels in regards to beekeeping practices may provide an opportunity for grouping provinces that are similar in terms of their product type, especially for apitherapy, health, cosmetics, and edible products to help them specialize in certain products. Determining these groups might also make it possible to carry out training and extension programs in a more organized way. Thus, it is thought that the contribution to the country's economy will increase by providing sustainable and economic production. Keywords : Honey Bee Apis mellifera L. Beekeeping Black Sea Classification