Irena Magerl
MEDONOSNE REGIJE I PČELARSKA ISPAŠA U BOSNI I HERCEGOVINI
DOI: 10.35666/28310438.2016.4.394
UDC: 913[338.43:638.1](497.6)
Abstract: Currently in the countries of EU there is a 51.5% shortage of honey and it is being imported from other areas. Considering the healthy and unpolluted environment, Bosnia and Herzegovina could become an attractive area for ecological manufacture of honey. The blooming period of honey plants in Bosnia and Herzegovina stretches from February to October. That fact enables the division of Bosnia and Herzegovina into eight quality bee pastures which are regionally categorized in four main physiognomic regions: periPannonian Bosnia, mountainous Bosnia, High karst and Herzegovina. Climate and vegetation diversity, their early or late bloom period enables mobile beekeeping and an improvement in quality and quantity of apiculture products. Bee pasturage contains all types of floral honey plants: meadow plants, fruit species, bush like plants, medicinal plants, crop plants, forest species and other. For practical beekeeping it is necessary to know the contents of bee pastures in a radius of at least three kilometers from the location of the beehives. A phenological calendar or a nature calendar of some area, a honey producing area, is made based on a number of indicators and depending on the types of honey plants. In the paper is listed an inventory of honey plants (with basic characteristics of plant species), a map of honey producing regions according to the bloom period of different plants. Based on that, an assessment of possible honey production in each region has been made. Relatively low use of pesticides in our country enables organic certification of out honey, at least in some regions. In the honey market there is an occurrence of new segments and services with varying potential, including bee venom, the newest hit in apiary production.
Key words: beekeeping, Bosnia and Herzegovina, honey producing regions, phenological calendar