Economic feasibility of package beekeeping application in turkey: a case study of edirne province

In this study, it was discussed whether the package beekeeping was an economical alternative to traditional beekeeping in Turkey. An experiment involving two different applications was carried out in the province of Edirne, which has a short production season due to the cold climate conditions. The control groups representing the colonies formed by the artificial swarms and the colonies formed by the package bees were compared in terms of economic feasibility in this experiment. The results of this study showed that package beekeeping was more advantageous for beekeeping enterprises when the artificial swarms" application was taken into consideration. The purchase price of package bees for beekeeping enterprises in Edirne Province should be below US$39.52. In other words, package beekeeping for Edirne province is profitable for enterprises at prices below US$ 39.52. The package beekeeping can provide savings for beekeepers whose bees overwinter in cold climates. It was determined that if the bees were not wintered, the beekeeping enterprises could save US$31.63 per hive in this study. According to the results, it is expected that the dissemination of package beekeeping will have a hugely positive impact on beekeeping enterprises for North, Northwest and Eastern Anatolia Regions of Turkey.