Caracterização de atividades apícolas em municípios do litoral norte de Alagoas

Abstract

The present work was carried out on the North Coast of Alagoas, and aimed to present a study on beekeeping activity in the municipalities of Maragogi, Japaratinga, Porto Calvo, Porto de Pedras and São Miguel dos Milagres. To this end, a survey was carried out of the processing processes, production system and marketing of beekeeping products in this region. The study was carried out directly with beekeepers in the region, who had Africanized bees in common, a poly hybrid resulting from the crossing of the African bee (Apis mellifera scutellata) with breeds of European bees, introduced to Brazil by immigrants. The main products collected in the region were honey, beeswax, propolis and pollen. The study was carried out over a period of three months, when monitoring of honey processing, interviews with beekeepers, beekeeping practices and production flow were carried out. The methodologies used were interviews and visits to producers and municipal bodies (SEAGRI and Casa do Mel). 23 beekeepers and 5 members of the Agriculture Departments of the respective Municipalities were interviewed. In addition to the interviews, visits were made to honey processing sites. With the study it can be seen that there was an increasing production of honey between the years 2016 and 2022, reaching stability in the year 2022 in the municipalities studied. Based on the study, it was clear that beekeeping is an important agricultural activity that changes the economic, social and environmental reality of many families, but that there is still a lack of public policies to support and encourage producers.