DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2019.v07i02.004

Pages: 51-65

Monitoring bees foraging activity in natural environment allows the identification of honey plants that provide them with the essential substances for honey production. In the Department of Katiola, located in the sub-Sudanese savannah area in Côte d'Ivoire, a floristic inventory and regular observations of the plants and bees were carried out for 12 consecutive months, within a radius of 1 km around an apiary of 16 colonized hives. A total of 126 honey species which was divided into 110 genera and 40 botanic families, have been identified. The Fabaceae family comprising of 23 species, was the richest in honey-yielding plants. Based on the nutrient collected by the bees, this flora is composed of 55 nectariferous species, 25 pollen species, 44 species both nectariferous and polliniferous, 1 resinous species and 1 species producing sweet juice of fruits. Microphanerophytes (47.62 %) are the predominant biological type. A total of 63 highly melliferous species have been identified. The effective use of these results could help improve beekeeping productivity.