Comparison of organic and conventional beekeeping enterprises in terms of various technical parameters, bee diseases and current problems

This study aimed to compare organic and conventional beekeeping enterprises regarding sociodemographic characteristics, breeding practices, bee diseases, honey characteristics, and sectoral challenges. The dataset included questionnaire responses from face-to-face interviews with 18 organic and 23 conventional beekeeping enterprises in the Marmara Region, along with honey samples for physicochemical analysis and bee samples for diagnosing nosemosis disease. The differences in average hive numbers and honey yields between organic and conventional beekeeping enterprises were not significant. In 83.33% of organic and 73.91% of conventional enterprises, the queen age is 2 years or younger. Marketing challenges for bee products were reported as the primary issue by 72.22% of organic and 70% of conventional enterprises. Bee diseases were identified as the second most common problem for 55.55% of organic enterprises, while 45% of conventional enterprises reported inadequate organization. The difference in physicochemical analysis results between honey produced by organic and conventional methods was not significant (P>0.05). Microscopic analysis revealed nosemosis disease in 66.6% of organic and 86.9% of conventional beekeeping enterprises. When assessed by hive numbers, the proportion of nosema-positive hives in conventional enterprises (78.3%) was significantly higher (P<0.001) than in organic enterprises (50%). The number of nosema-positive hives in Yalova province was significantly greater than in Çanakkale and Balıkesir provinces (P<0.001). Additionally, the average number of nosema spores in conventional hives was significantly higher than in organic hives (P<0.001). Increasing the number of cooperatives and strengthening their structures can help to solve marketing problems. Organic and conventional beekeepers face problems in correctly diagnosing and treating bee diseases. As this situation may lead to excessive use of pesticides, chemical residues in bee products and loss of yield, and in order to reduce poor breeding practices, the active role of specialised veterinarians in the field will contribute positively to the sustainability of the sector.