Geographical principles of Antalya beekeeping

Beekeeping, like in other countries around the world, has seen significant advancements in recent years in Turkey. It has become a sector that ensures the sustainability and productivity of natural balance and agricultural production. In addition to honey, products such as beeswax, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, bee bread, and bee venom are among the valuable products of beekeeping. Particularly, bee venom and propolis are widely used in apitherapy applications globally. Apitourism, which involves the observation of the feeding and care of honey bee colonies in their natural environment, the process of obtaining bee products, and the functioning of the bee colony, is a type of tourism that should be developed in areas where beekeeping is commonly practiced, providing rural and traditional production experiences. This study primarily investigates the geographical factors affecting the adoption of beekeeping in Turkey and Antalya, the types of beekeeping systems, and the use of bee products. Secondly, it evaluates whether beekeeping is a viable diversification option for households engaged in farming in Antalya to strengthen and sustain their livelihoods. Additionally, the current status of beekeeping in Antalya and ways to improve it were determined based on field studies and survey data. The study also identified honey forests in Antalya to contribute to the development of plans and policies. Moreover, a generalized beekeeping calendar for Antalya was created, mapping the main nectar source plants required for beekeepers and determining the necessary beekeeping tasks for each period.The study is designed with a focus on quantitative research methods. Two types of data were used according to the quantitative method to be applied. These are primary and secondary data. Secondary data were used for the analyses to be conducted in the first, second, third, fifth, and sixth steps of the study, while primary data obtained from surveys were used for the fourth step of the study.According to the research results, to ensure sustainability in beekeeping activities, it is necessary to develop a production model that focuses on producing different product profiles instead of single product production. Additionally, it was determined that interregional migratory beekeeping negatively affects stationary beekeeping and regional beekeeping, increases costs, and causes the spread of bee diseases between regions. To establish a sustainable beekeeping system, it is essential to define a regional beekeeping model and colony management strategy suitable for the natural characteristics and bee population of each region.