GENERAL ASPECT FOR BEEKEEPING IN TURKEY  Erkan Topal¹ Banu Yücel² Mustafa Kösoğlu¹ Üzeyir Karaca¹ ¹Aegean Agricultural Research Institute, Menemen, Izmir-Turkey ² Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ege University, Izmir-Turkey INTRODUCTION Beekeeping is mostly depend on the habitat, due to honeybees way of living and their gathering raw materials for converting apiculture products from the nature. To take into account this feature of apiculture, Turkey, that is “a bridge” connecting Asia to Europe, keeps its pivotal place in beekeeping with its geographical location and its affluent natural flora, among world countries. Maximum benefits of apiculture can be obtained via combining a range of effects like climate, vegetation, genetic diversity, appropriate maintenance and management, using technological advantages, track recording, product variety, organization and marketing strategy. In the light of this information apiculture in our country will be evaluated in a general perspective and prudential recommendations will be proposed. COLONY NUMBERS, HONEY PRODUCTION AND PRODUCTIVITY Beekeeping is the most common agriculture activities. According to FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) data, the number of beehives (73.264.558) in 2005 reached to 77.619.200 in 2010 with 6% increase (FAO,2012). In 2010, honey production per hive was roughly 20 kg in the world. The indicator for the identical factor was 14.5 kg the same year and 14.0 kg in 2012. To examine Table for TÜİK data per regions in 2012; (TÜİK,2012) FLORA and ORIGINAL HONEYS Marchalina hellenica is a scale insect lives on pine tree (Pinus brutia) and sourcing an important nectar secretion. The 92% of world honey production is carried out in Turkey. It is known that in production seasons roughly two million bee colonies are transferred from different precincts of the country. Wide fruit orchards with diverse citrus types generate second-honey- production opportunity for the beekeepers remaining in their regions. Nowadays, mono-floral honey production is dramatically low in Turkey. The producers are not able to adequately benefit from these sources (e.g., lavender, buckwheat herb, chaste, citrus, thyme, chestnut). Variety kinds of honeys can be produced and represented to the markets. PRODUCTION OF BEE PRODUCTS and POLLINATION To ensure export of bee products we should increase the quality. The remedies for bee diseases and pests, should be used appropriate to their using instructions, leave residue applications should be avoided. With the serious measures taken in late years, the leave problems in honey content has been significantly coped with. TACKLING WITH DISEASES Migratory beekeeping system complicates fighting against diseases. Taking preventive measures instead of tackling with diseases is of substantial importance for our country and beekeeping. Fighting should be started against diseases and pests, when they reach to threshold level. Varroa destructoris the most important problem in pests. Several methods are used in fighting against related with chemical, biological and organic, remedies. Regions Number of Colony (number) Honey Production(tons) Production per colony(kg) Marmara Region (TR1-TR2-TR4) 619692 9367 15,1 AegeanRegion (TR3) 1325427 19601 14,8 Mediterranean Region (TR6) 1151947 17500 15,2 Middle Anatolia (TRB-TR5-TR7) 1165033 13722 11,8 South East Anatolia (TRC) 389066 5475 14,1 East Anatolia (TRA) 369003 3899 10,6 Black Sea Region (TR8-TR9) 1277965 19592 15,3 GENETIC DIVERSITY AND BREEDING The bee population existing in Turkey adapted to diverse ecological conditions displays a great variance per their features. As the natural consequence of migratory beekeeping, this genetic diversity in Anatolian bee populations and mutual effects are steadily increasing. In Turkey-the country which is affluent with extended flora- subdivisions of species like Caucasian bee (Apis mellifera caucasica) the northeast of the country, Iranian bee (Apis mellifera meda) and Syrian bee (Apis mellifera syriaca) in the southeast region, Carniola bee (Apis mellifera carnica) in the northwest and Anatolian bee (Apis mellifera anatoliaca) in the remainder regions are spread. CONCLUSION Migratory beekeeping is the biggest impediment to genotype improvement. To increase honey productivity, using young queen bees are tried to be expanded and queen bee production is encouraged. Nevertheless these advances do not offer solution for bee isolation. Whereas, we still fail in meeting the needs to queen bees. Due to daily increase of inputs and inability of selling the products in worthwhile price, the producers prefer to solve the problem via raising the number of beehives to get more product volume. But the crucial point is increasing of colony numbers could not support mean of high yield. In vision of beekeeping in the country, we should mainly focus on both quality and quantity in production of bee products by appropriate management techniques. Turkish beekeepers should ensure themselves by diversity of bee products. Besides that, importance of honeybees in pollination should be impose on fellowship of beekeeping and extra income could be obtained by using bees on it. Controls towards quality improvement should be increased and supported in the manner of guiding the producers. The unions should move to the forefronts, develop marketing strategies and organize the producers. All of these, can be enabled with training community. Beekeepers should display maximum care regarding with diseases and pests, attend trainings on avoiding leave residue applications, assessment of bee products, paying much attention to quality will contribute to achieve the desired level in bee products development and beekeeping industry in Turkey will reach the willed advancement. Bee species of each region have been adapted to the features of that region and know the ways of survival in those locations that are defined as “ecotypes”. Outcomes of a study conducted in Aegean region, suggests importance of working over the bee genotypes, which are able to display the best adaptation to the environmental conditions in the point of economic production.