摘要：The impact of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) farming on the survival of honeybees (Apismellifera) was investigated through the documentation of mortality of honeybees, the number of trees cut and planted, and agrochemicals used in tobacco farming in NyamakateCommunal Area, Hurungwe District, northern Zimbabwe. The study was conducted in the wetseason, i.e. between December 2017 and March 2018 using a stratified random samplingdesign to sample tobacco farmers and apiculturists. Honeybee mortalities across five sampledvillages were significantly different (Kruskal–Wallis χ2 test = 74.54, df = 4, p < 0.05). The surveyrecorded 14 different agrochemicals that tobacco farmers used in tobacco farming, althoughthe local regulator banned five of them in the 2018 and 2019 agriculture season. All fivevillages recorded an estimated 5,220 indigenous trees that were cut to cure tobacco whereas483 Eucalyptus trees were planted as part of ongoing reforestation efforts in the districtwithin the study period. It was concluded that tobacco farming negatively impacts honeybees through reduced forage and nesting sites (resulting from deforestation) and increasedmortalities from the use of toxic agro-chemicals. There is a need for legislative alignment toensure effective law enforcement on compliance. Government and partners need to encourage tobacco farmers to plant fast-growing indigenous trees for afforestation and adoptmodern technology such as the use of solar-powered tobacco curing barns.
