Atividade apícola brasileira e os entraves da produção de mel na Paraíba: uma revisão bibliográfica

Abstract

Beekeeping is one of the oldest activities by human beings. Its main product, honey, is very used in formulations in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Other products that come from beekeeping: beeswax, bee pollen, propolis, royal jelly and apitoxin. In Brazil, native vegetation offers an appropriate local to the development of the activity. Paraíba, despite having a favorable flora, has obstacles that hinder the expansion of honey production. This work refers to the beekeeping activity in Brazil, emphasizing the State of Paraíba and the difficulties in the production of honey from Paraíba. To achieve the proposed aim, the research was based on vast publications on the subject in question and adopted as a fundamental methodology the exploratory bibliographic research with a qualitative approach, whose bibliographical review between 2000 and 2021, made it possible to obtain information for its development. From the interpretation of data collected in a descriptive way, it was possible to understand beekeeping in Brazil, as well as the obstacles that honey production faces in Paraíba. Through this review, it was plausible to highlight that beekeeping in the country still prioritizes honey production and as well as the obstacles that honey production encounters in Paraiba, we can mention the climatic conditions; the location of apiaries; the inappropriate handling of hives; the insufficiency of technical assistance; the location of warehouses; the non-certification of a good part of the honey is sold in the region; the lack of technical knowledge by a portion of beekeepers, as the main factors influencing honey production and expansion of the commercialization.