Determination of factors influencing honeybee colony collapse disorder phenomenon using analytic hierarchy process

The colony collapse disorder phenomenon has been a threat to beekeeping in different regions of the world in recent years. Considering that there is still no consensus on the risk factors of bee colony collapse, this study utilized Analytical Hierarchy process method to identify and rank the important factors. In order to achieve this objective, a questionnaire was created based on the risk factors that result in colony collapse and was filled out by 29 beekeeping experts. The data was analyzed using Expert Choice software. According to the results, management factors were the most important influencing factors in the colony collapse disorder phenomenon, while environmental and pathogenic factors were equally important. Among the options, the queen's weakness with a relative weight of 0.144, malnutrition with 0.138, and the use of acaricides in the hive with a weight of 0.135 were the most important influencing factors in the CCD phenomenon. On the contrary, the contamination of the colonies with myiasis and the small hive beetle with a weight of 0.003 were of the least importance in this phenomenon. Our findings showed that management factors had the most significant effect in the CCD phenomenon, therefore, it is recommended to modify or improve management methods in the apiaries.