JOURNAL OF APICULTURAL RESEARCH, vol.60, no.3, pp.396-404, 2021 (SCI-Expanded)
In honey production, high yields can be achieved with migratory beekeeping. Migratory beekeepers complete the honey production season by moving their colonies to areas with high nectar flow. Traditionally migratory beekeepers decide where to go based on their previous experience. Nowadays, given the rapidly changing climatic conditions, it is seen that the regions to be visited should be decided with more qualified information rather than experience. In this study, a web-based information system was developed which provides qualified information about the regions to be visited by migrant beekeepers. The information system takes into account the nectar flow and climatic conditions in the regions to be visited. These two important factors were evaluated using fuzzy cognitive maps (FCM) and an intelligent decision support system (IDSS) was developed. The cognitive map was analysed statistically in the conceptual modelling stage of FCM and it was found that it explained 82.3% of beekeeping potential according to multiple linear regression. Using IDSS, migratory beekeepers can learn the honey yield (good, average, and bad) they can obtain from the regions they will visit. The information system was also compared with the measurement results made with the wireless sensor network (WSN) and the migratory beekeeper information for 2017. As a result, it was found that IDSS operates with 79.8% accuracy.