Determining Pesticide Residues in Bee produce and their Potential Risk to Consumers in Tanzania

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine pesticide contamination in bee products in Singida District Municipality of Tanzania, particularly at Kijiji cha Nyuki. The specific focus of the study was to assess the levels of pesticides residues in bee products harvested from the selected bee farms, identifying the common type of pesticides that contaminate honey and honey products on the quality of selected bee products.
 Material and Methods: A mixed methods approach was adopted for this study and collected data both primary and secondary data was collected using physical observation and survey, interviews and questionnaires, the purposive and random sampling techniques was used in this study to select total of 104 participants who was taken as a sample from universal populations. Qualitative and quantitative data were analysed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Computer Programme version 25, where statistics aspect was determined from the results obtained from both questionnaires and laboratory experiment to the four (4) honey sample Bee pollen One Kg, propolis 500gm, and Bee wax One Kg.
 Findings: The study found 252 pesticides residues ingredients in beeswax with a mean of 0.03 mg/kg. Lambda-cyhalothrin ingredient had 4.20 mg/kg of the total pesticide’s ingredient found in beeswax against 251 which represent the rest of the pesticides ingredient that were concentrated in the beeswax. In regards with the effect of lambda-cyhalothrin identified in beeswax, bee pollen and honey, the results indicate current concentrations of pesticides in beeswax, bee pollen and honey does not pose risk to human health neither to environment, this is an indication that honey produced in the Kijiji cha Nyuki is safe for consumers as there is very low concentrations of lambda-cyhalothrin in each studies area.
 Unique Contribution to the Theory, Practice and Policy: It was noted most of the pesticides that found in honey was agricultural pesticides therefore Theory of Planned Behaviour was relevancy in explain the relationship of individual to use pesticides to the agricultural. Therefore, study will contribute to the beekeeping programme guidelines for quality control of bee products to provide thoughtful mitigate to the amount of pesticide contamination in bee and honey products, the study could contribute to policy design and implementation to understanding of how the regulations outlining the use of insecticides is being implemented, and the current economic condition of studied farms.