Beeswax exports and rainfall in the savanna woodlands of east central Africa

Abstract - Time series and regression analyses of rainfall and beeswax exports from the woodland savanna of east central Africa establish that these two variables are most significantly and highly correlated when phase-lagged by one bee year, running from July to June of the following year. Rainfall and honey production are also highly significantly correlated when lagged by one bee year. However, honey and wax production are highly correlated on a same bee year basis. Thus beeswax harvest of any one year depends on the rainfall of the previous bee year. This is consistent with general effects of climate on vegetation and, specifically with the fact that the bee-trees of the miombo flower in the dry season.