In Mersin’s Silifke district, where citrus orchards dominate the landscape (Citrus sinensis, Citrus limon, Eucalyptus camaldulensis), our fieldwork focused on sampling monofloral citrus honey and capturing the spatial context of nectar sources. Using the DJI Mavic 3M drone, we conducted aerial mapping flights over citrus groves and beekeeping zones. The multispectral imagery helped identify stress levels in vegetation, flowering stage coverage, and hive proximity to nectar sources. This drone-assisted methodology provides high-value data for developing a spatially explicit model of citrus nectar flow, which is rarely done in current honey origin research. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Veterinarian Süleyman Bey and our valued local beekeepers for their kind cooperation and essential contributions. We are also thankful to all local stakeholders in the region who helped facilitate our field activities.
Our gratitude also goes to our project partners from the University of Malta, Dear Arthur Lamoliere and Prof. Dr. David Mifsud, for their continued collaboration. We are especially thankful to Mr. Gökhan Akdeniz, whose in-depth field expertise played a central role in guiding the study.
