COVER PHOTO © Kate Lynch
Bees for Development Journal 103
Dear friends Our cover picture shows an oil painting by artist Kate Lynch, depicting British skep maker Diana Robertson. One hundred years ago, most honey bees in the UK were kept in skeps, the British style of basket hive, and the skills to make these baskets were commonplace. Today in the UK, just a very few people like Diana still have the skills to make these skeps. Beekeepers using skeps utilised bees in a way that is fundamentally different from current day British beekeeping: they focused on the local honey bee population, rather than each individual colony. We can say that beekeeping in those days was more extensive compared with current day beekeeping in frame hives - that tends towards intensive beekeeping, highly directed towards gaining maximum honey production from each colony. Beekeeping is still practised in an extensive way in many places around the world, and in such regions (notably sub-Saharan Africa) honey bee populations live naturally and remain markedly healthy. We discuss this further on pages 3 to 5. It is interesting to consider what styles of beekeeping will be the norm one hundred years from now.
Diana Robertson weaving a British skep from wheat straw. From the book The beekeeper & the bee by Kate Lynch reviewed on page 14
ISSUE No 103 June 2012 page
Extensive beekeeping...................... 3 Fungicide residues bankrupt beekeepers..................................... 6 Asian Apicultural Association News .7 Notice Board................................... 7 Projects underway at BfD................ 8 Letters.......................................... 10 News around the World................. 11 Look and Learn Ahead.................. 12 Notice Board................................. 12 Bookshelf...................................... 14
BfD on Wikipedia Bees for Development featured on the front page of Wikipedia in the ‘Did you know’ section on 30 May as part of the launch of Monmouthpedia. Monmouth, the town in Wales where we are based, became linked with Wikipedia to be the world’s first Wikipedia town. This generated over 2,000 views of our Wikipedia page on the day. Wikipedia is a new avenue for BfD to raise awareness of the great benefits provided by sustainable beekeeping. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:GLAM/MonmouthpediA PHOTO © Nguno Chugga
In this issue
BfD Journal Produced quarterly and sent to readers in over 130 countries Editor Nicola Bradbear PhD Co-ordinator Helen Jackson BSc Subscriptions cost £26 per year - see page 15 for ways to pay Readers in developing countries: are eligible for a sponsored subscription. Apply online or use the form on page 16 BfD Trust (UK Registered Charity 1078803) works to assist beekeepers in developing countries.
Bees for Development Post 1 Agincourt Street Monmouth NP25 3DZ, UK Phone +44 (0)1600 714848 info@beesfordevelopment.org www.beesfordevelopment.org
Nguno Chugga works with the Tanganyika Christian Refugee Service - see page 10 Support: Bees for Development Trust acknowledge Panta Rhea Foundation, E H Thorne (Beehives) Ltd, Trade Advance Ltd, the Waterloo Foundation and the many beekeeping groups and individuals who support our work. Please encourage your friends and colleagues to help. See page 15 or our website for how to become a Supporter. Copyright: You are welcome to translate and/or reproduce items appearing in BfDJ as part of our Information Service. Permission is given on the understanding that BfDJ and author(s) are acknowledged, BfD contact details are provided in full, and you send us a copy of the item or the website address where it is used.
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