Bookshelf

Beekeeping: Some tools for agriculture

Introduced by Eva Crane Intermediate Technology Publications* 1987 22 pages, paperback, ISBN 0-946688-88-5

In 1985 Intermediate Technology published “Tools for agriculture: a buyer’s guide to appropriate equipment”, a valuable source of information about equipment available for farming on a small scale, and where such equipment can be purchased. Chapter 12: “Beekeeping” has now been reproduced as a single volume with the title shown above. A general introduction summarises the problems facing farmers in developing countries. and Eva Crane has provided a short discussion of beekeeping in the tropics and subtropics, describing the various levels of beekeeping management practised, views of when it can be appropriate to purchase beekeeping equipment from a supplier outside the country of the purchaser, and a description of the current world honey industry. This is followed by eleven pages detailing various items of equipment and where they may be obtained (listing suppliers in 32 countries). Because many users of the catalogue are likely to live in areas outside those where movable-frame Apis mellifera beekeeping is practised, the catalogue is arranged in the order:

• items useful for any type of beekeeping (protective clothing, smokers, hive tools)

• items used only in movable-frame beekeeping (hives and fittings)

• items used for handling hive products (honey and beeswax extractors etc).

This publication is available from IBRA, price £4.20 including postage.

Kiongozi Cha Ufugaji Wa Nwyuki

The Beekeeping Handbook by Bernhard Clauss which is already available in English and Setswana has recently been translated into Swahili for use in Tanzania. The new title is: Kiongozi cha ufugaji wa nyuki. The translation was completed by Mr Paul Nnyiti, and printing costs were funded by GTZ, the German Aid Agency. The new edition has been printed with careful attention to layout and reproduction of photographs, and will provide a valuable aid for extension workers. Congratulations to all involved with this worthwhile project.

Further details from GTZ, German Federal Republic.

ITDG

The Intermediate Technology Group (IT DG) was rounded in 1965 by the late Dr E.F. Schumacher. The Group is an independent charity which helps to introduce technologies suitable for rural communities in developing coun ries.

Intermediate Technology Publications is the publishing arm of ITDG and is based at London.

Intermediate Technology has published two other useful books on beekeeping (these were described more fully in Newsletter-6):

The Golden Insect by Stephen Adjare. 104 pages, 1984. A basic introduction to beekeeping for beginners in Africa, with descriptions of how to build and use a top-bar hive.

Available from IBRA, price £6.70 including postage.

Lost Wax Casting by Wilburt Feinburg. 74 pages, 1983. Lost wax casting is method for making a a precise replica of an object by casting it in metal. This manual is written for craft-workers, based on the author’s experience of working in countries where the ideal materials are not always readily available.

Available from IBRA, price £7.15 including postage.