Letters

Good practice beekeeping in the UK

It all began when my parents brought us up, (five children), during the 1940s and 50s never to take any man-made medication, not even aspirin! We are all now in our late 60s and 70s and all well and healthy. So when I set up my honey farm in the early 1970s I used the same principle with my bees: never to feed them on any manmade substances, not even sugar-water as winter feed – sugar was to be used in emergencies only. The idea is simply this: if someone said to you, “It’s nearly winter now, so for the next six months you must live only on junk food, “big Macs” or “beans on toast “, how would you feel in the spring? You would certainly be below par and susceptible to diseases or ailments.

The area where I live in North Wales is ideal for running an organic honey farm as there are few commercial crops and almost no sprays or harmful chemicals used by farmers. During 25 years of running my honey farm of 200 colonies, I have lost about one colony every two years. If a colony became weak and would not gather strength even after re-queening, I would kill it, sterilise the boxes and start again. I made a good living and at very low cost. I sold up in 1990 and retired, keeping a few colonies for my own enjoyment. Shortly after that I began to travel to developing countries promoting and teaching beekeeping.

In 1992, and at about the same time Varroa destructor was found in Britain. I panicked and for the first time in my life started treating my bees with man-made medicines. At the same time, during beekeeping work overseas, I found Varroa in colonies in several countries, yet the bees were strong and healthy. Medication for the control of Varroa was not used – usually because medicines were not available and the beekeepers could not afford to buy them if they were. The answer must have been that the bees were managing the problem themselves. What other answer could there be?

So, back in the UK with my own bees I stopped all medication for Varroa control. Initially I almost lost two colonies but they pulled through, and two years later they were all quite healthy. The Varroa problem was under their control: the bees had learnt how to keep the mites under their control without human-made medication which may have been preventing the bees from learning how to cope with the problem themselves. This was 8 to 10 years ago and my bees are all fit and healthy. To help them I space the hives out about 10 feet apart. I also put one drawn shallow frame in the centre of each hive which encourages the bees to build drone comb on the underside of that comb, and when it has capped drone brood in it I cut it out and replace the frame for the bees to do the same. This helps the bees to control the number of breeding Varroa mites. So once more I have (as near as possible in this country) organic honey, or I like to think so anyway.

I remember that when Varroa first arrived in the UK, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food produced a booklet advising beekeepers on how to control it. One of the recommendations was for beekeepers to destroy, kill, and eliminate all wild colonies found! Just how short sighted can people be? I also feel that the worst enemy of the bees (and the beekeepers) are the endless advertisements in beekeeping magazines for medications to control all the problems bees face.

It was page 14 of BfDJ 107, the article Pesticide combinations affect bees’ ability to learn and the research undertaken by Dr Connolly and other researchers that inspired me to write this article.

Alan H Morley, Conwy, Wales, UK

Asian honey bees Apis dorsata change behaviour

I have always understood that there is only a single nectar flow season for Asian honey bees Apis dorsata in Pedu Lake Forest. Since 1983 it has always been that way, until this year when Nizam, Pak Teh’s* grandson, harvested the bee trees in February and March. Amazingly he is going to harvest again at the end of June for the second time on the same bee tree. Something is happening to the world’s climate so that bees are not behaving as usual. The big peak of over 100 colonies is here no more. Strangely, fewer colonies are found during the peak season and there are two nectar flow seasons - one after another. Something is changing the way of productivity: the first nectar flow was in February and the next one will be at the end of June.

Can anyone suggest what is happening? Dato Dr Makhdzir Mardan, Universiti Putra Malaysia

*Pak Teh was the celebrated honey hunter who featured in BfD Journals 35 and 83. Pak Teh died in 2009.

A honey hunter prepares his smoker before climbing the tree to harvest honey from Apis dorsata colonies

PHOTO © MAKHDZIR MARDAN