News around the World

DR CONGO

From 2008-2010 I was involved in providing technical assistance to beekeepers in Mbanza Ngungu Region as part of a Belgian development programme. This allowed me to see the ecological disaster caused by deforestation throughout Bas-Congo Province. This represents a significant obstacle to the development of beekeeping: 30–50 years ago there were many forests around our villages providing people with many resources. Most of these forests were created through the traditional culture of Nkunku (reafforestation involving scattering of a variety of tree and creeper seeds in a certain area and protecting them from livestock, fire and felling for 10–15 years. The process is managed by the clan chief and is remembered by the older villagers). The tradition has given rise to the Nkunku Bwiki Project.

The aim is to produce money from beekeeping and thus interest land owners in creating and maintaining the forests. Forest owners enrolled in the project receive honey and cash to the value of 25% of the honey produced by the project, and are discouraged from selling trees for charcoal.

The project began in February 2011. Beekeeping had not been practised in the areas of Ngeba, Nselo and Wungu. I am the co-ordinator of Songa Nzila IFD, based in Kilueka, which has introduced beekeeping. Two qualified beekeepers and three apprentices work with forest owners or their representatives.

In 2011, six villages were enrolled in the project with a total of 120 hives. 2012 saw 84 colonies in 120 hives. In 2013 there were 11 villages in 12 forests with 183 hives. By 2014 153 more hives are being made and installed in 20 forests, in 18 villages bringing the total number of hives to 336.

In September, 15-18 beekeepers were trained at Kilueka, the participants chosen by the owners of the Nkunkus. Each will receive two hives to install in their own Nkunku woodlands, or they will start planting their own.

Honey is collected then extracted from the comb at Kilueka. The honey harvest in 2012 was 580 litres and 740 litres in 2013: 2014 is still being collected. The main harvest takes place between July and September with a second, smaller harvest between December and March. We extract beeswax but cannot sell it. We could recover beeswax from beekeepers in Kasangulu, Nzungu and Mbanza if a market was available.

Augustin Konda ku Mbuta

Beekeepers from the Nkunku Bwiki Project

PHOTO © AUGUSTIN KONDA KU MBUTA

Extracting honey at Kilueka

ETHIOPIA

Gizao Likasa is a school teacher who was posted to Supe, Illubabor Zone, four years ago. He did some local research to see what business opportunities were available in the area and honey production came out on top. He started to make his own hives from local materials which he collected from the forest. Gizao studied the local hive style and modified it by making it bigger and building a removable door at the back so that he can harvest honey without damaging the brood. This ensures that the colony is not disturbed when honey is harvested. He places his hives in the forest to catch colonies and then moves them to his apiary. He still has the same hives he made four years ago (and has since added more). Many remain occupied by the very first swarms he caught. Annual yield from his apiary has increased gradually from 30 kg in 2010 to 500 kg in 2013. He plans to harvest 1,000 kg at the next harvest season.

Janet Lowore

Gizao Likasa

PHOTO © BfD

A removable door at the back of the hive means honey can be harvested without damaging the brood

BULGARIA

Over 1,000 colonies have been affected by the mass death of bees in Zafirovo, a village in Bulgaria’s north-eastern region of Dobrudzha. Hristo Tsonev, who has kept bees in Zafirovo for 20 years, described the phenomenon as “unprecedented”. He said that many bees were also displaying strange behaviour: unable to make their way back to their hives and going around in circles disorientated. Some beekeepers suggest the recent events are related to the use of illicit substances sprayed on crops, but scientists are yet to discover the reasons.

Source: www.novinite.com

MEXICO

The Equator Initiative has announced winners of the Equator Prize 2014. Following a global call for nominations, the Equator Initiative received 1,234 nominations from 121 countries. An extensive review process concluded in 35 winners. While diverse in their innovations and areas of work, each winner demonstrates community-based, grassroots action to address environment, poverty and climate change challenges.

One winner is Koolel-Kab/Muuchkambal founded by Mayan women, an organic farming and agroforestry initiative that works on forest conservation (an established 5,000-hectare community forest), promoting indigenous land rights, environmental education, and communitylevel disaster risk reduction strategies. The association advocates for public policies that stop deforestation and offers alternatives to input-intensive commercial agriculture. An organic beekeeping model has been shared across 20 communities, providing an economic alternative to illegal logging. Drawing on Mayan identity, the initiative is best practice in multistakeholder dialogue, forest protection, and free, prior and informed consent. The initiative recently won a legal battle with the State government which ensures Mayan communities have to be consulted before large-scale agricultural projects can be approved.

Source www.equatorinitiative.org

Check on Notice Board in future editions of BfDJ where we will announce the next round.

INDIA

Clay hives are good for Apis cerana offering the dark, temperature controlled conditions that the bees prefer

For centuries, the people of Garhwal and Kumaon have been harvesting honey from honey bee colonies living in the walls of their stone houses. All traditional houses had cavities built into their walls specially designed to accommodate colonies of the Asian honey bee Apis cerana. In these cosy cavities – well protected from the weather – the bees built their comb. Three times a year, honey was harvested and was the only sweetener known to the people of Uttarakhand.

Today, things have changed. With people abandoning their traditional homes and moving to modern brick-and-mortar constructions, the traditional wall hive technique is slowly disappearing. The walls of a cement house are far too narrow to accommodate a bee colony. Also, with the loss of this ancient technique, Apis cerana is losing its home and is under threat. Production of honey in the region is on the decrease and incidentally, the local demand for honey is also falling as inhabitants of modern cement homes have started to prefer white refined crystal sugar to natural, nutritious honey!

The NGO Appropriate Technology India (ATIndia) has been active in Garhwal (Guptkashi) to revive beekeeping as an occupation to improve livelihoods for rural people, especially women.

AtIndia also introduced the frame hive to keep Apis cerana. It is quite a challenge as Apis cerana prefers wall cavities as these provide the darkness and temperature required. Wooden boxes exposed to cold, heat and rain do not provide good conditions for bees. ATIndia is therefore experimenting with a clay beekeeping box that has a thatched roof.

Muriel Kakani, Ancient Roots, Delhi

It is not possible for modern, brick built houses to contain purpose-built cavities for bees to live inside. Bees for Development would like to encourage this practice!

NEPAL

Honey prices have doubled in a year due to increased consumption and less output reported the Central Honey Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (CHEAN). Wholesale prices jumped to NPR300 (US$3.00; €2.30)/kg from NPR150 (US$1.50; €1.20)/kg a year ago. Retailers have been selling honey at NPR500-900 (US$5.10- 9.20; €3.80-6.90)/kg depending on the type: these include chiuri, jamun, millet, mustard and rudilo. Raju Khatiwada, proprietor of Namaste Honey, said that domestic consumption had soared: “Until recently we had surplus honey which we used to feed back to our bees because of lack of market. But now we are having a hard time fulfilling demand due to increasing orders from pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers of beauty products, five-star hotels and department stores. I can sell 20 tonnes of honey annually”.

Honey is among the 19 major exportable items identified by the Nepal Trade Integration Strategy 2010. In the first 10 months of the current fiscal year, 1,100 kg of honey was exported, compared with almost no exports in 2012-13. Exports to the EU and USA are barred. However, Nepali honey has been gaining popularity in China, Japan, and South Korea, among other countries. “The chemical residues used by farmers on their crops – banana, millet and mustard - is a challenge for us,” said Dharma Raj Shrestha, President of CHEAN.

According to CHEAN, 40,000 people are directly or indirectly involved in honey production with 200 people engaged in packaging and marketing. The country produced around 2,050 tonnes of honey this fiscal year, up by 26% compared to last year, according to the Ministry of Agricultural Development. “Honey production had been decreasing for three years but there was an improvement last year,” said Shrestha.

Nepali honey accounts for 45% of the total consumption in the country. Gandaki Honey, Gorkha Honey, Himalayan Honey, Namaste Honey, Nepal Honey, Himali Honey and Shakti are some of the top brands of honey in Nepal. Nepali honey has been competing with Indian brands like Dabur and Patanjali Honey.

Source: www.Kantipur.com

ROLE OF PESTICIDES IN BEE DECLINE

A restatement of the scientific evidence on neonicotinoids has been published by a group of nine scientists led by Professors Godfray and McLean (Oxford Martin School, Oxford University, UK). This follows the EU ban on certain neonicotinoids introduced in December 2013 and clarifies the scientific evidence available to enable different stakeholders to develop coherent policy and practice recommendations.

Co-author, Professor Lin Field (Rothamsted Research, UK) said: “It is essential that we base decisions on science (evidence, not opinion) to ensure both pollinator success and good crop protection strategies for food production.” Professor Godfray said: “Pollinators are clearly exposed to neonicotinoids, but seldom to lethal doses. We need a better understanding of the consequences of realistic sub-lethal doses to the insect individual, bee colony and pollinator population.” Professor McLean added: “A major question to be addressed is what farmers will do: switch to crops that need less insecticide treatment or apply older, but more dangerous chemicals?”

The restatement describes how much insecticide is present in a treated plant and how much is consumed by pollinators. It summarise how neonicotinoids affect individual bees and other pollinators, and the consequences at colony and population levels.

See www.rspb.royalsocietypublishing. orgllookup/doi/10.1098/rspb.2014.0558

Rothamsted Press Office