What's on

BEEKEEPING COURSES

CANADA

Beekeeper Technician Course

4 January to 18 November 1988.

This program has three parts: Theory of Apiculture and Honey Production, Salaried Field Placement, The Business of Beekeeping.

Further information from: The Registrar, Fairview College, Canada.

FRANCE

University diploma in tropical beekeeping. A six month course, in the French language.

Further information from: Directrice de la Station Biologique des Eyzies, Université Paris VI, France.

UK

Diploma in apiculture.

An international diploma course taught within the Bee Research Unit at the Department of Zoology, University College, Cardiff.

This annual course runs from October until July and is intended for those who already have science degrees or appropriate posts in government research or the agricultural industry.

Further information from: Bee Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University College, Cardiff.

LOOKING AHEAD

Australia

2nd Australian and International Bee Congress

July 21-24 1988, Gold Coast, Queensland.

Programme to include sessions on Bee biology, Bee pathology, Bee pollination in practice, Melliferous flora, Bee technology and equipment, and Beekeeping economy.

Further information from: The Convenor, The Second Australian and International Bee Congress, Queensland.

Canada

18th International Congress of Entomology, Vancouver

3-9 July 1988.

Further information from: The 18th Congress Secretariat, Venue West Ltd, Vancouver.

Egypt

4th International Conference on Apiculture in Tropical Climates, Cairo

5-10 November 1988.

For further details see page 16.

Zambia

Regional Bee Seminar

April 1988.

Further information from: Forestry Department Headquarters, Zambia.

ENVIRON - a new database

The Pesticide Impact Section of the

Overseas Development Natural Resources Institute (ODNRI) helps field workers to choose the most appropriate pesticide for local conditions. To help this work the Unit has compiled a bibliographic computer database of books and scientific articles about the environmental side- effects of pesticides in the tropics. The database is known as ENVIRON, and it can provide a rapid information service to farmers and agricultural administrators living in developing countries and working for international development organisations.

Topics covered by ENVIRON include:

• pesticide toxicity to non-targets (such as honeybees)

• pesticide persistence and residues

• ecological impact of pesticides on non-target organisms such as evidence of mortalities, population changes, sublethal effects (eg changes in behaviour).

ENVIRON can handle enquiries about the effect of pesticides on non-target organisms, after specification of the pesticide(s), the target pests(s) or nontarget organism(s), or a combination of these. The output consists of a list of references, each followed by an indication of the content of the paper or an abstract. Depending on the request, the unit will also attempt to adapt the information available to aid the enquirer.

ENVIRON, Pesticide Impact Section, Overseas Development Natural Resources Institute, College, London.