ee
NO. 12 MAY 1988
for beekeepers in tropical & subtropical countries BEEKEEPING WITH APIS CERANA
The symbol for the meeting, an Apis ceand the countries where She is found. Yana worker
In February a group of those involved in beekeeping with Apis cerana, the Asian hive bee, met in Malaysia to attend the Advanced Course in Beekeeping with A. cerana in Tropical and Subtropical Asia. The meeting was jointly organised by Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (where the meeting was held), the University of Guelph (Canada) and the Canadian International Development Agency. This was the first such international meeting entirely devoted to discussion of A. cerana and was brought about largely through the efforts of Professor Peter Kevan of Guelph University who for several years has been striving to bring together those working with A. cerana in Asia. Creat efforts had been made to ensure that as many countries as possible with A. cerana were represented at the meeting. This resulted in 30 participants from 15 Asian countries attending, in addition to the Malaysian delegates. Apis mellifera has been successfully introduced to some areas of Asia where there is abundant bee forage and sufficient finance and technical skill are available: in such areas A. mellifera can be managed to produce worthwhile cash crops. However A. mellifera beekeeping is not viable in every part of tropical Asia and the value of beekeeping with the native A. cerana is increasingly appreciated. The benefits of beekeeping with a native species include its ability to survive well in sometimes adverse condipage 2)
HONEY COLLECTING IN THE FORESTS OF MALAYSIA
Pee
The large, single comb nests of the giant honeybee, Apis dorsata, are found high in the trees of Malaysia’s tropical forests. Plundering the honey from these nests is a skilled and dangerous operation. This is the work of the honey collectors. A meeting to document information on this traditional honey collecting was held at Cniversiti Pertanian Malaysia following on from the meeting on Apis cerana. This
was certainly a unique event with honey collectors being brought from remote Villages throughout Malaysia to the University where for three days they were encouraged to describe their craft, and discuss the problems they face. The meeting Was conducted in the Bahasa language and experts including apicultural scientists, Sociologists and ethnographers were kept busy recording as honey collectors described their collecting methods, the traditional songs and the customs and taboos connected with the craft. page 4)
VARROA IN CENTRAL AMERICA? On 6 May 1988 a swarm of bees was discovered and destroyed on a ship in Port Everglades, Florida. The vessel had come direct from Guatemala and Honduras. The swarm was found to consist of European honeybees but was heavily infested with Varroa mites. In a follow-up investigation by Plant USDA Protection and Quarantine the ship’s officers and crew were interviewed and they confirmed that the Swarm of bees was on the vessel when they were in port in Honduras. It is likely that the Varroa infested swarm originated in either Guatemala or Honduras and the appropriate authorities have been informed. Varroa has never up to now been Teported from Central America.
Source: PPQ “en eee
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APHIS
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USDA
A young Malaysian boy shows no fear as
he demonstrates an Apis cerana ‘bee beard’ at the meeting in Malaysia. Although Apis cerana are relatively docile, the making of ‘bee beards’ can be a dangerous activity and should only be attempted by those skilled in the craft.
International Bee Research Association
ISSN 0256-4424
