Bees for Development Journal Edition 13 - November 1988

for beekeepers in tropical & subtropical countries The fourth Conference in this series was Convened by IBRA and hosted by the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt in the International Centre for Agriculture at Dokki in central Cairo.

Delegates from 58 countries travelled to Egypt to participate in the Conference, and for five days were able to exchange News and views on all aspects of beekeeping in the tropics.

Egypt proved an interesting venue for the Conference; ancient temples Provide evidence of beekeeping in hives as early as 2460BC and many del@gates took the opportunity to visit Luxor where scenes in tombs of nobles

FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON APICGLTGRE IN TROPICAL CLIMATFS

depict beekeeping practised in 1500 BC. In his keynote address Dr

Mazeed (Director of the Government Beekeeping Research Section) gave details of beekeeping practised by the PhaTaohs — who already appreciated the advantages of migratory beekeeping.

Each spring in Southern Egypt boats were loaded with hives and sailed down the Nile, travelling North and keeping Pace with flowering times. An early form of a Plimsoll line marked on the side of the boats revealed when hives were full and it was time to turn home.

Conference delegates from all around the world In the more recent past, in 1923, Dr Ahmed Abushady founded an Egyptian beekeeping group, The Bee Kingdom League. This was the same Abushady who in 1919 in Oxfordshire in the UK published the first issue of a new jour-

IBRA DIRECTOR Following the untimely death of Vincent Cook, the Council of IBRA have appointed David A Francis as Director.

David Francis started beekeeping as a schoolboy in Brecon, Wales and has maintained his interest in apiculture throughout residence and extensive travels in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, Scandinavia, USSR, Middle/Far East, the Caribbean, Australasia and the South Pacific.

After taking a BSc degree in Botany and Forestry at Bangor University, North Wales, he undertook post-graduate studies in aerial surveys for forest and land use at the Commonwealth Forestry Institute, Oxford and the Directorate of Overseas Surveys. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Foresters and Member of the Society of Tropical Foresters.

Following Government Service in Newfoundland, England and Ghana, Mr Francis has recently retired from his position as Managing Director of Hunting Surveys Ltd after spending the past 33 years engaged in natural resources surveys of all types, mainly in the humid and arid tropics. This included 11 years on secondment, both in the field and at headquarters, to FAO and UNDP. Latterly he has undertaken consultant assignments for UNDP and UNEP. As Director of IBRA Mr Francis intends to promote and continue IBRA’s beekeeping education and extension activities in developing countries, foster apicultural research and the international exchange of information on beekeeping.

nal, The Bee World and formed the Apis Club, which has gradually evolved and developed into the present IBRA. This connection between IBRA and Egypt was discussed by Dr Eva Crane in her keynote address, but the major part of her talk focused on our knowledge of tropical honeybees and their management. Dr Crane emphasised how many facts’ regarding bees and beekeeping actually refer only to Apis mellifera managed in temperate zones. Even some books written for beekeepers in the tropics quote facts about temperatezone bees as if they were applicable to tropical honeybees, when this is not true.

In convening the Conference IBRA takes responsibility for organising the scientific programme, which ranges from the biology of tropical bees to consideration of beekeeping projects for rural development.

We received a larger number of papers for this Conference than ever before: this resulted in two and sometimes three sessions running concurrently. Below is given a brief description

International Bee Research Association

>

ISSN 0256-4424

> of the sessions and some of the subsequent debates that took place.

Bee management problems

techniques

and

Details of commercial harvesting of bee products can be difficult to obtain so delegates were interested to hear about successful commercial pollen pro-

duction

and

processing.

Other

interesting papers described the use of the Bekyem plant in Ghana to subdue bees, and a workable method of queen tearing in Tanzania.

Bee products for the benefit of human health

A walk around Egyptian markets soon teveals the importance of natural medicines in this area of the world, and this is reflected in the work of apicultural

scientists in Egypt who have devoted much attention to the use of bee products for human health. In this session scientific assays for antibiotic and healing effects of propolis and honey were described.

Crop pollination and honeybee forage Pollination experiments and surveys of honeybee flora were reported from tropical Africa, Asia and America. One encouraging outcome from this session was that particularly in Asia, there is growing recognition of the vaiue of pollination. For example in some areas of India beekeeping is being encouraged primarily to increase crop yields, rather than as a source of honey production.

The importation of honeybees, benefits and problems This was a new session introduced to reflect the adverse impact on world beekeeping of imported honeybees with undesirable characteristics and bearing disease. The recent identification of Apis florea in Sudan was discussed and a resolution formulated to further assess the impact of this introduction. However not all honeybee introductions have deleterious effects and the Conference heard of the success achieved through carefully supervised and controlled introduction of non- native honeybees to Israel.

Beekeeping in integrated rural development programmes

Beekeeping projects in Africa, Asia, America and the Pacific were described.

The range included projects such as that in Papua New Guinea which is well established, already meeting the home honey market requirement and exporting surplus honey, and at the other end of the scale a project in Swaziland which has only just started in the last few years.

Beekeeping is increasingly understood and appreciated as part of agroforestry systems and much debate centred on the use of bark hives: for a number of years their use has been generally discouraged because the removal of bark always results in the death of the tree.

However delegates from Zambia demonstrated that the manufacture and use of bark hives is a worthwhile and sustainable use of forest resources: each hive lasts for many years and sources of income from tropical forests for local, tural people should be encouraged.

Modern conservationists understand that forests cannot be maintained per se without involving jocal people, and beekeeping is one further way of enhancing the value of remaining forests.

Pest control safe for honeybees Much useful research in this area is

underway, but beekeepers attending the session were left with the feeling that we are preaching to the converted: it is those who are not interested in beekeeping who must be persuaded about the potential harm of pesticides. As at previous Conferences a_ resolution called for governments to form bodies made up of pesticide users and beekeepers, and it was recommended that FAO, who are currently preparing a code of conduct for pesticide usage, be urged to stress the dangers of pesticides to honeybees.

Honey and beeswax: quality standards and marketing Processing and marketing of honey and wax are important aspects of interest to all involved with beekeeping projects, and success in this area may to a large extent determine the success of the project. For example, delegates heard from a beekeeping project in Guinea-Bissau where a simple candle-making technique has been developed using bamboo stems as moulds for the candles.

The success of the candle production has strongly motivated local people to participate in the beekeeping project.

Other papers gave details of honey processing and marketing, and also descriptions of on- going honey analysis in Egypt, Ethiopia, Malaysia and Venezuela.

Education and training and encouraging women as beekeepers A very lively and encouraging session with details of new training efforts around the developing world. It was good to hear of interventions to specifically involve women in training and a number of women's beekeeping projects have already proved successful.

However a cautionary note was sounded: with various aid agencies currently interested in funding projects specifically for women there may be a tendency to obtain funds for women’s beekeeping projects without fully considering the real potential for such a project in a given location. Beekeeping should not be considered in isolation from the rest of the community and its customs and skills. Beekeeping is most likely to be found useful by rural people if it fits in well with their other activities.

Appropriate beekeeping equipment was evident by the end of this session that project workers are giving greater thought and attention to the question of which beekeeping equipment really is appropriate to particular situations.

Much of the problem with inappropriate equipment stems from the issue raised

by Eva Crane at the start of the Conference: that most knowledge of beekeeping relates to temperate-zone races of Apis mellifera managed in temperate climates, and this same technology has been widely introduced to the tropics where it is not necessarily inappropriate.

At the previous Conference in Nairobi (1984) debate centred on low-technology top-bar hives, their design and improvement. Hive design is of course a most important aspect of beekeeping development and is continuously advancing, but at this Conference there seemed to be greater appreciation of traditional beekeeping and the skills involved: these have not always been appreciated by those who would seek to ‘improve’ beekeeping.

It

Mite parasites, pests and diseases of honeybees The recent and rapid spread of Varroa jacobsoni must alert the beekeeping

Universidad Nacional de

Colombia. Medellin

world to the irrevocable problems which man can cause by importation of diseased honeybees. Considerable debate focused on the consequence of Varroa jacobsoni or Tropilaclaps clareae spreading into Africa south of the Sahara: the presence of Apis florea in Sudan makes this possibility all the more likely.

Another topic for debate was the possibility of Tropilaelaps clareae being spread further westwards towards the Middle East and the Mediterranean. As a step towards preventing such disasters the Conference formulated a resolution encouraging governments to tighten control of honeybee export and import.

Although such resolutions are much easier to formulate than to enforce, we must continue to emphasise the great dangers of honeybee importation.

African honeybees

This session served to further underline the variation and adaptability of the large variety of races of Apis mellifera which we loosely term ‘African honeybees’. Our knowledge of the biology of these bees is still short but it was encouraging to hear of new research coming from various areas of Africa.

Asian honeybees Knowledge of the biology and behaviour of Apis dorsata has moved on considerably in the last few years, and as elsewhere, there is greater understanding of the importance of traditional honey-collecting practises: in Asia too this custom provides local people with income from remaining tropical forests.

In both this and the previous session it was regularly mentioned that a problem with tropical honeybees is their tendency to swarm and abscond: however reports of success in controlling this

feature are rare. It was therefore good to hear from a beekeeper working in India of the methods that he has found suc-

cessful in preventing absconding. (This paper will be featured in a future edition of Newsletter)

Africanized honeybees Perhaps the most alarming session at the Conference! Africanized honeybees are a serious problem in many regions of America and this is the one tropical honeybee for which research funding is available: new information on the biology of Africanized honeybees was presented and the steps taken by the United States and Mexico to control the further spread of the honeybee were discussed. The message from this session was that Africanized honeybees, because they have evolved to survive in the tropics, put effort into absconding and swarming rather than into building up honey stores to survive winter dearth periods (as do temperate-zone honeybees). For this reason Africanized honeybees often do not produce as

much honey as previous European honeybees in the same area.

QOOOO000O it was generally agreed that the Conference was a great success although, as at all such meetings, there were a few

difficulties, one of which was locating the Conference Secretariat! We began the week working alongside papyrus sellers in the entrance of the Conference Hall, we gradually moved around the building as the week progressed, arriving in our own office by the end of the week.

On two evenings during the Conference we enjoyed informal sessions

when delegates described beekeeping in their home countries, and displayed videos and other extension materials: these often demonstrated not only the beekeeping skills but also the ingenuity of those involved with beekeeping development! The linguistic abilities of apiculturalists must also be admired; there was always someone willing to translate when two delegates of different native tongues wished to converse.

A special feature of this Conference was the distribution to delegates of a number of beekeeping publications: Arabic speakers received the new Arabic language beekeeping dictionary funded by the Near East Foundation (for further details see Bookshelf), FAO generously donated copies of their beekeeping publications, and a number of the ODAfunded information charts were also

available.

Other useful outcomes from the Conference: the Arab-speaking delegates organised the inaugural meeting of what will be known as The Arab Beekeepers’ Union, delegates from Caribbean and Central American countries resolved to form a Regional Union, and various regional meetings and workshops were also planned.

And the venue for the next Conference? A full Council of IBRA will decide the venue after further consultation with prospective hosts.

The Conference Proceedings will be available shortly from IBRA.

Many of the delegates would not have been able to participate without the support of aid agencies including the British Council, Deutsche Gesellschaft fir Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), International Development Research Centre (IDRC), International Foundation for Science (IFS), Near East Foundation (NEF), New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ODA, Swiss Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid (SBC), Technology Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation (CTA) and Traidcraft Exchange UK. We gratefully acknowledge the support of these organisations, and of Australian International Development Assistance Bureau (ADAG) and IDRC in Cairo who contributed towards the costs of staging the

Egyptian beekeepers examine a colony

BEEKEEPING Egyptians have been beekeeping for at least 4500 years! Today traditional pipe hives are still used as well as modern Langstroth frame hives.

Traditional Egyptian beekeeping Pipe hives are cylinders about 1 m long and 0.2m in diameter and are made variously from mud and straw, clay or Concrete. These cylinders form receptacles in which colonies of bees build their Nests: timber is a scarce commodity in Egypt so there are no log hives as found elsewhere in Africa. Each end of the Pipe is sealed with a cylinder of mud and straw, with a hole in one end for an entrance. The pipes are placed horiZontally in stacks: each stack may be 10 m long and contain several hundred Pipes, although not every pipe will be Occupied by bees. In Egypt irrigated land (where there are crops requiring Pollination and supplying forage for bees) is scarce. The traditional method of beekeeping allows a large number of honeybee colonies to be maintained within a relatively small area and is certainly more space- effective than modem frame-hive beekeeping.

Traditional Egyptian beekeeping is a skilled process, often involving careful Management of the honeybee colonies: Special toois are used for this and for harvesting honey. Brood comb is normally near the entrance at the front of the hive; to harvest honey beekeepers remove the rear end of the hive and remove only combs containing honey.

IN

Conference.

EGYPT

This traditional beekeeping method requires fittle or no financial outlay by tural people, provides worthwhile crops of honey and ensures pollination of — it should not be disnearby crops couraged.

Modern beekeeping Apiaries of Langstroth hives, in total around 500000 colonies, are found throughout agricultural Egypt. Again, because agricultural land is precious, the hives tend to be very closely-spaced within apiaries. All hives seem to be grey in colour, and considerable drifting of bees must occur. A characteristic of Egyptian beekeeping is the use of a piece of sacking in place of a crown board, and entrances are constricted during the winter period using cow dung. The cost of a hive including frames and bees is around 60LE (US$30). Cotton honey sells at 2 LE per Kg, alfalfa at LE. and citrus at 5 LE per Kg. Wax sells at around 10 LE per Kg (GS$5). Beekeepers rely on three main honey flows; alfalfa, citrus and cotton, and a number of other minor crops.

These crops are grown on continuously irrigated land which would otherwise be desert and for this reason there is no natural forage available for bees in these areas. Egyptian beekeepers must therefore move colonies between crops as they come into flower. There is a general dearth period during the winter (October — February) and colonies are fed during this period with sugar syrup or sunflower honey. Honey yields of 4

A beekeeper examines a colony in a traditional pipe hive The front of the hive has been removed. a piece of smouldering dung is used to subdue the bees The tirst comb can just be seen within the hive

around 20 Kg per colony per year are obtained. The native race of honeybees is Apis mellifera lamarckii, but Italian and other races have been widely introduced resulting in the presence of a great vatiety of honeybee colours.

Varroa jacobsoni does not appear to be present in Egypt despite its presence in neighbouring countries, probably because Egypt's relatively small amount of irrigated land can be considered an ‘island’ separated from its neighbours by desert. The absence of Varroa is a great advantage for Egyptian beekeepers and it will be to their credit if Egypt can be maintained Varroa-free.

Beekeeping receives support from the Government: with agricultural land at a premium it is vital that all crops are

adequately pollinated, and honey is a popular and widely available food. There are a relatively large number of scientists involved with apicultural research, and a bee breeding and queen distribution programme is underway. There are also plans for developing beekeeping training courses within Egypt.

A major problem facing Egyptian beekeepers is the ever-increasing use of pesticides, and the levels of insecticides used on cotton make this a hazardous crop for beekeepers: upon seeing that one of the Conference Sessions was entitled ‘Pest control safe for bees’ an Egyptian academic was prompted to observe “There is no such thing!”

BEST in March 1986. Since then production has increased, membership swelled and grants and loans have been received for expansion of colony numbers and improvements to services.

For more details contact BEST, 26 Nargusta Street, Belmopan, Belize.

(Spore, September 1988 No 16) in

WD CN

BRAZIL

A new association of beekeepers: Associagao Jaguarense de Apicultura (AJA)

WORL D aN

44 474 24444

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA 1982 Meals for Millions Freedom from Hunger Foundation began initiating a beekeeping programme in Antigua which was aimed at providing technical, financial, and other assistance to the few persons keeping bees on the island. Mr Eustace Samuel had eight rustic hives and Mr Dalmar Edwards also had a few in his backyard.

A Peace Corps beekeeper from the neighbouring island of Montserrat, Mr Hank Thoenes was contacted and he agreed to come over to Antigua to assist. He conducted a series of courses for beekeeping beginners during the first year and showed them how to remove colonies from houses and trees.

He also showed the beekeepers how to build Kenya top-bar hives and provided technical assistance.

During the second year he taught the group how to rear queens and how to build Langstroth hives since the beekeepers were experiencing problems with the type of wood that was used to build the Kenya top-bar hives. Another Peace Corps beekeeper, Mr Matt Schwartz replaced Mr Thoenes and he continued to provide technical assistance to the group.

The beekeepers have now organised themselves into a group which meets monthly at the Meals for Millions Office, locally named as the Organization for Agricultural Development to share information and to assist each other in removing bees and building boxes. The more knowledgeable beekeepers teach the new members how to keep bees.

The Canadian High Commission has provided funding which has led to the setting up of a programme on the sister island of Barbuda in January 1987.

A booklet describing beekeeping in Antigua and Barbuda has recently been prepared and is available from: Organization for Agricultural Development, The Mutual Building, High Street, PO In

Box 846, St John's, Antigua, West In-

dies.

(Ruth Spencer, Organization for Agricultural Development)

BANGLADESH Thai sac

brood disease has been spreading through central Asia since 1976. When visited Bangladesh in November 1987 and February 1988 found severe damage from sac brood in many colonies. The area affected is in the central part and south of the capital Dhaka.

Many colonies have died, others have absconded leaving the diseased brood open for robbing bees or secondary infections. I estimate that the damage has just started in the last few years and the disease is expected to continue to spread for some time. Great harm has been caused to honey production and pollination in several areas.

The beekeepers and extension workers are not aware of this dangerous disease, and hence no_ preventive measures whatsoever has been undertaken. Instead they help to spread the disease through migration of hives, collective use of extractors and repeated use of old wax combs.

I

|

(B Svensson, Bikonsult HB, Sala, Sweden)

BELIZE

Beekeepers in southern Belize who formed a co-operative in 1980 are now working together with BEST (Belize Enterprise for Sustained Technology) to improve production consistency.

The Southern Beekeepers Cooperative Society Ltd was born as a solution to the marketing needs of subsistence farmers who had turned to beekeeping to increase family income. The cooperative now serves 115 beekeepers in purchasing equipment, processing and marketing their honey. However, low yields forced the cooperative to call

has recently been formed. The majority of members use Schenk hives and approximately 70% of honey production in the area is commercial. The society meets monthly and proposes to improve technical and scientific methods of processing and storing apicultural products, to provide an incentive for pollination and to conserve and add to the apicultural flora of the area.

The Society is preparing for its first Honey Fair at Jaguarao to be held in May 1989.

(Apicultura no Brasil, March/April 1988)

EGYPT Earlier this year a training programme was held at the Apiculture Centre at Hawatka. 40 farmers, (15 of them already traditional beekeepers) attended the programme which lasted for two weeks. The farmers received instruction in theoretical and practical beekeeping from Dr Mhd Omar of Assiut University and Talaet Al-Sherief of the Assiut Governorate. Catholic Relief Services arranged for the distribution of 400 Langstroth hives and colonies; 10 for each of the farmers who were asked to provide a downpayment of 40% of the total value of the hives. The downpayments have been deposited in a separate bank account and this money will be used to extend credit to more farmers.

Follow-up visits to the farmers are conducted by an extension officer and technical supervisor. The farmers have Teadily accepted the modern wooden beehives, but some of the farmers who already practise traditional beekeeping have indicated that they will continue with this method to produce a wax crop.

It is expected that this year’s honey production will be around 22 Kg per hive. An important objective is that eventually the project will be quite independent of the aid organisation.

(Amir El-taweel, Catholic Relief Services)

GHANA Getting inside the human hive

Successfully promoting the many benefits of modern beekeeping stems not just from understanding the complex

a

community within a hive. It also requires ability to unravel the complexities of a human community.

The first GRATIS bee workshop, Staged in Tamale at the end of September as part of Phase One of a beekeeping development project funded by the German Appropriate

Technology Exchange (GATE/GTZ) attracted an encouraging total of 60 Participants.

The fact that only 14 were women (none of them from villages) highlighted the problems of achieving two aims of the project: to encourage traditional beekeepers and women to adopt new methods despite the cultural and religious constraints of the predominately Muslim Northern Region.

Traditional honey harvesting — the Tole of men — involves climbing trees to Teach gourds placed in the upper branches, then burning the bees with a flaming torch to clear the gourd. It is

destructive, risky, the quality and yield of honey are low, and the financial rewards are poor. The introduction of modern hive methods will increase yield, quality and financial rewards. Also, by breaking with tradition, it will also enable women to become involved.

Within days of the GRATIS bee school finishing, 45 of the 50 Kenyan top-bar hives produced at Tamale ITTU, with funding from GATE/GTZ, had been distributed — mostly free of charge — to schools, institutions, hobbyists, plus 19 traditional beekeepers and 14 women who took part in the training. The remaining five have been installed at the Bishop of Tamale’s residence for training of local people by Edward Azumah, the ITTU Beekeeping Extension Officer.

Perhaps the most positive effect of the school was in forming a strategy for overcoming cultural barriers by encouraging more women, particularly in the villages, to start beekeeping as a commercial venture.

Mrs Rabi Adams, Women Farmers Extension Officer in Tamale, agreed to help GRATIS in travelling round to talk to village women. The 31st December Women’s Movement and the Amasachina Self-Help Association want to set up income generating programmes for women. Mr Hippolyt Pul, UNICEF Projects Officer based in Tamale, will arrange funding for GRATIS to implement a beekeeping project for women.

The Department of Rural Housing and Cottage Industries, which employs women in sewing, agreed to produce protective bee suits and veils.

An important participant in the bee school was Solomon Baguloo, executive member of the dormant Northern

a

a

Region Beekeepers Association (NORBA). With the active support of

GRATIS and Mike Adjaloo of the TCC Apiculture Promotion Unit, he has undertaken to reorganise and revive the association to represent the interests of the region’s wide range of beekeepers.

A kiosk built at Tamale ITTU will be given to NORBA to market its members’ produce — and show that modern beekeeping in the north is alive, thriving and richly rewarding.

(Nelson Akukumah, GRATIS News, October 1988)

NICARAGUA The National Beekeeping Programme of Nicaragua is sponsored by the MIDINRA (Department of Agriculture), the National Development Bank and CARE Canada. Each institution provides funding and personnel for the programme while, in addition the Bank provides credit to beekeepers, MIDINRA provides extension services and CARE provides imported materials and technical ad-

vice.

Recently a shipment of US 140 000 worth of beekeeping supplies has been received from Canada through a donation from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), CARE’s funding organisation for the programme.

Presently there are approximately

400 beekeepers in Nicaragua with about 9000 hives. The largest operation has 650 hives but the majority of beekeepers operate 15 or less. The programme has recently completed its beekeeping development centre which has a shop, living and teaching facilities and an apiary of about 100 hives which will grow to 300 by 1990.

The training emphasis is on the practical aspects of beekeeping utilising the centre's apiary. Students receive practice in topics ranging from general apiary management to queen rearing. A breeding programme is about to be started and through the sale of honey

and queens the Centre will to a large part be self-financing.

Nicaragua has had Africanized honeybees since 1984. We have found the bees quite variable in behaviour depending on factors such as location, time of day, weather and amount of stores. In general we find their management similar to European honeybees but more likely to get out of hand. The constant use of smoke is advised and therefore one person must manage the smoker at all times. However, this person may serve two others managing one hive each.

The programme has manufactured veils, hive tools, extractors, uncapping knives and smokers through contracts with local craftsmen. These articles are sold to the beekeepers with proceeds

being used to further develop the industry.

(D MacDonald, Beekeeping Promotion Programme, CARE)

PHILIPPINES Following his report on the effects of typhoon SISANG on beekeeping in Newsletter 12, Raul G Barrameda, Regional President of the Bicolandia Bee Raisers Association, summarises the current situation in the area: — wild honeybees in the Recovery forests are beginning to recover as trees and plants in forage areas, especially coconut trees, are re-established.

Research — out of the three re-

search-demonstration

apiaries

destroyed by the typhoon, one has been re-started by colonisation with wild bees.

Material stocks available for research and demonstration are expected to be fully developed by February 1989. Production — progressive beekeeping is not yet moving due to the scarcity of production inputs. Production loan assistance is low due to the unavailability of authorisation from the government and banks and other funding institutions are not convinced of the viability of beekeeping project proposals.

Products — we are developing a hairrestorative pomade produced from hive products. Observations commenced in April 1988, on 15 volunteers exhibiting different degrees of baldness. There are good signs of improvement. Also bee sting therapy is becoming popular as a cure for arthritis and rheumatism.

VENEZUELA

A National Museum of Apiculture has been opened in Mérida, Venezuela. The

Museum is named “Ignacio Herrera” in memory of a famous Venezuelan apiculturalist who died last year. This Museum is not just a display of the history of beekeeping but is to be a dynamic source of information and promotion of beekeeping. Exhibitions are staged of bees and their products, antiquities, books and journals. Information bulletins and seminars will be arranged and in this way it is hoped to introduce visitors to apiculture and persuade people of the feasibility and benefits of beekeeping.

Three Venezuelan institutions have supported the development of the Museum, Asociacién de Apicoltores del Estado Mérida, Corporacién de los Andes and Universidad de los Andes.

The Museum relies on a non-profit making Society of Friends for promotion. The Society of Friends receive five free entry tickets and the MUNAPIH bulletin.

For further details write to: MUNAPIH, Parque La Isla, Mérida, Venezuela.

sack is enough for three hives), four or five pieces of plank about 7.50m wide and 20cm long — scraps of metal are also good. (it is wise to build your hive so you can use a standard feeder, if you do this you will also need a feeder).

RACTICAL BEEKEEPING

Building instructions 1.

Choose a good site for the hive.

2. Clear the site and level it. Clear an area about 3 or 4 m in diameter.

3. Mark out the size of the hive on the ground. Lay all the top-bars side by side on the ground to make a rectangle.

Using a stick draw a line around the topbars and mark the comers with small sticks.

4. (Using the lines as a guide, dig a foundation for the hive to 10-20 cm deep. foundation should be as wide as the shovel.

5. Mix up mud for the mortar — use good clay mud, not stony or sandy soil.

6. Build the walls of the hive using the mud blocks and mud mortar. Be careful to build square and straight. Make the walls about 40 cm high (a little less than kneehigh) and take care the hive is the right width. When the hive is finished, a topbar should just fit inside. The ends of the top-bar should touch both sides of the hive (Figure 3).

7. As you build, make sure to make an entrance hole. Make a feeder hole too if desired. These holes should be at the front of the hive which must face the rising sun, so the bees will start work early. Use the pieces of plank (or metal) above the holes, to hold up the wall above. The feeder should fit inside the feeder hole and the entrance should be 2cm by 12cm. Make both of these holes bigger than you require — when you plaster with cement, you will reduce them to the correct size. Both these holes should be off the ground to reduce the risk of ant attacks (Figure 4).

8. Prepare for plastering. After building the walis, take a little mud and smooth out any cracks or holes. DO NOT PLASTER WITH MQD — if you do the cement will not stick properly. To keep the hive dry in wet weather build up the floor with a 5 cm layer of mud. Let the hive dry for 2 or 3 days.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE “MPOFU HIVE”

by Peter Bechtel, Bee School, Lutheran Farmers’ Training Centre, Box 229, Piggs Peak Swaziland THE MPOFU HIVE FIGURE 1:

LID as

*

TOP-BAR

x

+

WN, A Y

The Mpofu hive is a new beehive developed in the Mpofu area of Swaziland. This is a very

hot, dry area with strong spring and autumn honey flows. It is an isolated community, without a local source of timber for building hives.

The original idea for the Mpofu hive came from Jabulani Mnisi, the Extension Worker of the Mpofu area who noticed two problems. First his farmers were having difficulty in getting standard Swazi hives* because of lack of funds and transport for timber. Secondly the Swazi hives became too hot for the bees in summer resulting in high absconding rates.

Jabulani began to experiment by putting hives and metal drums full of bees in holes in the ground. This kept the hives cooler, but other problems such as ant attacks and rotting wooden hive parts became apparent.

The final design of the Mpofu hive is shown in Figure 1. ; The Mpofu hive will hold 25 standard topbars. It is made of mud bricks, mortared with mud, and plastered with a cement plaster (stones may be used instead of mud bricks).

The cement plaster assures that ants cannot enter the hive, and that it will last for many years. The hive lid is made of metal tiles or plastic fertiliser sacks.

Tools and materials you will need bucket for water, shovel, small troTools:

wel or short, smooth plank.

Materials: about 50 mud bricks or large stones, mud for mortar, wheelbarrow full of sand for plastering, 25 standard top-barst, about one third of a sack of cement (one

4

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4,

ZL

HIVE

FIGURE 2:

MARKING THE SIZE OF THE HIVE

1

FIGURE 3:

CORRECT HIVE WIDTH

ONE TOP-BAR

NOTE FOUNDATIOI

FIGURE 4:

DEPTH

ENTRANCE AND FEEDER HOLES CANy

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Hi

A PIEC.

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OF WOOD

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MAKE THE HOLES ZL ZA LITTLE LARGER TH[AN NEEDED

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FIGURE 5:

Plaster the entire hive with sand and cement plaster. Mix plaster using 4 parts sand to one part cement. Using the trowel, plaster the entire hive, inside and out. Make the plaster 1-2 cm thick. Plaster the floor and work very carefully near the entrance and feeder holes. Be sure that the entrance is the correct size and that the feeder fits well.

10. Check the width of the hive with the topbars. After plastering, the top-bars should sit on top of the side walls (Figure 6). If the hive is too wide, make the plaster a little thicker on the inside walls.

9.

MAKING THE HIVE FLOOR

FIGURE 6:

PLASTERING THE HIVE

TOP-BARS ARE HELD UP BY THE

UW),

CUTAWAY VIEW OF THE HIVE

CEMENT PLASTER

v

11. Let the hive dry slowly for about a week.

Splash some water on it every day to prevent cracking. The cement should be kept wet for at least a week.

12. Assemble the hive. Lay the top-bars on the hive, and check to make sure that all 25 will fit. If the hive is too short, lay the end top-bar on its side, if it is too long, use some pieces of plank to fill the gap at the end. /t is very important that the top-bars fit properly — if they do not, ants may be a problem. After checking the top-bars, add a metal tile or plastic fertiliser sack for a lid. A traditional roof peak (ingcongwane) also makes a nice lid.

The lid must not leak, because the hive will fill up with water if it does. Use a piece of wood to close the feeder hole when not in use.

13. Catch bees and transfer them into the hive. Keep the ground around the hive clear so that roots will not destroy the walls and ant attacks will be reduced.

Z

wmbwW

oN

Conclusions Advantages of the Mpofu hive: 1.

Extremely inexpensive to make. The total cost is approximately 8.00 emalangeni (local currency).

Traditional skills are used in construction. No special carpentry skill is needed.

Locally available materials are used.

The hive cannot be stolen.

The hive is very durable and long-lasting

(estimated life is at least 10 years).

The hive is cool for the bees in summer, and this reduces absconding.

The hive has ant-proof walls and floor.

Top-bars are interchangeable with the standard trapbox and standard Swazi hive*. This makes modern management (such as transferring of bees) possible.

The hive will accept a standard feeder.

10. If a bee disease (eg: foulbrood) infects the hive it can be sterilised by removing the bees and building a fire inside. This will become important in the future as the number of bee colonies increase.

11. Produces clean honey due to the cement walls and floor.

Disadvantages cf the Mpofu hive: 1. The hive does not sit on a hive stand, thus it may not be a good hive for areas with ant problems.

2. The hive cannot be moved.

3. It may be difficult to get cement in some areas.

4. Moisture and condensation may be a problem in wet regions.

A.

FIGURE 8:

ON

6.

FEEDER NOT IN USE: FEEDER DOOR CLOSED WITH PIECE OF PLANK

ASHES PLACED AROUND THE HIVE TO PROTECT IT FROM ANTS

FEEDER IN USE, RESTING ON BLOCK ASHES

FIGURE 9:

Experimental construction variations 1. No cement: if you cannot afford cement, plaster the hive with a one part mud, one part cow dung mixture. Follow this with several layers of pure cow dung plaster. This will not work in areas with many ants or termites and rain will damage this hive. . Ant problems: put a deep layer of wood ashes all around the hive. The layer should be 5-10 cm deep and 10 cm wide.

Re-apply at regular intervals and after rain.

A lot of ashes will be needed for this method to work. Alternatively when build-

THE ANT-PROOF ENTRANCE: A PIECE OF OR BAMBOO, COVERED WITH ROAD TAR

PIPE

ing

ing

the the

.

hihive make the following changes

to reduce ant attacks: be very careful when fitting the top-bars and make sure they fit tightly without gaps; do not make a feeder hole, use the dish method of feeding instead; make the entrance using a piece of pipe or bamboo cemented into the front wall angled downwards and sticking out about 10cm from the hive.

The diameter of the pipe should be as big as your forearm. When the cement is dry, smear the pipe with road tar or a mixture of grease and creosote, ants will not be able to cross this mixture.

*

for information on Swazi hives see Field Support Guide FSG 92 “Introduction to Beekeeping” (see Bookshelf: this publication will shortly be available from IBRA) t In Swaziland, standard top-bars are 3.3 cm wide and 45cm long. They are usually between 1.5 and 2.5 cm thick. The width of the top-bar is the critical dimension: it determines the “bee space” and varies slightly from one race of Apis mellifera to another. The way to determine the required size of top-bars for your bees is to find a wild colony and measure the distance between combs — from the centre of one comb to the centre of its neighbouring comb: your top- bars need to be exactly this width.

LOOKING AHEAD Please note if you are planning a beekeeping event and you want details to appear in this column it is important that you send information to the Editor of the Newsletter well in advance of the planned date.

ARGENTINA

BURKINA FASO

Curso internacional de technologia de la produccion y procesamiento de la

Agricultural Alternatives and Nutritional Self-Sufficiency.

2-5 January 1989, Ouagadougou.

This seventh International IFOAM Conference will deal with specific problems of agricultural developmental work related to theoretical and practical approaches of agro-forestry.

Further details from: IFOAM Conference, Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

miel de abeja.

3-15 April 1989, La Plata.

An international course on the technology of honey production and processing organised by Instituto Privado de

Tecnologia y Ensenanza Apicola (IPTEA) for post- graduate level stu-

dents, oriented towards agronomists and allied workers. Much emphasis will be given to product analysis and marketing. Accommodation will be available at Gandara, Buenos Aires.

Further information from: Secretaria del Instituto, Calle 35 No 407, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.

BRAZIL XXXII International Beekeeping Congress, Apimondia.

22-28 October 1989, Rio de Janeiro.

Further details to be announced.

Beekeeping Courses

FRANCE

Gniversity diploma in tropical beekeeping. A six month course, in the french language.

Further information from: Madame B Darchen, Directrice de la Station Biologique des Eyzies, Université Paris VI, 24620 Les Eyzies, France.

ISRAEL International course on beekeeping and extension. April — June 1988.

This two month course involved lectures, laboratory work and field trips.

The course was designed to enable participants to make improvements in beekeeping in their home countries and to be skilled in extending knowledge to beekeepers.

For details of future courses write to: The Director, Centre for International Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, POB 7054, Tel Aviv, 61070, Israel.

TANZANIA The Tabora Beekeeping Training Institute offers the following two courses:

Certificate Course Admission requirements for this course are: a general certificate of education at ordinary level or its equivalent with credit in biology and passes in any other two science subjects.

8

USA International Beekeeping Seminar IX. 17-28 July 1989.

Further details from: Gail Miller, International Programs, Agricultural Technical Institute, Wooster, Ohio 44691,

USA. Cable: ATI-'WOOSTER.

Diploma course Admission requirements are either a certificate in beekeeping plus field experience or a general certificate of education at advanced level or its equivalent with a principal pass in biology and two subsidiaries in any other science subjects.

Both courses run from July of every year. The Institute admits and considers applications for certificates and diploma courses from outstanding candidates all over the world. Applicants must have qualifications equivalent to those mentioned above.

Further details from: The Principal Secretary, Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Tourism, PO Box 8132, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania or The Principal, Beekeeping Training Institute, PO Box 62, Tabora, Tanzania.

UK Diploma in Apicuiture Course at University of Wales College in Cardiff Zy Evert Jan Robberts, Diploma student from the Netherlands The beekeeping diploma course started this year with 10 students from all parts of the world. From Africa there are students from Tanzania, Malawi and Sudan.

Other students come from Turkey (2), Pakistan, Indonesia, Mexico, Portugal and the Netherlands. This international gathering of students is typical of the course.

Being a diploma student requires a lot of

time following lectures from (mostly) two of the main tutors of the course, namely Dr Robert Paxton, who is in charge of the

overall co-ordination and Professor Robert Pickard, who is Head of the Bee Research Unit of which the course is a part.

The first term, which just ended prior to the appearance of this Newsletter, is mainly occupied by lectures related to bee biology such as evolution, ecology, pathelogy, anatomy, as well as behaviour and physiology. Furthermore, all students ave required to give a short talk on beekeeping in their own country which at the end gives a clear insight of how beekeeping is carried out in different parts of the world.

Interesting also ave the additional lectures and seminars by guest speakers coming from different institutions within Britain to give a talk on their field of research such as bee venom, pheromones, chalkboard disease, annual management of bees in temperate climates or the preservation and pinning of insects. At first such a large variety of topics might seem confusing and disordered but this certainly will be levelled off as the time passes by. And time does pass by rather fast in such a course which is actually only focused on one insect but with so many ways in which each topic can be approached it is never boring.

After all, Cardiff is one of the few places in the world where nearly all information on beekeeping is gathered, stored and disseminated. This gives an extra dimension to being a student of this international course. For instance, before and after the Cairo Conference some of the delegates were passing through Cardiff and on such occasions these people are invited to give a talk on their field of work which ranged from beekeeping in Nepal, Apis cerana beekeeping in India and the migrating behaviour of Africanized bees in Mexico.

It is the presence of IGRA that makes this course a unique opportunity to study bees and beekeeping. The facilities at the IBRA office are excellent. Alt aspects on beekeeping are expertly kept in order and it only takes a short notice to come up with any article that has the

word bee in it!

With the Christmas vacation starting, we can now relay and refresh the mind before the second term starts at the beginning of January. This wilt begin with seminars on all bee products and then move to management. To top off the period of lectures, a short European tour will take us to different institutions and enterprises in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and either Denmark or France to obtain an overview of what is being done outside Britain in the field of beekeeping. By that time, we will have visited British honey shows, breeding stations (the world famous Brother Adam at Buckfast Abbey), research stations and commercial enterprises.

The last term will be spent on fieldwork and writing a thesis on the research project that we are each required to undertake. These projects range from pollen identification of tropical plants to sWarming behaviour in temperate climates, depending on the interest of the student.

If you ave interested in joining the Diploma course write to Professor R S Pickard, Bee Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Wales College Cardiff, Cardiff, CF? 1XL, UK.

LETTERS TO THE

EDITOR

A top-bar hive of sheet plastic have never seen a sheet plastic hive in use before, though it seems likely that someone has thought of it already. would be very interested to hear from anyone who has ever seen this idea before.

I

Who can read the language of

Apis cerana?

Working with Asian honeybees, have found that the language of Apis cerana is different from the language of Apis mellifera. Since I did not find any specific literature on this subject would like to ask the readers of this Newsletter.

Who has done any research on the language and communication within an A. cerana colony?

Who can explain the specific reactions of A. cerana such as: a) the dance communication b) the reaction to human proximity or smoke c) the strange “queen” sound d) the collective vibration when a colony is queenless e) the signs of preparing for swarming or absconding?

Learning to understand the language of bees is very important for every bee-

|

|

|

-

-

keeper. Please, help us with the interpretation!

B Svensson, Bikonsult HB, Sala, Sweden.

Feira

A simple hive can be made very cheaply and easily using only top-bars and a sheet plastic hive body. Hives of this type have been used successfully to keep bees and produce honey in Papua New Guinea.

BEEKEEPING EXPERT NEEDED NORTH YEMEN

—

CIIR, a London based development agency, is seeking to recruit an experienced beekeeper to develop a beekeeping project amongst rural communities.

The project is part of a larger development scheme in North Yemen's central highland region, funded internationally and nationally, designed to increase

APT,

e4 NGo perca esta oportunidode de conhecer 0s apicultores do regiGo e seus produtos Na Praga Frei Barouna (FORUM VELHO! Junto G fea de aresanato e da barganha coraporacdo.

MADEIRERA SICLAU

An example from Brazil of effective honey marketing. This poster describes a Honey

Fair held twice monthly - NAO PERCA! — NOT TO BE MISSED!

CONSULTANTS

A top-bar hive of sheet plastic

—

agricultural productivity.

The beekeeper will encourage small hold farmers and other rural people to participate in the beekeeping project and organise beekeeping extension messages for them, eg how to divide a colony, hive a swarm, inspect a colony, harvest honey and beeswax, uses of

Two parallel horizontal bamboo rails support the split bamboo top-bars and the long piece of sheet plastic which surrounds the combs underneath and folds over the top. A sturdy grade of plastic is used, such as that used locally for drying coffee. in Papua New Guinea topbars of 35cm width give the correct bee-space between combs_ when pushed together. Bamboo dowels in the top-bars give the combs structural support. End walls are made of bamboo slats or omitted entirely. Honey is harvested by squeezing combs cut from the top-bars.

Hives of this type have been used for a year and a half with no apparent problems with insulation, overheating or absconding. They are located in a wooded tropical highland valley of 1000 m elevation with moderate average temperatures and a distinct wet/dry season. Perhaps this design could not be used in areas with harsher environmental conditions such as more extreme temperatures, higher humidity, and predatory ants.

However, beekeepers may be interested in trying this type of hive for its low cost and ease of construction.

Robert A Spencer, Peace Corps, POB 1790, Boroko, NCD, Papua New Guinea. beeswax. She/he will also train a local counterpart in the theoretical and practical skills of beekeeping.

Applicants should have a qualification in beekeeping and honey production and a minimum of two years experience. Applicants without a qualification but with considerable experience are welcomed.

CIIR provides a two year contract, a salary adequate for a single person, housing, a return flight, insurance, various allowances, extensive briefings, language training, etc.

For further details and an application form please send a large stamped addressed envelope and your CV to CIIR Overseas Programme, 22 Coleman Fields, London N1 7AF, UK. Quote Ref-

erence: BK/TB/1.

BEEKEEPING EXPERTS

The International Bee Research Association is building up a Register of apicultural researchers, beekeeping experts and specialists in related subjects eg: bee botany, pollination, queen rearing, bee farm management, lecturers, extension workers, honeybee pests and diseases, bee products (honey, beeswax, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, bee venom) as well as the trade in bees, other beekeeping equipment and honeybee products.

It is planned to draw on this list of specialists for prospective posts, which will be salaried, on IBRA projects both in the United Kingdom and overseas.

Candidates who wish to be included in this register of experienced staff available to assist IBRA, either at headquarters or on overseas projects, are invited to write to The Director of IBRA, enclosing a current curriculum vitae outlining their qualifications and experience. An indication of prospective availability and preferred subjects/geographical areas would be appreciated.

ORIGINALS OF DEGREE CERTIFICATES AND OTHER QUALIFICATIONS SHOULD NOT BE SENT

BOOKSHELF Beekeeping in the tropics Agrodok 32 compiled by

Ir P

—

Segeren

Available from: Agromisa, PO Box 41, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands, or from: TOOL, Entrepotdok 687/69a, 1018 AD Amsterdam, The Netherlands (price Dfl 7.50 excluding postage)

page) has been written with the intention of introducing to the people of Malaysia the importance of farming. It contains details of how to produce 33 vegetables, 22 fruits, 10 field crops and 6 spices. Informative articles on harvesting, handling and packaging of fruits and vegetables are provided by the DSIR, New Zealand. A comprehensive feasibility study is also included. This sets out all material and labour costs for each stage of the crop development process, together with the gross revenue likely at today’s wholesale prices.

In a publication of this type it is impossible to cover every aspect of a crop’s management, or a type of husbandry.

The section on beekeeping, for example, occupies only six pages (with

20 colour photographs).

D G Lowe

gaye Ruliney

This short booklet provides a basic in-

troduction to beekeeping, a rapid review of management methods and hive types, and a section on pests and diseases of honeybees. Also available in French.

Beekeeping in Kenya

by K Kigatiira |

Nairobi, Kenya; Published by the author

(1988) 33 pp.

Available from IBRA price 4 (excluding postage and packing)* An introduction to beekeeping as it is practised in Kenya. Beekeeping in log hives and in Kenya top-bar hives are discussed. Dimensions and instructions are given for constructing a top-bar hive.

colonies of these bees is a skilful but highly dangerous activity which may be a dying art. The photographs reveal the whole story; from setting out with the 160 foot rope ladder used to climb the cliff face, through plundering of the colony, to harvesting of the honey and beeswax. The photographs deservedly won the 1988 World Press Prize for nature.

Honey hunters of Nepal

by E Valliand Summers D

London, UK; Thames & Hudson Ltd

(1988) Available from IBRA price 16.95 cluding postage and packing)*

(ex-

An unusual book on_ beekeeping: many large colour photographs and very little text! The authors lived in Nepal for several years and during this time spent eight months living with forest-dwelling Gurung tribes people.

This enabled the authors to photograph and study honey hunting: the plundering of honey from rock-nesting colonies of Apis dorsata/laboriosa.

Climbing rock faces and dealing with 10

Green fingers: a total commitment to the development of farming

by N Sahadevan Seremban, Malaysia; Sahadevan Publications Sdn Bhd (1987) 527 pp.

Available from Sahadevan Publications, 13 Jalan Dato Lee Fong Yee, 70000, Seremban, Malaysia (price $120 plus postage).

This lavishly produced volume with over 1200 colour illustrations (many whole-

Biogeography and_taxonomy of honeybees

by F Ruttner Berlin, German Federal Republic; Springer Verlag (1988) 284 pp.

Available from IBRA price 54.00 cluding postage and packing)*

(ex-

This book deals with the subfamily of honeybees (Apinae), their evolution, ecology and taxonomy at the species and subspecies level. Data on evolution and distribution, ecological adaptation, and geographic variability of honeybees is presented. An overview of compara-

tive behavioural studies is provided, with interesting examples of adaptations to various climatic conditions and the specific requirements of Apis subspecies.

Breeding techniques and selection for breeding of the honeybee by F Ruttner Derby, UK; BIBBA, by arrangement with Ehrenwirth Verlag, Munich (1988) 148 pp.

Available from IBRA price &7 (excluding postage and packing)*

An English translation of the 6th edition

of an important text by Friedrich Ruttner, in which instructions are given for rearing queens, selection and the management of mating stations. The translation has been undertaken by Ashleigh and Eric Milner of the British Isles Bee Breeders Association primarily for British Beekeepers, but this English language version will be most valuable to many seeking to breed and select from Apis mellifera.

Small-scale queen rearing by beekeepers in the northeast by F L W Ratnieks and R Nowogrodzki Cornell, USA; Cornell Cooperative Extension Publication Information Bulletin 209 (1988) 11 pp.

A short bulletin with clear text and illustrations explaining the principles of colony management for queen rearing and the techniques involved, using equipment available in North America.

Introduction to beekeeping

by Peter Bechtel and Kathy Gau

_

Mbabane, Swaziland; Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives Field Support guide FSG 92 (1988) 92 pp.

Will be available from IBRA — price to be announced.

both Arabic and phonetic scripts), of over a thousand beekeeping terms, including allied scientific terms. This is Volume 10 of a series which commenced in 1953. All Volumes are compiled on the same system and Volumes 5 to 9, which are still in print, include 13 other languages: Volume 5 EnglishFrench-German-Russian- Spanish; Volume 6 English-Finnish-Hungarian; nr45Volume 7 English-German-Dutch-

Danish-Norwegian-Swedish; Volume 8 English-French- Italian-Spanish-Portuguese-Romanian; Volume 9 EnglishFrench-Japanese.

Biology, detection and control of Varroa jacobsoni: a parasitic mite on honeybees

by A Dietz and H R Hermann Georgia, USA; University of Georgia (1988) 80 pp.

Will be available from IBRA be announced.

—

roa jacobsoni, Tropilaelaps clareae and Acarapis woodi. This is an expensive publication but will be a worthwhile addition to beekeeping libraries.

Criacao de Abelhas

by José Joao Ferreira Alcobia Maputo, Mozambique; Ministério da Agricultura (1987) 100 pp.

A useful description of beekeeping in Mozambique. A variety of hive types of varying degrees of sophistication are discussed and illustrated, and_ information is given on colony management and on harvesting and processing of honey and beeswax. Details of Mozambique honey plants and honeybee pests and diseases are provided. This publication in Portuguese is another welcome addition to the literature of current African beekeeping. _

price to

A straightforward introduction to Varroa: its biology, its detection and its impact on beekeeping. A clear and easy-to-read text.

Le point sur l’apiculture: en Afrique tropicale by B Villieres which was re-

viewed in Newsletter 12 is now available from IBRA price 12.50 (excluding postage and packing)*

A nicely produced guide to low-tech-

nology beekeeping, written in the first instance for Swazi people but which will be of interest to all who seek to promote this type of beekeeping. The book gives details for people who want to get started without spending any money, as well as for those who can afford some initial outlay. Clear details supported by a wealth of line drawings provide information on how to trap bees, plan an apiary and manage colonies.

Dictionary of beekeeping terms with allied scientific terms: Volume 10 English-

French-Arabic

edited by

E Crane

London, UK; International Bee Research Association, published with financial support from the Near East Foundation (1988) 196 pp.

All Volumes are available from IBRA price &8 (excluding postage and packing)* This new dictionary will help to advance beekeeping by making exchange of information more effective between Arabic-speaking countries and the many others whose language is English or French. The dictionary gives equivalents in English, French and Arabic (in

*

IBRA MAIL ORDER TERMS

Please quote this Newsletter when you order

Post and packing charges for orders to

UK and overseas addresses by surface mail only. Orders totalling:

iy

Africanized honeybees and bee mites edited by

G

R Needham et al

West Sussex, UK; Ellis Horwood Limited (1988) 572 pp.

Available from IBRA price 69.50 cluding postage and packing)*

This publication is

(ex-

a compilation of the reports presented at a meeting held in Ohio, USA in early 1987. The purpose of the meeting was to gather information on the major problems facing apiculture in North America, namely Africanized honeybees and parasitic mites. The resulting book is therefore a comprehensive and up-to-date account of current knowledge firstly of Africanized honeybees, their ecology and reproduction, population biology and behaviour, and identification, and secondly of honeybee mites including Var-

upto 10.00 to 20.00 to 30.00 to 40.00 to 100.00

10.01 20.01 30.01 40.01

1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00

For orders over 100, post and packing charges will be quoted on receipt of order. Air mail charges are also quoted on request.

Cheques and bank draft (if paying in non-sterling, please add 5% to cover bank charges on exchange rates).

Bankers: Midland Bank, 56 Queen Street, Cardiff UK. Account No: 01326740.

Postgiro/National Girobank: Account No: 29 179 4408.

Credit cards: Access/Mastercard/Eurocard/Visa — please quote name on card, full address, type of card, card number, and expiry date on card.

All orders are subject to the availability of books at the prices quoted.

11

If undelivered, please return to:

IBRA, 18 North Road, Cardiff CF1 3DY, UK.

;

POSTAGE PAID CARDIFF

PRINTED PAPER

(OVERSEAS POST ONLY)

SERIAL No. 389

NMA

QUESTIONNAIRE Newsletter No

11 carried a questionnaire prepared by ODA asking readers to assess the usefulness of the Newsletter and the Information Service provided by IBRA to beekeepers in developing countries.

Grateful thanks are due to all our readers who returned these questionnaires: in response to your positive replies ODA intend to continue funding the Service we provide.

Analysis of the completed questionnaires gave encouraging feedback: 65% of respondents claim to have been prompted into action as a result of the Newsletter, and 90% expressed satisfaction with the response of IBRA to their enquiries.

Respondents identified lack of information on bee management as the major problem facing beekeeping development. The management of tropical bees is poorly understood and tried and tested methods to prevent absconding and swarming are yet to be established. I would urge those of you who have developed methods that work for you in the field to write them up: in this way your information can be shared with others and tested by them. The majority of readers regarded the main use of Newsletter to be as a source of practical information on beekeeping. Details about projects and of relevant publications were also considered important aspects.

It was good to note how many of you pass on your copy of the Newsletter to other beekeepers: one enthusiastic respondent reckoned that his copy was read by 5000 other people!

Many requested that the Newsletter be published more frequently, with larger issues, and in a variety of languages. Our resources are already stretched to provide the current service, but rest assured that I have read all your comments and will endeavour to take them into consideration in preparation offuture Newsletters.

This Newsletter is edited by Dr Nicola Bradbear with assistance from Helen Jackson, at the International Bee Research Association. Two editions of the Newsletter are published each year and are distributed free of charge to those in developing countries involved with beekeeping.

Vour contributions for the Newsletter are welcome; if you have a good idea then why not share it with others? Views expressed in this Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Editor: write and let us know your opinions. If you ave involved in beekeeping development then IBRA is always interested to hear of your work. Also if you have any enquiries about beekeeping and the information you need cannot be obtained locally then write to IBRA and we will try to help you.

This Newsletter and the Information Service offered by IBRA to beekeepers in developing countries is funded by the UK Overseas Development Administration.

If you know of another beekeeper who would benefit from access to this Newsletter or the information service provided by IBRA then his/her name can be added to our mailing list if they write to us.

If your address has changed then please return the mailing label together with your new address.

Dr Nicola Bradbear, Advisory Officer for Tropical Apiculture, IBRA, 18 North Road, Cardiff CF1 3DV, UK

No longer involved with beekeeping development? Then please let us know so that we can delete your name from our mailing list. Our resources are precious and we cannot afford to waste them.