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
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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.
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(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
