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CAMEROON REPUBLIC The St Pius X Beekeeping Club in Bamenda has received a donation of 225.000 francs CFA from the Canadian Embassy in Yaounde. The donation will help to expand the club’s beekeeping activities: these in-
clude the publication of a new Newsletter on Beekeeping for distribution to members of the Club. Details from Barnabus Bonu, St Pius X College, Tatum, PO Box 46, Bamenda, NW Province, Cameroon Republic.
GHANA
the como cut from the top-bars, tied into these frames and returned to the hive. Nasanov pheromone has been used successfully to attract swarms, and similar success is obtained by rubbing the interior of the brood box with a plant called fever grass. Originally it was intended to purchase lumber for the project, but in the aftermath of hurricane Gilbert found the scrap pile of a shingle factory. The cedar chunks no longer large enough for shingles are just right for our carpenter's electrical saw. We were thus left with only the boxes to be made of purchased lumber. A recent innovation has been the use of roof sheathing from an exquisite Wesley chapel for bee boxes. The chapel had a high pitched roof that was lost to hurricane Gilbert. The wood, hand sawn mahogany, is as sound as the day it was installed. Any scrap that can be cut to 47.5cm lengths can be joined for bee box construction, with a topbar slab left over. As you can see, whatever you need is out there. All it takes is a little creativity to find and identify it. Go for it!”
honey greatly as a medicine, they are not willing to eat it as food. It is believed that eating honey causes too much ‘heat’ and can be harmful especially in summer. Another erroneous belief that persists is that granulated honey cannot be pure. Since mustard honey granulates easily during the winter, we find it hard to sell without repeated heating. Per capita consumption of honey being extremely small, we have reached a state of glut without producing any substantial quantity.
(P S Pammi)
INDONESIA
(George L Skirm)
LIBYA The Tripoli Beekeeping Association was founded in 1980 and has about 1020 members. The main activity of this Association is to improve the beekeeping industry in Tripoli by teaching modern beekeeping and import-
Donkor-Krom-Afram piains is in the Eastern tegion, and has an abundance of bee plants. In March 1989 the district administration ordered the arrest and prosecution of any honey hunter seen selling honey. The reason for thisis to try and stop the bush fires and killing of bees with fire brands.
Apiaka is a new eight page beekeeping newspaper published in Bahasa Indonesia, and costing Rp 500 per issue. It is available from Pusat Apiari Pramuka Kompleks Wiladatika, Cibubur, Jakarta, Indonesia.
ing modern materials and tools from foreign countries. It has also some minor activities such as buying and selling honey and other bee products. (Shamseddin M Elkritly)
(Francis Sosu, FES Beekeeping Promotion Centre, Ghana)
IRAN
MEXICO
Beekeeping and honey production have received more attention since the 1979 Iran revolution. Over 1.5 million colonies of Apismellifera are managed by 40 000 beekeepers. Average yields are about 7.5kg per colony per year, with a total production of 10000T honey. Most beekeepers move their bees to the southern part of the country for over-wintering: the climate is sub-tropical and spring begins a couple of months earlier than in other zones. Forage at this time of year is provided by eucalyptus, orange and field crops. Serious bee diseases in Iran are Varroa and nosema. Varroa is treated with Folbex VA, varroasin, varoastan and perizin. Fumagillin is found effective against nosema. American foulbrood has been found
Mexico now has a new publication, Apicultura Moderna, published by a group with interests in bees and beekeeping. The new journal will be published in January, May and September, and is available from Instituto de Investigacion Apicola de Mexico, A C Apartado Postal 5-885, Guadalajara, Jalisco 45000, Mexico. Published in spanish, the cost is $3500.00 Pesos.
INDIA The Amritsar district of Punjab bears extremes of climate with cold winters and hot summers. Most bee forage is from cultivated crops and every bit of land is cultivated. The winter crop of mustard (October-January) is a steady source of honey and pollen. It is followed by a short but intense bloom of fruit orchards (pear, peach, plum and citrus) during February-March. Eucalyptus, which is grown for timber along the borders of the fields provides flora during DecemberMarch. Sunflower, now being introduced as an oil crop, is another source of forage during April and May. In the hot summer months of May and June, the main honey flow is due to the blooming of the fodder crop Berseem Trifolium alexandrinum. The monsoon period of July-September is the lean period when hardly any flora is found and predators like wax moth and ants become active. In the past, all honey and wax were obtained from wild colonies of Apis dorsata. With the introduction of Apis mellifera during the sixties, beekeepers have taken to keeping these bees in Langstroth hives. We have formed an Association to look after the interests of members and to arrange for the collective sale of honey. As beekeepers it has been our sad experience that although Indian people value
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in a few apiaries.
(K H Mousavifard)
JAMAICA A beekeeping project organised by George Skirm is helping Jamaican youths to learn
practical beekeeping. He writes “Making Langstroth frames is a time-consuming process and ten frames a day, wired, is about the best one can do while transferring skill. To increase hive availability only four frames are used in each hive and the rest of the hive, for the time being, is fitted with top-bars. After a super and its frames have been made, additional deep frames are made and
A seminar was conducted at Tecoman,
in
the state of Colima, Mexico on 25-26 May 1989. The seminar was sponsored by the Autonomous University of Guadalajara, SARH (The National Agency for Soil and Hydraulics Resources) and the Ohio State University. Approximately 120 participants attended the various discussions on Africanized honeybee biology and behaviour. Dr James Tew presented lectures on bee biology, behaviour and instrumental insemination while Dr Jose Antonio Zozaya, subdirector for the Mexican National Program for the Control of Africanized Honeybees, discussed the various plans and programmes for the Mexican National Program. The seminar included a visit to a National Queen Production Operation and gave ample opportunity for debate and discussion. The attitude of the seminar was positive and co-operative.
(Apiculture Awareness, June 1989)
