News

INDONESIA

The Government Indonesia's Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology is embarking on national development programme to support small- scale beekeeping industries in Indonesia.

IRAN

Sistan and Baluchistan is the largest province of south-east Iran. I began in 1982 in lranshar City with 20 Langstroth hives containing Apis mellifera. Although honey gathering from Apis florea was already practised, beekeeping with movable-frame hives had not previously existed in this region, although there is hot weather in the summer for two or three months. Many parts of the province have been used for migratory beekeeping from other regions of Iran since 1984.

I extended beekeeping to other cities in this area and organised training classes for villagers. I have translated articles about beekeeping and have identified floral plants that bees use including Acacia, Albizia, Astragalus, Citrus, Lucerne, Prosopis and Proveskia artemizia.

Since 1984 when Varroa jacobsoni was found in apiaries in Iran I encountered serious problems. Finally I decided to use an integrated method invented by myself and foreign colleagues. I treat with tobacco in summer and autumn, I also use a dry balsam powder in autumn and kill drone brood in summer. Perhaps I am the first person not using chemical materials for controlling mites in bee hives in my country. I believe that chemical Varroacides are noxious for humans and bee colonies.

Farhad Nayeri

KENYA

Kitui Honey Refinery is run by a government company called Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority.

The project is in a semi-arid district and is one of the leading honey areas in Kenya, producing one-third of the honey produced in the country. Much of the honey is from log hives, but we also have campaign to introduce the Kenya top-bar hive.

Due to the harsh climate in this district artificial feeding of bees with sugar syrup is common. A 1:1 sugar syrup is used. We help bee farmers by offering ready market for their harvest and paying them well. We go to local markets to carry out tests on the honey. We test on sight for the quality, and check water content using refractometer. We also check for the amount of pollen. After checking we pay the farmer on sight or on delivery. We pack honey in plastic containers to avoid any rust from metal containers.

We buy honey in two forms 1) liquid and 2) crude. The liquid honey is easier to work with because it goes directly to the warming and packing machine. We filter the crude honey, retain the strained liquid honey and the combs are rendered to wax.

Refining - The semi-refined liquid honey goes to a tank where it is warmed. We keep stirring the honey until we get the right viscosity. From here we release it to pass through set of four sieves of cylindrical form with varying holes. From the sieves the honey goes to the settling tanks. The honey rests for over week. Any scum which forms on the top is removed and the refined honey is now bottled.

We pack our honey in 500g glass jars. The lid is sealed and the jars are labelled as shown. The jars are packed in cartons of 24. We send most of our honey to supermarkets in Nairobi. We have not yet tackled the overseas market but we hope to do so in the future.

Source: Andrew Chuchu.

LATIN AMERICA

The Latin American Association of Beekeepers (ALADA) was created on 25 November 1990. The general objectives of ALADA are to group all the Latin American and Caribbean institutions of beekeepers.

After several meetings with delegates different countries in Brazil and Argentina, Uruguay was proposed and elected unanimously as the first country headquarters of ALADA.

The principal objectives of ALADA are:

- to encourage the integration of beekeepers to defend our rights and improve our conditions.

- to move towards the development and improvement of beekeeping in the member countries:

- to encourage initiative towards the improvement of beekeepers, as well as the enhancement of beekeeping knowledge;

- to establish permanent relationships with national and international organisations, both government and private, to co-ordinate local or regional programmes to support the expansion of beekeeping.

The first task is to transform ALADA in each country, to integrate all beekeepers, associations, co-operatives, and public and private organisations related to beekeeping. If this is done on a national level, the results will serve as an example and will allow us to project ourselves with sufficient credentials establish the objectives of ALADA in the region.

Source: Ing Agr Daniel Bazzurro.

NEPAL

Beekeeping training for Nepalese women

The Women’s Development Section of Fikkal Village llam (in Far East Nepal) organised a programme on education and training on beekeeping for rural women with the technical support of RECAST, Tribhuvan University, Nepal. Sixteen women trainees participated in the programme. These trainees were not total beginners: the methods they knew were traditional ones ie log and wall hives. The main focus was to develop practical skills in preparing improved bee equipment like veils. smokers, hive tools and movable bar or frame hives by using local materials. Zinc queen excluders were taken from Kathmandu to the training site at Fikkal and were used for preparing queen gates while running the programme. A local carpenter was hired to construct hives and he was givens special guidance in front of the trainees during the classes. Besides this the trainees were also given education on basic biology and bee behaviour including swarming, absconding and laying workers. A further course will take place next year.

Madhusudan Man Singh.

RESEARCH ON TOP-BAR HIVE DESIGN

This IBRA research project is now underway at Njiro Wildlife Research Centre near Arusha in Tanzania. The purpose of the project is to establish optimum top-bar hive design and to prepare information material which will be widely applicable.

The first stage of the project is the establishment at Njiro's apiaries of 50 strong colonies. These will subsequently be used to stock the experimental hives.

In October Nicola Bradbear visited Njiro to discuss the project with Liana Hassan, Acting Director, andhis staff at the Research Centre.

The project is funded by ODA, UK.