Bookshelf

Asian apiculture

edited by Lawrence J Connor, Thomas Rinderer, H Allen Sylvester and Siriwat Wongsiri

Wicwas Press, Cheshire CT, USA (1993) 704 pages. Hardback. Available from Bees for Development, price £50.00

These are the texts of 80 papers presented during the International Conference on the Asian Honey Bees and Bee Mites held in Chulalongkorn University, Thailand in February 1992. All together they provide what must be the most comprehensive single publication on Asian honeybee biology available to date. Sections relate to biodiversity, biotechnology, pure biological research, bee products, pollination, bee mites, pathology, and pesticides The section on honeybee mites is particularly strong with many papers presented by scientists working on Varroa jacobsoni. The type of papers presented varies considerably: from honeybee molecular systematics to Thai honey wines with floral flavours. There is also a useful bibliography on Asian honeybees.

The contents of this volume reflect strongly the current status of Asian apiculture: knowledge of the biology of Asian honeybees is rapidly expanding but this is not yet assisting Asian beekeepers to manage their native honeybees any more satisfactorily.

The human factor in rural development

by Tom Gabriel Belhaven Press, London, UK and New York, USA (1991) 159 pages. Hardback. Available from Bees for Development, price £37.00

Those who are serious about assisting a community need a clear understanding of who they are trying to assist and the likely impact of the assistance. For example, there are many beekeeping projects which aspire to help rural women. But do the local women actually want more work, will they benefit from a new activity, or will it merely add to the pressures on them?

The human factor in rural development discusses knowledge of human thought and behaviour and provides insight into the needs of rural women’s programmes, extension services, pest management and rural health care activities. This book will be of interest to people who care about providing assistance that is the most helpful to the intended recipients

Living with killer bees: the story of the Africanized bee invasion

by Greg Flakus

Quick Trading Company, San Francisco, USA (1993) 144 pages. Paperback.

Available from Bees for Development price £13.00

An excellent account of how African bees ha spread through the Americas.

The story of Africanized bees is an astounding one. Greg Flakus has unearthed some new aspects of the saga and gathered together all the facts to make a most interesting account. A helpful text for people who know little of bees, and useful facts for beekeepers everywhere: at some time or another all beekeepers are asked to relate the story of killer bees.

The author, a skilled journalist, uses the K****R word to give an exciting title and cover to the book. But inside he has dropped the adjective ‘killer’ in favour of ‘Africanized’ by page four!

O polem no mel Brasileiro (The Pollen of Brazilian Honey)

by Monika O Barth

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnoldgico - CNPq, Brazil (1989 155 pages. Paperback. In Portuguese. Available from: Dr Monika Barth, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Price USS$25.00

This book is an important contribution to the study of tropical honeys. The results are based ’ on the analysis of 500 honey samples. Most of these samples are from honeybees, and were collected mainly in Rio de Janeiro state, also some honey samples from Meliponinae bees were collected from the states of Parnambuco and Parafba: 86 different pollen types are described and photographed. There is a discussion of qualitative and quantitative pollen analysis The most important families are Anacardiaceae, Compositae, Convolvulaceae, Leguminosa and Rubiaceae. At the end there is a useful glossary.

ROGEL VILLANEUVA

Esta publicagdo sé é disponivel em portugués

Bees of the world

by Christopher O'Toole and Anthony Raw

Blandford Press, London, UK (1994) 192 pages. Paperback. Available from Bees for Development, price £15.00

Paperback edition of this excellent introduction to bee species, first published in 1991. It describes the huge diversity of life styles and behaviour shown, starting with solitary bees and moving along to the sociality of honeybees and stingless bees. The excellent illustrations and colour photographs, accompanied by very clear text make this book special, and the price of this new paperback edition makes it good value too.

Note on markets, in the United Kingdom, France and Italy for selected products of the beekeeping industry: prospects and developments

ITC, Geneva, Switzerland (1992) 38 pages. Paperback. in English, Spanish and French editions. Available from: International Trade Centre CTAD/GATT, Switzerland. Price USS20.00.

This publication is sent free of charge to requests to the above address from developing countries.

This booklet considers royal jelly, pollen and propolis. For each of these products there is a description of the product itself, brief outline of how the product is collected from honeybee colonies and used by man, and the main countries which market it. This section contains plenty of useful information but also some errors. Information is given of importers and distributors in France, Italy and the United Kingdom. Based on further international enquiries in Europe, Japan and the USA an assessment is provided of general market trends for these products in recent years and in the medium term

Cette publication est accessible en française

Esta publication es disponible en española

Appropriate food packaging

by Peter Fellows and Barry Axtell Tool Publications, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (1993) 136 pages. Paperback. Available from Bees for Development (see “Books to Buy") price £14.00

Small-scale food processing is vitally a important economic activity in the developing world, and beekeepers, along with other food producers often experience great difficulties in obtaining suitable containers for their products.

This book does not relate specifically to beekeeping but it gives much useful information on all aspects of packaging materials and methods which can be cost- effective on a small-scale.

Sections include: types of food and prevention of deterioration; packaging materials; filling and labelling; production, re-use and recycling of packaging; implications of packaging; benefits and costs; useful references and addresses.

AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS BOOKSHELF

BOOKSHELF offers you an opportunity to reach readers in nearly every country of the world. Our aim is to review as many books on beekeeping and development as we can. Send copies of your publications to Bees for Development and we will do our best to review them in future edition of this journal. We may also stock them for sale: we are particularly interested to expand our range of books and visual aids on tropical beekeeping.

WAYS TO PAY

• Secure order and payment at www.beesfordevelopment.org

• PayPal to store@beesfordevelopment.org

• Credit/Debit card: We need card number, name on card, valid from and expiry dates, card issue number (if given), security number on back of card.

• Cheque/bank draft in GBP payable to Bees for Development

1 Agincourt Street, Monmouth NP25 3DZ, UK Tel: +44 (0)1600 714848 info@beesfordevelopment.org www.beesfordevelopment.org