News

BRAZIL

Our intention is to alert people to the ecological value of bees. Until now all swarms appearing in the city were exterminated, because people are not aware of the value of bees:

Since 1992 my partner, Leila Martini and have captured over 300 swarms in Sorocaba and now we need other beekeepers to help us with this. We work entirely on voluntary basis and have been invited to demonstrate our activity to the newspapers and on TV. Now we are starting another project to benefit our city: we are establishing a municipal apiary. Street boys will be able to develop beekeeping as source of income and have profession too. We will include honey in the school snacks distributed by health posts and day nurseries providing food to poor people Since we started this work our activities have increased continuously, with invitations to teach school children and show bees in glass boxes.

People are very receptive to our ideas and are interested in the great benefits that bees give us.

Ménica Grohmann Beekeeping & Development's correspondent in Brazil

DOMINICA, GRENADA, ST LUCIA, ST VINCENT

Beekeepers and government quarantine officers are co-operating in developing quarantine standards in these four nations. The rules are aimed at protecting the natural environment for the beekeeping industry.

“It's a very important step,” said volunteer consultant Laurence Cutts of Gainesville, USA, who is the State of Florida's chief of apiary inspection. “The beekeepers and the quarantine officers are aware of the dangers of disease to bee colonies, and they're working on the same wavelength. That's the real success of my visit seeing both sides in tune with each other and determined to work out a solution. It's certainly better than having the government impose something uninformed and having beekeepers trying to get around it”

On recent mission, Cutts inspected hives on all four islands. He had hoped to inspect and certify at least 20% of the islands’ apiaries, but poor weather put an end to those hopes. Still he managed to see enough to come away pleased about the continued state of development of the beekeeping business, “I’m happy to say that the environment is really very clean”, Cutts said. “There had been some problems in St Vincent in the past. However, I didn't find anything this time, which means the beekeepers are doing good job. It’s under control.”

Cutts said he did find one particular pest on three of the islands, and he believes the problem is probably the result of importing infected queens from the United States. And that’s why he's so pleased about finding both the beekeeping industry and the quarantine service reading from the same page.

“The quarantine is very important”, he said. “The beekeepers understand the need as it relates to their business, and the quarantine people understand what the businesses meant to their economies. it’s great feeling, seeing them work together”.

Communiqué Vol. 9 N 4o

GUINEA

The Guinea Natural Resource Management Project has been focusing efforts towards honey and wax production as an income- generating activity. The project is based in the Fouta Djallon Highlands, referred to as the “water tower of West Africa”, the source of major rivers such as the Niger and the Gambia.

The Dadant hive was introduced to Guinea during the early 1970s, but the National Apiculture Centre has confirmed the hive to be neither cost-effective nor practical. The Kenya top-bar hive has been in use for over five years, and it is proving to be productive and efficient. Fifteen beekeepers in the Diaforé watershed are participating in a three-apiary demonstration of 30 hives So far, the hive

occupancy rate has been high, and chimpanzees have not discovered the treasures that lie within, as they often do with the locally-woven bamboo hives! Beekeepers in the Koundou watershed are concentrating on the use of locally-made smokers and bee suits to help with harvesting from their traditional bamboo hives. A nascent enterprise, APIGUINEE, purchased almost one tonne of ‘their crudely filtered but high quality honey during the past season.

The Guinea NRM Project is run by Chemonics International, an American based consulting firm in collaboration with the National Department of Forestry and Hunting, and is funded by the US Agency for International Development.

Steven Aversa

MALAYSIA

In Sarawak, a scientific approach to beekeeping began in the Agriculture Research Centre, Semongok in 1985. Today the Research Centre continues activities in bee botany, colony management, queen rearing and pest and disease control. It also provides training and follow-up courses to beekeepers.

Following the implementation of subsidy programme 1991, beekeeping is practised in many areas of Sarawak. Today there are more than 100 beekeepers looking after about 300 colonies.

SCT Leong

NICARAGUA

Local honey is popular in Nicaragua and although poor people find it expensive, they value its medicinal qualities - after a baby is born the mother takes honey for its cleansing properties and the mouth of the baby is given a honey wash to guard against disease.

Theft of honey is serious problem. Thieves work at night - knocking down hives and then running away. Later they return and steal the honey. The police cannot deal with this problem. Does anyone have good suggestions to prevent this?

Nicaraguan honey is exported to the UK and Belgium through Oxfam and Twin Trading. Conchita Rodriguez

PERU

The Valle Grande Rural Institute began its work in 1965. Technical assistance on beekeeping is provided including training, equipment, production of nuclei and honey extraction. Annual courses in basic and advanced beekeeping are run at the Institute's apiary. Watch Learn Ahead for details of the next course.

Jaime Rodriguez P

TANZANIA

Lindi and Mtwara

The beekeepers of Lindi and Mtwara Regions have established a new Beekeeping Association LIMBA. The Association has started with 220 beekeepers and we held our first annual meeting in August 1994. FINNIDA (Finland) has helped by funding this new Association in its initial stages.

Ahmad S Khalid

Tabora

The Sisters (Daughters of Mary) whose house is located a few metres from Tabora Beekeepers’ Co-operative Society's honey factory, have now started candle manufacturing industry There is every possibility of finding good market for the beeswax candles in Europe. Instead of selling crude beeswax our country will benefit by selling value-added commodities and our Society will have created new market for its beeswax just a few metres from its premises.

Traidcraft Exchange have sponsored a candle expert, Mr Jim Hunter, to stay with the Sisters and help them to make good quality candles. Every effort is being made to ensure that the Sisters have the appropriate apparatus that they require for the manufacture of high quality candles.

Justin Madaha