Bookshelf

The natural history of pollination

by Michael Proctor, Peter Yeo and Andraur Lack

Harper Collins Publishers, London, United Kingdom (1996) 479 pages. Paperback. Available from Bees for Development price £20.49

Pollination ecology is dynamic field of research, with much activity during the last 25 years or so. This book draws together information on pollination biology, giving comprehensive introduction to the subject. Pollination studies help our understanding of how plants and social insects evolved. In turn this contributes to current ecological and evolutionary theories.

This is an important new text giving a world-wide look at pollination. Of course bees are not the only pollinators: birds, bats, butterflies, mice and possums are also discussed.

The book is beautifully illustrated with black and white line drawings and photographs, and 45 colour photographs. These help to show how a size, shape, positioning, conspicuousness, guide marks and food supply are all important indicators of how flower will be pollinated.

Honey: practical manual for African community beekeepers

edited by Similola Towry-Coker

The Participatory Development Resource Centre for Africa section of United Nations Volunteers, Harare, Zimbabwe (1995) 52 pages. Paperback. In English and French. Available from Bees for Development price £7.50

This is smartly produced book with a worthwhile aim: to provide practical manual for African community beekeepers. The layout is excellent, the pictures are very good and clear, and the text is presented in an easy to read style. Some of the information will already be familiar to readers of this journal! However few mistakes have crept in, for example, confusion between methods for top-bar hives and frame hives, and while several different types of hives are described, there are not quite enough practical details for readers to get started. This would be nice book to accompany students who are also attending practical beekeeping course.

Bee pollen: properties, collection, preservation and consumption

by Seyed Javad Saadatmand

Available from Seyed Javad Saadatmand, Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology, Tehran Iran

A new, two hundred page paperback in Arabic, all about pollen. The purpose of pollen for plants, how it is gathered by bees, its identification, how it is harvested by beekeepers, and its use in apitherapy.

First aid for bee and wasp stings

by Mihaly Simics

Apitronic Services, Richmond, Canada (1995) 32 pages. Paperback. Available from Bees for Development price £7.50

An introduction to the stinging insects of North America. A clear explanation of stings and their effects, removing a sting, providing first aid to insect stings and bites, precautions, allergy tests, immunotherapy, sting treatments, home remedies, first aid for pets, benefits of insect- venoms. A neat for beekeepers to keep handy

VIDEO

Bees, beekeeping and ecological agriculture produced by Agriculture

Man Ecology ETC-Consultants India Pvt Ltd AME Programme, Bangalore, India (1995) Running time 23 minutes. VHS. Available from Bees for Development price £15.65

Interesting facts about Indian bees and the management of Apis cerana. The video explains the basics of beekeeping, the role of bees in ecology and how bees and trees can be incorporated into farming system. Information on the damage caused by pesticides, improved crop yields due to honeybee pollination, and the benefits of beekeeping to landless people.

From the video “Bees, beekeeping and ecological agriculture” produced by the AME Programm

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