News

CHINA

The Chinese Journal of Bee recently provided some entertainment for “diverting oneself from loneliness in the wilderness where migratory beekeepers are required to live”. Beekeepers were asked to vote for their 15 favourite articles that had been published in Journal of Bee. Authors of the 15 articles receiving most votes were awarded with prizes, and the reader with the high percent of hits was titled “Most Honourable Reader".

Thanks to Gan Jiaming for this translation from Journal of Bee

MONTSERRAT

Appeal We need to build new honey house in the safe zone because of volcanic activities. We cannot do beekeeping in Harris, St Patrick, Plymouth or Cork Hill any more. We have approached the Montserrat Department of Agriculture for help: all they can do is to give us transportation to move the bees to the safe zone (see map). The Department of Agriculture cannot help us in any other way.

We need to save our beekeeping equipment such as extractors, storage tanks, and uncapping tanks. We have purchased piece of land in the safe zone but we do not have the money to build honey house. We are now asking anyone who can assist us to build the honey house. We need USS6000. We need this money urgently because we cannot go back to our beekeeping in the danger zone. Please can anyone try and help us. The money can be sent to Barclays Bank, Montserrat, account number 30 40 143 318.

Cynthia Williams, President, Montserrat Beekeepers’ Association, Bridgefield, Harris, Montserrat, West Indie

GHANA

FAO takes initiative The FAO Regional Office for Africa based in Accra, Ghana organised one-week Regional Training Seminar on Beekeeping and Mushroom Farming at Ho, Volta Region, in November 1996.

The Seminar was attended by 60 small-scale community beekeepers and resource persons from Benin, Burkina Faso, Céte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Togo and Ghana.

The main objective of the Seminar was to encourage rural employment using available opportunities, especially non-traditional farming activities. These can boost food production and improve the nutrition of rural communities.

The Seminar participants studied the possibility of establishing a Regional Training Programme on Beekeeping and Mushroom Farming.

Kwame Aidoo B&D'’s Correspondent in Ghana

INDIA

National Conference on Tropical Bees and the Environment The first three-day National Conference under the auspices of Century Foundation and organised by Dr Sivaram, Dr Anita Menon and Dr Shubha Rani was held in Bangalore in December 1996.

The Conference was inaugurated by Professor L R Verma and covered Bees and the Environment; Bee Botany and Pollination; Bee Pathology; and Beekeeping Management and Bee Economics. Session Chairmen were: Dr Channabasavanna, Dr Mattu, Dr Rajagopal and Dr Singh. Field visits to inspect the apiary of the Entomology Department of the University of Agricultural Sciences, and to Nandi Hills, Kolar District were also organised.

UGANDA

Assistance needed

Atek Development Association is in Soroti District of Eastern Uganda, 260 miles north east of Kampala. People here are subsistence farmers. Their crops include beans, cassava, millet, peas, pigeon peas, simsim, sorghum, soya beans and sweet potatoes. Most families live in houses made of mud and wattle with roofs of thatched grass.

Soroti District was badly hit during the six years of rebel activities from 1986 to 1992. There were also cattle raids by the neighbouring Karamejong tribe. All these destroyed the economy. The region that was once using ox-ploughs was now using hand hoes. This affected food production and caused the area to suffer frequently from famine.

This area is forest land, and during the rebel activity the rebels were slow to surrender to the Government, because of the good vegetation cover. This led to the displacement of people. We took refuge in Kaberamaido Trading Centre, where the Government troops were, for the four years from 1988 to 1992. When the insurgency died down, we settled back and established new home. The old home was burnt down by the rebels, because my father was an ex-army officer who had refused to join the war.

Atek Development Association undertakes beekeeping, soya bean, and simsim cultivation. The Association selected these activities because they have higher economic value than others. With the privatisation process now taking place in Uganda, market has sprung up with firms offering to buy soya bean and simsim to extract oils for cooking. There are also business men looking for honey to buy for export.

In case you want to advise us, or send us any information, or get more information from us, be assured that this is welcome.

John Martin Epyetu, Chairman Atek Development Association, Uganda

UNITED KINGDOM

Congratulations, Kitgum!

I have been enjoying the United Kingdom‘s National Honey Show for fifteen years but the best in all that time was held in London during the last three days of November 1996: this one was particularly exciting.

All the most important British beekeeping organisations were there, including of course Bees for Development, with their attractive stand of trees featuring hives from different parts of the world.

A fascinating exhibit of honey, wax and propolis was from the Kitgum Women’s Honey Farm in Uganda. These were displayed along with photographs. The Kitgum Chairperson had travelled 300 miles to Kampala to ask His Excellency, the British High Commissioner, to deliver items for the National Honey Show to London, which he did while on leave. All the visitors were impressed by this story and the display was awarded second prize in the class for “An Interesting Beekeeping Exhibit” against some stiff competition. Well done, Kitgum! We hope that your example will inspire beekeepers all over the world to enter the show in future years.

How to take part in the Show

Class 3A is for two, colourless glass or plastic containers of clear honey from any part of the world (except the United Kingdom). In 1996 this Class was popular with exhibitors. There was honey from many countries, showing the variety of honey colours and types of packaging used. Class 3B is for three plain-moulded beeswax candles up to 38 mm in diameter. There is no entry fee for entering these two classes.

You do not need to spend day on bus as the Kitgum representative did, you can just post three candles! Wherever you are in the world, if the mail brings this magazine to you, it can deliver your entry to the Show. The schedule for this year's Show will be available in August and you can have one as soon as it is’ ready by writing in advance to Rev Francis Capener, Folkestone, United Kingdom.

Mary Fisher