Bookshelf

The World-Wide Fundraiser’s Handbook

by Michael Norton

Directory of Social Change, London, United Kingdom (1996) 270 pages. Paperback. Available from Bees for Development price £15.50

Everyone responsible for fund-raising for an NGO or voluntary organisation will appreciate this book it is crammed full of sensible advice and expert tips for success.

All the main steps along the path to locating funds are described: devising strategy, writing proposals, different types of donor to approach, and alternative techniques to use direct mail shots, fund-raising events, bliections, and many others. There is no quick way to raise funding all the successful methods require considerable research, commitment and perseverance. his brilliant book can help to make your Pfforts more effective.

Beeswax Crafts

contributions from Norman Battershill, David Constable, Linda Crouch, Liz Duffin and Polly Pinder

Search Press, Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom (1996) 80 pages. Paperback. Available from Bees for Development price £11.50

This colourful book describes five quite different crafts using beeswax. These are candle making; modelling; making beauty creams, soaps and polishes; encaustic art; and wax crayons. An excellent example of encaustic art is shown on B&D’s cover.

Each of the five crafts is described by top expert in the field. With detailed text, assisted by an abundance of colour photographs, every process is clearly described.

A problem for people in some countries might be to obtain supplies of exactly the specialist materials and equipment that are mentioned in the book. In this case, the authors suggest that you write to them for details of mail-order suppliers. However another clever and crafty solution is to modify and test the methods and recipes according to the resources you have available. This book will provide you with excellent new ideas for generating more income from your beekeeping. Highly recommended.

Development of training materials in agriculture: a course manual

by Anthony Youdeowei and Joseph Kwarteng

West African Rice Development Association, Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire (1996) 104 pages. Paperback Available from Bees for Development price £25.00 approximately

This manual aims to help with planning and producing effective training materials Part explains the principles involved in effective writing and editing, arranging good illustrations, preparing for print, producing low-cost materials, publicity and evaluation. Part describes how to apply these principles when producing training guides, newsletters, extension folders and visual aids.

The manual is full of sound and practical advice that will help you to communicate your message effectively.

Ex Africa

by Ron Brown

Ron Brown, Torquay, United Kingdom (1996) 112 pages. Paperback. Available from Bees for Development price £11.50

Ron Brown started beekeeping in Zambia after swarm arrived at his home He had no knowledge of beekeeping, but within two years was harvesting over 40 kg of honey per hive and selling it at good price. This was with home- made hives and equipment, and Ron never owned an extractor. He describes how he gradually learned ways of handling bees, described by Ron as “these intelligent creatures”, so that during his last few years in Central Africa he never had less than six hives in his garden, even in the middle of towns like Ndola and Lusaka.

This book is personal account of Ron Brown’s life and teaching career in Africa between 1953 and 1964. It is divided into three parts: Part deals 1 with African bees and beekeeping; Part 2 with miscellany of ‘African topics’ and Part 3 with Ron Brown's family life in Africa.

A similar publication in many ways, to F G Smith's Three cells of honeycomb, and Julian Johnston's nomad amongst the bees, both reviewed in B&D40. We seem to have new genre here: “Autobeeographies”?!

Tropical bees and the environment

edited by Makhdzir Mardan, Abdullah Sipat, Kamaruddin, Mohd Yusoff, Ruth Kiew and Mohd Mathieu Abdullah

BEENET Asia, Serdang, Malaysia (1997) 308 pages. Paperback. Available from Bees for Development price £25.00 approximately

Here is valuable new book packed with interesting facts. It contains 34 essays by range of international authors. All discuss some aspect of tropical bees in Asia, Africa or the Americas, and fall broadly into four main categories: ecological, purely scientific, indigenous beekeeping culture, and approaches to beekeeping development. Some essays are very brief, others are long and detailed, and serve as useful reviews of the subject covered. Two such examples are Tom Rinderer's account of African bees introduced to the Americas ( the so-called 'Killer bees') and Eva Crane's authoritative discussion of 'Bees, mankind and the environment'

This eclectic publication is the final published outcome of an excellent meeting held in the Malaysian rainforest in 1995, organised by Makhdzir Mardan and his team at BEENET Asia (described in B&D 35). An important function of the meeting was to focus attention on honey hunting for income generation in tropical forests.

Reforming world trade: the social and environmental priorities

by Caroline LeQuesne

Oxfam Publishing, Oxford, United Kingdom (1996) 114 pages. Paperback. Available from Bees for Development price £6.00

Trade can support livelihoods: production of a commodity for export can generate income, employment and the foreign exchange that poor countries want for development. But trade can also destroy livelihoods, cause environmental destruction, and lead to unacceptable levels of exploitation.

unacceptable levels of exploitation. Powerful, transnational companies are publicly unaccountable. Their growing strength and mobility have been helped by technological advances, and by the progressive withdrawal of investment controls by governments and by the GATT/World Trade Organisation. These huge companies maximise their profits by exploiting the differences in social and environmental standards that exist between countries. Under these circumstances countries are forced to compete to provide goods at the lowest possible prices.

Around 25% of world trade involves primary products: timber, minerals, tea, coffee. It is many of the world’s poorest countries that are dependent on these exports for foreign exchange. Yet the environmental costs of these commodities are not accounted for in their price.

This book argues that there should be better rules governing world trade, protecting people's basic rights and ensuring proper development

A number of case studies are described: for example, the garments industry in Bangladesh, and the banana trade in the Windward Islands. Sustainable development is discussed: how can environmental costs be included in private and public policy decisions? Finally the book suggests the reforms needed to make trade fair and sustainable.

Video Shelf

Namibia's Honey Harvesters

produced by MOKOBO Video Research and NBC

Directorate of Forestry Namibia, in association with ODA, United Kingdom and Réssing Foundation, Namibia (1996) VHS. Running time 32 minutes.

Available from Bees for Development price £25.00 including airmail postage and packing

The sound of the marimba accompanies this pleasant and interesting video of beekeeping underway in Namibia. It begins with honey hunter, removing the stone that acts as a doorway for colony that he has been harvesting for the past fifteen years. We watch as he carefully takes his annual share of the honeycombs and replaces the stone.

The video then accompanies Derek Sherratt, VSO volunteer, as he travels to schools and beekeeping centres in northern Namibia, demonstrating simple and low-cost methods of beekeeping. Derek’s calm and practical approach obviously pays off, as he discovers when one of his students is inspired to go home and build his own top-bar hive. very good portrayal of beekeeping and development.

Filmstrips

These products each consist of a film strip and accompanying booklet. Each film strip is a series of 35 mm colour pictures. These can be displayed using certain types of projectors. Alternatively, the film can be cut and each frame mounted to make a set of slides, to use in slide projects in the usual way. Each booklet shows the pictures in black and white and provides explanatory text for each, intended as speaker's notes.

Varroasis of the honeybee

FAO, Rome, Italy (1989) Audio-visual programme with filmstrip of 106 frames and booklet in English or French Available from Bees for Development price £25.00 including airmail postage and packing

The programme is presented in two parts: Part 1 is description of Varroa disease, what it is and why it poses threat to beekeeping. Part 2 is technical information, how to diagnose and combat Varroa using chemical or biological methods.

The pictures and text produce a useful source of information about Varroa and how to cope with it. The pictures are of high quality and together with well thought-out graphics tell their story very clearly. The sequence of pictures of Varroa and its effect on bees will be helpful to beekeepers who are unsure how to identify the mite.

Pictures of African beekeeping are used which may lead some to believe wrongly that Varroa is already present South of the Sahara.

Although now a little old this series remains an excellent source of pictures to assist with talks or training sessions about Varroa. It should be used also in countries that are so far without Varroa mite: it provides compelling evidence against honeybee importation and the possibility of introducing this parasite.

Lapiculture en Afrique Equatoriale: le miel, richesse de notre nature

FAO, Rome, Italy (1989) Filmstrip of 76 frames and booklet in French. Available from Bees for Development price £25.00 including airmail postage and packing

These pictures explain the origin of honey and the way the Pygmy people collect it in Equatorial Rainforests of Congo. The basics of movable-frame and fixed-comb beekeeping are shown, and honey and other hive products are introduced. This programme could be useful for a wider audience being newly introduced to the idea of beekeeping.

Lapiculture en Afrique Equatoriale: parlons d’abeilles, de fleurs et d’apiculture

FAO, Rome, Italy (1989) Filmstrip of 82 frames and booklet in French. Available from Bees for Development price £25.00 including airmail postage and packing

These pictures give more detail about nectar and pollen, and their collection by honeybees and harvest by beekeepers. Basic equipment is shown, along with an explanation of the products: honey, wax, and propolis.

These two L'apiculture en Afrique Equatoriale filmstrips are excellent sources of top- quality pictures of bees, African honey hunting and beekeeping. Some pictures are common to both sets. The pictures include title frames.

Books to Buy is also published on the World Wide Web HTTP://WWW.GUILFORD.AC.UK/beehive

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