BEEKEEPING
&
DEVELOPMENT 43
PROJECT OUTLINE A polien atlas of East African honey
plants
The Honeybee flora of Ethiopia published in 1994 has become a best selling publication. It describes an extensive collection of flowers from Ethiopia and neighbouring countries. These flowers have now been analysed further. The pollen grains from 400 of these honeybee flowers have been extracted and prepared for different microscopic analyses (light microscope, contrast microscope and scanning electron microscope). The shape and microstructure of each pollen grain will be documented photographically with a descriptive text.
In
B&D41 read |
from Njiro about a bee smoker appropriate f African conditions. However have been informed that some honey buyers are not interested in buying smoked honey and instead they demand to buy honey which has not been collected using smoke. Since these people have the money which we are looking for, we tend to say yes to them. We know very well that by gathering honey without the use of a smoker many bees die because they are taken by surprise without a warning. A beekeeper who loves his bees will become so sad seeing so many dead bees in his comb honey.
€,
|
Justin Madaha, Manager, Tabora Beekeepers’ Co-operative Society Lid, and B&D's
for melissopalynologists (who analyse the pollen grains in honey to determine its botanical origin), palynologists (botanists who study changes in vegetation via pollen grains) and other interested readers. It
will be useful to show which
plants are used by honeybees. For example the spectra of pollen grains in honey, or stored in honeybee colonies, reveals the importance of different plants for bees. We (myself and the other authors of this supplementary volume) are now looking for sponsors to make this project possible. API-Promo/GTZ and Olympus have offered some support but further assistance is needed. Dr Werner von der Ohe, Germany
TEN
Let us know if you would prefer to be reading B&D in French! We will send you the French edition instead of the The new French edition of B&D will be sponsored by API-Promo/GTZ
VApiculture et son Développement Le prochain numéro de B&D (numéro 44) sera publié séparément en anglais et en francais.
Faites-nous savoir si vous voudriez lire B&D en francais. Nous vous enverrons alors l’édition francaise au lieu de la version anglaise.
PRESERVE THE ENVIRONMENT?
Lédition francaise de B&D sera kes.
offerte par API-Promo/GTZ.
~
Correspondent in Tanzania
Dear Mr Madaha
We have read your response to our article about research on appropriate smokers. We are also aware that honey buyers from Europe request very clean honey that does not have a smoky taste. We agree with you that we beekeepers should be more concerned about our environment in the future, rather than quick profits from honey sales today. There is however a solution to both the environmental and the business problems. The solution is INFORMATION! 1.
We have to continue our struggle to inform our fellow beekeepers about the need to use a nice, cold and white smoke from a good smoker rather then using open fires or dangerous torches that give a bad smell and cause forest fires. We should also inform them how to make cheap, protective clothing and how to harvest clean honey without dirt or dead bees.
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English one.
a
Honeybee flora of Ethiopia in
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The next edition of B&D (number 44) will be published in separate French and English editions.
Even if beekeeper accepts the method of harvesting without using the smoker, honey may still be smoke-flavoured because of bush fires. This is due to “Early burning of the forest” to allow dry grass to burn without causing serious damage to the forest and at the same time to provide green grass for the beasts.
Which is Which to follow? MONEY OR
™
goes bilingual
New
We are planning to publish a supplementary volume to the
co-operation with the authors Reinhard Ficht! and Admasu Adi, and the publisher Margraf Verlag. The volume is intended
B&D
Ley
Dear Editor
2.
We should also direct information to the honey buyers in Europe and elsewhere about African honeys. We should explain to them that the honey from African forests and woodlands is free from pesticides and pollution. We should tell them that the miombo woodlands produce a nice honey with a “wild” taste that resembles the taste of smoke. Finally we should explain that the African honeys are many times richer in enzymes, pollen, proteins and minerals compared to honey from other big honey exporter nations.
The buyers of honey should be aware that buying honey from a poor country means support for a healthy trade between rich and poor that does not conflict with conservation efforts.
Good luck with your promotional efforts! Bérje Svensson and RS O Koisianga, Nijiro Wildlife Research Centre, Tanzania
PS: Remember that Europeans love the flavour of smoked food.
A Bees for Development publication
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