Bookshelf

Sixty years with bees

by Donald Sims

Northern Bee Books, Henden Bridge, United Kingdom (1997) 282 pages. Paperback. Available from Bees for Development price £14.00

Donald Sims is clearly an expert beekeeper. In this new book he passes on all those skills and stories from sixty years of beekeeping. He is also a very tidy and methodical beekeeper - we can detect this from the pictures of his apiaries and most revealing his bee box full of tools. All the contents - smoker, hammer, pencil, etc are ready for action.

The book is highly readable with colour pictures and good line drawings. Every aspect of small - scale, frame hive beekeeping as practised in Europe is covered. There is usefully comprehensive index.

comprehensive index. The best way to learn beekeeping is to accompany skilled and competent beekeeper. This book provides the next best thing: a companion in written form. It might well become classic amongst beekeeping texts.

A read-about, fold-out, and pop-up BEE

by David Hawcock and Lee Montgomery

Random House Inc, New York, USA (1994). Hardback. Available from Bees for Development price £5.00

The title says it all. A neat little book from the “Bouncing Bugs” series introducing bees. Features fold out to reveal the inside of a bee, or the inside of a hive. Finally the piece de la resistance: when the covers are folded back, up pops whole, three- dimensional bee!

Wonderful for children of all

Guide to bees and honey

by Ted Hooper

Marson House. Yeovil. United Kingdom (1997 4th edition). 272 pages. Paperback. Available from Bees for Development price £12.00

This is the new edition of a beekeeping text that has proved enduringly popular and valuable. It provides a reliable, comprehensive introduction for those wishing to begin beekeeping with European bees and equipment.

The new edition contains information about Varroa disease and treatment currently permitted in the United Kingdom.

There are many photographs and illustrations making this book excellent value for money.

Introduction to batik

by Heather Griffin and Margaret Hone Search Press, Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom (1995 reprint). 48 pages. Paperback. Available from Bees for Development price £7.00

Batik is an ancient craft, at least 2000 years old. It has evolved around the principle that wax and water do not mix, therefore an area of fabric covered with wax will not accept dye. Starting with white fabric, hot wax is applied to the areas to be kept white, and then the fabric is dyed for the first time. The fabric is then waxed in those areas that are to be kept in this first colour, and the process repeated with a second colour. Wax and dyeing is continued in this way until the picture is built up, and finally all the wax is removed This useful book describes the equipment and materials needed for batik. It gives instructions and practical advice for a number of batik works, wall hangings and clothing. These will appeal to both beginners and more experienced workers.

The art of batik: flowers and landscapes

by Mary Taylor Search Press, Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom (1995). 80 pages. Paperback. Available from Bees for Development price £11.00

This book also gives excellent detailed instruction on how to do batik. Step- by-step guides show how to complete a flower picture. Mary Taylor also produces complex landscape pictures in batik and this book shows many excellent examples - and illustrates, picture by picture, how some of them were achieved.

Very inspiring!

Natural pest and disease control

by Henry Elwell and Anita Maas Natural Farming Network, Zimbabwe (1995) 128 pages. Paperback. Available from Bees for Development price £12.00

A systematic compilation of natural ways to control plant pests and disease. Part gives four steps to re-establishing the Natural Order, to prevent pests and diseases. Part II gives natural ways to control pests and diseases. Part III gives remedies to protect field crops, and Part IV deals with protecting stored seed and grain

The book is primarily intended for East and Southern Africa, but its recommendations are of interest far beyond this region. Pests like aphids, whitefly, slugs and snails occur everywhere! The text is in English, with plant names Latin, English, Shona, Ndebele, Setswana, Chinyanja and Kiswahili.

The book was published with assistance from the Protection Improvement Programme of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala. It is included in our list because natural ways of controlling pests and diseases cause less harm to bees and their environment.

Secrets of the beehive

Thorne (Beehives) Ltd, Wragby, United Kingdom. Available from Bees for Development price £5.00 for 2

Teach children about bees! They will enjoy colouring in these pictures, and then making them into an information wheel chart. As the lower wheel is rotated, different aspects of life within the colony come into view.

Good fun!

Video shelf

Beehive Films: Getting Started

E H Thorne (Beehives) SHELF Ltd, Wragby, United Kingdom VHS. Running time 35 minutes. Available from Bees for Development price £18.00 including airmail postage and packing

Rebecca and Nathan are beginning beekeeping. This video follows them buying their frame hive and installing a six-frame nucleus of bees. The video shows the main events of their first beekeeping season, introducing items of equipment, showing how to light smoker, simple colony inspection, feeding bees, marking the queen. At the end of summer the first super is harvested - using an electric honey extractor. Useful for introducing non-beekeepers to frame hive beekeeping with European bees.

PRICE UPDATE

Development of training materials in agriculture: a course manual

by Anthony Youdeowei and Joseph Kwarteng

Reviewed in B&D42, now available at £20.00

Tropical bees and the environment

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

Reviewed in B&ID42, now available at £25.00

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