BEEKEEPING & DEVELOPMENT 44
by Ramiro In
B&D43
GIOVANNI ONORE
A NATURAL TERMITE REPELLENT Velastegui and Giovanni Onore, Ecuador
Rainer Krell
suggested a number of ways to prevent termite ants attacking hives. Now Giovanni Onore
shares details of a natural method, using extract from lupin seeds, to make wooden hives
termite-resistant.
In the tropics, at altitudes from sea level to
Lupin seeds
1500m, one of the most common and serious problems that beekeepers face is the destruction of hives by harmful agents like termites. Termites need cellulose as a main part of their diet and therefore search for wood sources. The termites penetrate the hive walls and eat the wooden structures. They cause great and irreversible damage.
boiled and then soaked in water for five to six days to eliminate the poisonous and bitter substances.
Mr Berni Loor is a beekeeper in Ecuador’s Manabi Province, near the Pacific Coast. Using
his own knowledge and the experience of other beekeepers in the region, he has discovered a very efficient and cheap method to prevent this problem. He uses a home-made repellent using chemicals extracted from the seeds of the plant Lupinus mutabilis. This is locally known as “choco”, and grows in the tropical and temperate regions of the highlands of the Andes, from Colombia to Bolivia. The seeds of this plant are rich in protein, and therefore our people have always used them as part of their diet. According to De
METHOD The repellent is made from the water in which the “choco” seeds were boiled. This cooking water is mixed with one spoonful of liquid soap per litre. It is not yet known which chemical, or group of chemicals, from the seeds of these plants are responsible for the action against the termites. It is probably the toxic alkaloids that are present in a high proportion.
Before they are used, hive boxes and frames are washed thoroughly with this mixture. They are then soaked in the same liquid for at least two days to allow the ingredients to penetrate into the wood. After the hive boxes have been treated with the compound, they are dried out completely in the open air. The active ingredients impregnate the wooden surfaces, forming a long-lasting barrier that repels intruding insects.
GIOVANNI ONORE
Lucca & Zalles writing in Yesid & Correa (1992), the “choco” seeds, prior to being eaten are
Reference YESID,H; CORREA,] E (1992)
Especies vegetales promisorias de los Paises del Convenio Andrés Bello.
Editora Guadalupe Ltda, Santafé de Bogota, DC, Colombia
Lupinus mutabilis
ts
bw
>
2
bees
Dear Editor B&D42 you printed
an article about introducing Australia to Céte d'Ivoire in bees from European
In
Africa. think your condemnation of such attempts introduction of bees was not strong enough! |
hope that all the imported colonies have been kille by the African bees. If not, can you tell us if the foreign expert is quite satisfied with their honey production and pollination? How can US Aid support such a crazy idea?
I
would be pleased if at the Apimondia Congress in Antwerp you tell leaders of organisations to campaign against the introduction of European bees to Africa. Brother Adam said that Africa was a “reserve of genes for the future”. 1
In Cameroon we have no European or American foulbrood or Varroa. If these diseases have been introduced into Céte d'Ivoire then they will soon also be in Cameroon.
FOUR
envne sevnsvsevevesdneeasoeeoa
eses
Apis mellifera adansonii here in West and Central Africa is quite
capable of producing plenty of honey! What the experts must do is select, as we did in Europe, but of course this takes a long time. It is more fun to carry hundreds of bee hives by ship and plane using other people’s money. Thank you for hearing my call in the name of African bee farmers. You and I know that importation of bees is not a good thing and we must protest as much as possible to ensure this experience is not renewed. ;
;
;
Yours in anger
André Romet Mr Romet
is working with the Non-Governmental
Organisation ADEID in
Bafoussam, Cameroon
Note from the Editor: American foulbrood was recently identified in two apiaries in North West Province of Cameroon by Alan Morley, working for BESO. A Bees for Development publication
