In Issue 52

Dear friends

This Edition of B&D comes to you from India. This is special edition, prepared and printed by one of Bees for Development's partner organisations, Keystone Foundation.

Keystone is group of dynamic young people who work in the Nilgiris mountains of Tamil Nadu in South India. Some of the people that Keystone works with are honey hunters, making living from collecting honey and wax from huge colonies of Apis dorsata bees, nesting high in mountain cliffs. It was shared interest in the work of honey hunters that first brought Bees for Development and Keystone together. In recent years we have co-operated on a number of activities and projects. This is the first time that Bees for Development has worked with another group to produce an edition of B&D.

We hope you will enjoy reading this edition prepared with the flavour of South India. Let us know what you think!

Nicola Bradbear

Dear friends

The articles in this issue have been contributed by various people who work with indigenous bees and people. Information gleaned in this issue is an attempt to bridge the gap, share knowledge and experiences of several thousand indigenous people who are dependent on honey bees for their livelihood.

We express our thanks to Bees for Development, U.K. for giving us this opportunity to put across our perspective to the beekeeping world.

Keystone Foundation

keystone.ktg@vsnl.com

Bees for Development

1 Agincourt Street, Monmouth NP25 3DZ, UK Tel: +44 (0)1600 714848 info@beesfordevelopment.org www.beesfordevelopment.org