Bookshelf

Bees for Development supports g in developing countries by making available books, reports and videos that have been prepared by beekeeping projects. These tend to be in very small print runs and would not be stocked by commercial book selling ventures. Where possible reviews are published in Bookshelf. Many of these titles are held only by Bees for Development and the information they contain would not be otherwise accessible. We stock also a selected range of the best publications on bees, beekeeping and related subjects. Income we receive from orders supports the Bees for Development information service for beekeepers in developing countries. Please buy all your bee reading and viewing from Bees for Development!

Bees of the World

Christopher O'Toole and Anthony Raw

1999 — 192 pages. Paperback. Bees for Development price UK£20

A new paperback edition of the book enjoyed by anyone with a liking for bees. It is full of interesting illustrations (many in colour) and helpful diagrams. The book explains what bees are, and how they differ from other insects. With a world fauna of 25,000 described species, in numbers bees easily outstrip amphibians and reptiles (5,500 species), birds (8,600 species) and mammals (3,500 species), and new bee species are being identified every year. Most bee species are solitary and the life cycles of mining, mason, leaf-cutter and carder bees are described. The road leading to social honeybees and stingless bees is then discussed. The final chapters focus on bees and flowers, with a whole chapter devoted to the unlikely partners: bees and orchids. The idea of the male honeybee as the lazy, feckless drone, relying on workers to feed him, has permeated our culture. To set the record straight the authors have devoted a whole chapter to males of the species, carefully emphasising the vital role of male bees.

Nature Wars: People v Pests

Mark Winston

1999 — 210 pages. Paperback. Available from Bees for Development price UK£12

An articulate and readable exploration of how humans live amongst other species. Mark Winston exposes some great anomalies: the public outcry heard against environmental pollution, and yet total intolerance to insects in our domestic environment; the perceived pestulance of some species, and yet the toxic effects of the chemicals we use to kill them.

Over ten chapters Mark Winston provides insight into various themes. One chapter "Frankenstein plants" neatly explains bioengineering of plants; useful reading for anyone who would join the current GM crop debate. Another is devoted to "Bees and other beneficials", explaining how we have destroyed wild bee populations and, instead of restoring them so they can continue pollination, have substituted an alternative, complex and expensive pollination industry. This text was deservedly short listed for the BP Natural World Book Prize, and is available now for the first time in paperback.

Honey in the Kitchen

by Joyce White, revised by Valerie Rogers

2000 (2nd edition) — 62 pages. Paperback. Available from Bees for Development price UK£10

A compendium of well tested recipes containing honey. This revised edition includes drinks, breakfasts, honey puddings and sweets, cakes and biscuits, and honey with salads and fruit.

Videoshelf

The Magic Trees of Assam

Idea and Scientific Advisor Gerald Kastberger, Directed by Paul Reddish Narrated by Sir David Attenborough

1999 -VHS/PAL. Running time: 51 minutes. Available from Bees for Development price UK£45

A marvellous new video that will fascinate everyone. It follows the journey of a giant honeybee colony as it migrates from the foothills of the Himalayas to the plains of Assam. There is fantastic filming of the giant honeybee Apis dorsata: how the colony lives and works, defending itself from predators, and most remarkably, gathering to leave on migration. We see as if from the eye of the bee as she flies south over forest and rivers. The colony has to stop several times en route, each time for a few days, to fill up with fuel (nectar) for the next leg of the journey. Journey’s end is a majestic silk cotton Bombax ceiba tree in the plains of Assam. This "Magic Tree" is full of Apis dorsata colonies. But how do they know to come here? Only the queen may have been here last year: the workers and drones are too short lived to have been here before. The beginning of the video focuses on the aggressive nature of the giant bees. The video goes on to show exactly why they have to be so defensive: predators include not only Yacoub, the highly skilled, agile and confident village honey hunter, but also giant spiders, honey buzzards, wasps and ants. There is superb film of golden langur monkeys feasting on golden honeycomb, and Himalayan pygmy hogs feeding on fallen scraps. These are just a few glimpses of the many special sights, filmed for the first time here.

This is a wonderful video, in a class of its own, It is not yet on general release: copies are available only for educational use.

The relatively high price of this video reflects the many years of research that have gone into its production.