In Issue 62

It has been a real pleasure, and an enjoyable experience to fill in for Nicola while she has been working in Uganda in January. I am able to leave my University of Delaware position as we have a winter session in which I do not teach during January. I return in February to teach my two beekeeping courses. My development work experience has been in the Americas, as you can read in this issue. It was good to see some of the projects Bees for Development has had, and has on-going in some of the poorest countries. Not surprisingly find that the message is the same - bees and their I marvellous products — no matter how varied the audience and beekeeping methods used.

We invited Nicola to EAS (Eastern Apicultural Society) meetings last summer(which I have served as President and Board Chairman) and I had the chance to hear about Sustainable Livelihoods as a workable concept to help bring more significant development funding to beekeeping projects. One task I did here at Bees for Development was to review the Proceedings to come out of the Sustainable Livelihoods Symposium Bees for Development organised in year 2000 here in Wales. This publication should help set the agenda for determining if a sustainable livelihoods approach will be of assistance or not. Strengthening livelihoods: exploring the role of beekeeping in development will be out by the time you receive this edition of B&D (details on page 13).

I asked people involved in development from the USA to join me in contributing to this issue of BfD. I trust you will find the article by Mike Embrey and Bill Lord of interest and enlightening. I have included also the story of Africanised honeybees in the Americas because it has turned out to be a significant issue of beekeeping. The bee has so changed the beekeeping landscape in the Americas, including that of development initiatives.

I appreciated the chance to work with Helen on this issue and I hope have been of help rather than an annoyance as we assembled what you now see.

I enjoyed talking with those of you who telephoned/visited Bees for Development. adjusted to the cloudy, misty/rainy climate of Wales in January.

I even adjusted to the cloudy, misty/rainy climate of Wales in January. Please feel free to contact me and/or Bees for Development regarding what I have written. My e-mail address is dmcaron@udel.edu

I wish you the best of beekeeping successes.

Dewey Caron