News

CAMEROON

Bonakanda Bova Bee Farmers Group (BOBEEFAG) recently organised workshops in three villages to introduce women’s groups to beekeeping. The three meetings attracted a total of 59 participants. Business Enterprises Defying Poverty (BEDO) provided the groups with top-bar hives, smokers, veils and other equipment. BEDO aims to support small businesses, particularly women’s groups, with the objectives of eliminating poverty and disease. BEDO Facilitator the Hon Mrs Gwendoline Burnley MP attended the workshops to oversee the distribution of equipment.

Lyonga Mbake Samuel, resource person from BOBEEFAG, lectured on hive management, hive products and pollination. Participants went home with beekeeping literature (donated by Bees for Development) and at the end of meeting enjoyed the invitation to sample honey and honey wine from the display of hive products provided by BOBEEFAG.

Lyonga Mbake Samuel

SWEBA News

Following a meeting to discuss the revival of bee farming in South West Province, South Western Bee Farmers Association (SWEBA) Members decided to organise training workshops and seminars to motivate local beekeepers. President of SWEBA, Afendia Fobella Julius encouraged bee farmers to organise themselves into clubs or common initiative groups and keep in contact with SWEBA for training.

Afendia hobella Jutius

GHANA

Ghana is noted for its tropical climate that is very conducive for African honeybees. However in 2001 there was a dramatic and negative change in the weather pattern, nectar production was less, honey harvests were reduced, and this led to a shortage of honey in local markets.

There are a lot of problems challenging the beekeeping industry including:

- lack of capital for the construction of hives and purchase of equipment;

- theft of honey and hive destruction by humans;

- termites attacking hive stands;

- danger of snakebites during harvesting or tending hives;

- spiders making webs in empty hives which trap or strangle scout bees and prevent them from reporting back to their colonies;

- ants and lizards that attack bees in and around their nests.

In my view the best solution is the construction of a bee house, which will provide a solution to many of the problems.

Julius Attipoe

LESOTHO

The Lesotho Bee Product Company was launched in 1999 to continue the beekeeping work established as part of a soil, water conservation and agroforestry project initiated in 1996. The Company has the following objectives:

- to ensure that farmers produce the highest quality honey and hive products;

- to give farmers a fair price for honey and arrange collection of honey from farms;

- to ensure enough honey is produced to meet the domestic market;

- to provide training and extension input for farmers;

- to link with other African countries (namely Swaziland and Malawi) for entry into the export market.

It is hoped these objectives will ensure sustainability since the company is directly dependent on the farmers and vice versa.

L. Mahalefele

ETHIOPIA

Eastern Shoa Beekeepers Association has a membership of 284 including farmers, women's and youth groups. The photograph sent in by ESBA Chairman Abu Negese shows a fine display of wax and honey.

COTE D'IVOIRE

Since its formation in 1997 The Association Nationale des Apicultures de Cote d'Ivoire (ANACI) has been actively encouraging the promotion of sustainable beekeeping and protection of the environment.

ANACI activities include:

- information dissemination on the economic and environmental importance of beekeeping to the general public as well as beekeepers;

- training;

- research;

- collation of local knowledge;

- pollen analysis;

- manufacture of beekeeping equipment.

INDIA

Upon my return from the Apimondia Congress in Durban | discovered a renewed attack of Thai sacbrood virus on our bee colonies. Fortunately the virus was confined to 15% of the colonies and after a month began to go away. It is seven years since the virus appeared in our area and some of the infected colonies resembled that initial attack — over 90% of the brood dead in a very short time. Our project beekeepers are making progress and hopefully we will be in a position to combat future problems with new queens.

R Kannan, Palni Hills Conservation Council

(The review of the Proceedings of the Workshop organised by Palni Hills in 2000 is in Bookshelf page 14)

NIGERIA

Honeycomb Products Research and Technology Development Centre

In addition to providing advice on the beekeeping potential of a specified area, project planning andimplementation, the Centre also offers village level beekeeping training for farmers and training of trainers in appropriate and sustainable beekeeping methods. The objective is increasing awareness of the possibilities of income generation from value added products incorporating honey, beeswax and propolis. The Centre's philosophy is to respect and build on people’s existing beekeeping systems and indigenous technical knowledge, promoting sustainable systems of beekeeping based on locally available resources.

Details of forthcoming courses arranged by the Centre are in Learn Ahead, page 12.

Akinola Ayeni

THE GAMBIA

Manjiki Jabang sent in this photograph* showing hive construction underway at Sifoe Kafo Farm where he is President. Local hives are Kumbo hives made of palm. Harvesting will take place at night when the bees are less defensive. Beekeepers use protective clothing made from green cloth rather than white to reduce the risk of attack from their bees.

* Please see the original journal article to see the picture

NEPAL

This photograph provided by S R Joshi shows Apis dorsata nesting above the statue of Rana-Krishnaat Nepalgunj. In Nepai bees are considered gifts of the gods, and honey as one of the five components of Panchamnrit, ‘nectar of immortality’. Apis dorsata is known as Sinkus and Khang Mauri in Nepali. As well as producing large quantities of honey and beeswax, Apis dorsata is very important for its pollination of wild plants and cultivated crops. More about beekeeping in Nepal with the ICIMOD project on page 10.

MACEDONIA

Pcelarstvo Dabeski sent a picture of the honey labels he is using.

* Please see the original journal article to see a picture of the label