Bees for Development Journal 64
HE WORLD INDIA
PHILIPPINES
THE MELLIFERA BATTLE
BICOLANDIA BEE RAISERS ASSOCIATION
In spite of the strong practical evidence about the failure of Apis mellifera in the
Western Ghats, the provincial Karnataka and Kerala governments are in favour of propagating exotic bees in this region. There exists a strong nexus between officials,
training consultants and the apiaries in northern India who want to sell
Earlier this year Bicolandia Bee Raisers Association organised a Strategic Planning
Workshop attended by government agencies, NGOs and individuals from different provinces of the Bicol Region. The following action points
were agreed: *
Apis mellifera colonies. Hundreds of colonies are being introduced into the tropical forest regions and they meet with failure. But the officials are not willing to learn from the mistake and the reality.
The Save Honeybees Campaign has drafted a Public Interest Litigation petition to be filed in the High Court of Karnataka seeking the intervention of the Judiciary to stop the
Circulation of information through the publication of journals in local languages and at affordable costs.
*
Encouragement of government sectors to activate support for the development of the beekeeping industry, together with inducing
banking institutions to support beekeeping activities in the remote barangays. Establishing research and training for improved production, particularly in the extraction of
further introduction of exotic honeybees in the province. As a starting point the advocate has
pollen and propolis to maximise the benefit of
given notice to the Government Department responsible for beekeeping to provide clarification as to why they should not be
of poor families.
taken to court for misleading the beekeepers and the people.
the meantime there is some good news: indigenous Apis cerana has developed
beekeeping and supplement the basics needs
Issue 3 was considered the most urgent because it involves the battle
against poverty for families A Workshop Box
living in the rural barrios.
supplied by Bees for Development assisted
In
us with the meeting.
resistance to Thai Sacbrood disease, and
Raul G Barrameda, President, Bicolandia Bee Raisers Association
there are reports of the revival of beekeeping activity from Kodagu and other regions in
the Western Ghats.
Pandurang Hegde
Ed: Find out how Bees for Development can
assist you with information for your meetings. See page 12
NIGERIA HELP FOR RESEARCHERS unknown why the hymenopterous insect Nomia sp ‘hangs around’ the male plants in sugar cane fields, especially during flowering. Researchers from the Nationa! Cereals Research Institute have It is
observed this curious behaviour during hybridisation of the flowering plant from September to November.
Early in the morning the flowers open up to let fertile pollen grains escape. At dawn the insects begin to hover around the male plants as if they know they have the dehisced anthers (the male part of the flower) full or almost full of fertile pollen grains. Insect numbers decrease when the flowers close again. This had led researchers to conclude the way these pollinators behave reveals the presence of male the plants have over 60% of fertile pollen plants of sugarcane: the insects only behave in this way once less than 10% of fertile pollen (female). with with not and plants (when they are considered male)
Researchers are studying the anthers to determine the factor responsible for this behaviour, since male in the laboratory. parents can now be easily distinguished, and this means less time spent
Source: Coraf Action No 21
A Bees for Development publication
11)
