Bookshelf

Two major new Directories from IBRA

1. Directory of Important World Honey Sources

by Eva Crane, Penelope Walker and Rosemary Day, ISBN 0- 86098-141-X, 384 pp. 1984

IBRA has been collecting data on honey sources for over 15 years, with a view to undertaking a world survey when funding could be obtained. In 1981 the International Development Research Council in Canada agreed to such funding and the Directory of Important World Honey Sources was published last September.

The Directory is packed with new data; it has entries for 467 nectar or honeydew- Producing plants that are major honey Sources. Some of the sources are geographically widespread, such as lucerne and many of the eucalypts; others are much more localised, such as the leatherwood found in Tasmania. Each entry gives details of the plant and its economic uses, flowering period, nectar or honeydew flow, pollen production, and the chemical and physical properties of its honey, including flavour, aroma and granulation.

Certain components of each entry have been coded so that programmed searches can be made for plants with particular Characteristics. There are 51 different search fields, and the Directory includes lists made by using some of them e.g. drought tolerant plants. The Directory makes it possible, for the first time, to answer questions such as:

Which of the world’s important honeys remain liquid for a year or more? Which are at risk of granulation within a few days of storage in the hive? Which honeys have been reported to contain a toxic substance? Do some countries have important honey sources that are not being exploited because they are not recognised as such? (Rubber, Hevea brasiliansis, and New Zealand beech, Nothofagus, have only recently been recognised and exploited as important honey sources.)

The EEC regulations lay down a number of upper/lower limits for honey characteristics: how do the actual ranges measured for important honeys world-wide compare with the EEC requirements?

The Directory includes references, and three indexes: common names of the plants, Latin synonyms, and insects which produce honeydew. The Directory is available from IBRA, price £27.50 post paid. Under the terms of the IDRC grant it has already been distributed by IBRA to certain libraries and resource centres in developing countries.

2. Pollination Directory for World Crops

by Eva Crane and Penelope Walker, ISBN 0-86098-143-6, 184 pp. 1984

This is the second major Directory published by IBRA in 1984. Because so little comprehensive work has been published on pollination, this book was compiled (with financial support from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs), to help growers and agronomists find out what specific crops require to achieve optimal pollination and therefore highest economical yield. This Directory provides information on more than 400 crop plants grown in tropical, subtropical or temperate zones. The entries are written in narrative style using few technical terms, and a glossary and index of names help to make the book easy to use. Full references and other useful lists are also provided.

The crops listed in the book show astonishing variations in pollination mechanisms and requirements, and knowledge of these by the grower can be important; inadequate pollination is a major constraint to yields from some crops. For example, on irrigated desert land, crops which require insect pollination may fail because suitable insects are not present. Many crop plants require insect pollination, and often the best way to ensure this is to place colonies of honeybees nearby, and recommendations as to the number of hives necessary are quoted wherever possible. Of course not all the crops mentioned require insect pollination, some are self-pollinating and other pollinating agents mentioned include gravity, wind, bats, birds and rain.

This Directory is available from IBRA, price £14.00 post paid. The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also provided funding for the book to be distributed by IBRA to certain libraries in developing countries.

Other publications

Lost-wax casting: a practitioner’s manual by Wilburt Feinburg:

edited and illustrated by Jim Byrne. ISBN 0O- 903031-88-4. 74 pp. 1983

Many black and white photographs and line drawings. Lost-wax casting is a method for making a precise replica of an object by casting it in molten metal. A model of the casting is created in wax, which is then covered in soft clay. The wax model and its coating are then fired to harden the mould and at the same time to melt out the wax. After removal of the wax, molten metal is poured into the empty mould cavity, and when the metal has solidified, the mould is easily broken to release the casting.

For centuries the lost-wax process has been used to produce metal castings of finely detailed objects, usually for use in religious ceremonies. However, the finish that can be achieved is exactly what is required to produce high-precision castings for modern engineering industries, and bush-bearings, plumbing fittings, pulley wheels and machine parts can all be made by the method.

The manual has been written for craftworkers and people with limited money, and is based on the author’s experience of working in countries where the ideal materials and equipment are not always readily available. The manual is designed to encourage resourcefulness in building equipment, and the author hopes that it will stimulate new interest in this valuable technique.

Published by Intermediate Technology Publication, London. . Available from IBRA, price £5.95 post paid.

The Golden Insect

by Stephen

Adjare ISBN 0-946688-60-5, 104 pp. 1984 Black and white illustrations and line drawings.

This is a new edition of the book first published in 1981, now revised, enlarged, and given a new and attractive format. The book aims to put into the hands of

Ghanaian and other African beekeepers relevant information that can be readily understood and put to use. The clear text and illustrations will surely be appreciated by many learner beekeepers. Published by Intermediate Technology Publications . Available from IBRA £6.50 post paid.

Publication lists available from the International Bee Research Association

The IBRA has from its establishment been active as an apicultural publisher and over the last ten years, in addition to its own publications, has stocked many other books of special merit, or those that are difficult to obtain outside their country of origin. The Association’s experience shows that beekeepers are eager to find books on bees, beekeeping, pollination and hive products, and to keep up to date with apicultural technology.

IBRA has three lists of publications:

List 1 IBRA publications;

List 2 International book selection;

List 3 Audio-visual materials.

Currently a separate list is being prepared to meet the needs of the apiculturalists working in the tropics; the list will include some materials available free or at low cost for those in developing countries. It will be sent to all who receive the Newsletter. In January IBRA issued a revised and updated edition of List 1 (IBRA’s own publications) which cover the following topic areas:

Beekeeping and bee breeding techniques, honeybee behaviour and anatomy, other bees, pollination, bee products and bee forage, the tropics, beekeeping history, early English beekeeping books, bee diseases and enemies, human allergy to bees. Of particular value to those working with bees are the IBRA bibliographies and reference works which enable the user to identify the literature they need for their work.

The updated List 1 and Lists 2 & 3 are available from IBRA.