Letters

Dear Friends

I cannot understand the reason why Bernhard Clauss and Pam Gregory do not use top-bars of width 22 mm as used in Cameroon. Most top-bar hives I have seen in villages (far from towns with no possibilities to find a carpenter) have bees living or entering under the roof, because it is quite impossible for villagers without the space between the bars. When you open the hive you cannot avoid disturbing the bees which then become defensive and aggressive.

It is so simple to cut a 22 mm top-bar, and no matter if it is not perfectly straight. The bars are then covered with a plastic sheet that can be taken off without disturbing the bees. As shown in the picture, it is a pleasure to catch these bees in your hand; these bees are not Buckfast bees but African bees. The space between the bars is 10 mm of course.

Thanks for your work with beekeeping.

André Romet

Solomon Islands

Peter Hardie and Kathleen Cooper, Volunteer Beekeepers in the Solomon Islands write: "Finding BfD via the website we thought we would say hello and share some thoughts with everyone working (like we are) in beekeeping for rural livelihood development".

‘Nature is the best farmer and forester, for she does not destroy the land in order to make it productive’ (1). The keeping of honeybees comes very close to being at least a benign use of natural resources, and in fact provides a net return to the ecosystem in the form of pollination. Honeybees have the ability to produce honey, pollen, and beeswax surplus to their needs, and while collecting the ingredients for these, and in exchange for them, they facilitate the fertilisation of the source plant's embryos. The result of this relationship is more abundant fruits, nuts, seeds, and vegetables, with a sweet bonus for the bees and beekeeper.

Experience should make us hesitant to embrace such win/win schemes. Nulum Gratuitum Prandium (2) There is no free lunch!' In the case of the European honeybee Apis mellifera, importation into areas where it was not indigenous most certainly has had some impact on the local ecosystem and the nectivorous animals. The fact that we are not able to count the cost should not blind us into thinking there is none. In much of the world, including the Solomon Islands, that barn door has already been left open, and the risks associated with the introduction of exotic species have too late been recognised.

To do no harm is a relatively safe place to start when assessing any development project. The precautionary approach is almost implicit in the meaning of the word development; 'the realisation of the possible’, 'the gradual growth or unfolding of something’, and even in the context of photographic development; ‘the making of a latent image visible’ (3). But how do you do no harm in the process? The honeybee does no harm to the blossom as she gathers nectar and pollen, and provides an essential and beneficial service to the flower in exchange.

If we were to look beyond doing no harm and apply the honeybee analogy of mutual benefit to those activities we promote in the name of Rural Development, how would they measure up? The meaning of rural is of the country, of the land (4) and the activity or development must not be considered separate from either the people of the land or the land itself. The activity must be considered within the context of an interconnected, interdependent and extremely complicated web. The essentials of life, air, soil, and water must not be compromised while we develop, and the protection of the land and its ability to support rural populations needs to be a major consideration when promoting any particular sustainable rural livelihood.

That all people, at all times, have enough good quality food, for an active and healthy life, now and in the future! (5) seems a reasonable goal for our development efforts, or, to ensure that the activities we promote or encourage do not in any way diminish this expectation.

Can beekeeping contribute to, or be part of local food security and a sustainable rural livelihood in the Solomon Islands, and elsewhere, while remaining at least benign or ‘of the land’. Can the development of the art and science of bee farming (apiculture) in the Solomon Islands ‘do no harm’?

Does the mutualism that exists between bee and flower extend to, and include the rural community? So far, the answer to these questions is a qualified yes.

References

1. Wendell Berry, Sex, Economy, Freedom and Community, 1992

2. A Roman sage!

3, 4. Webster's II New Riverside Dictionary, 1984

5. Tony Janson, Choiseu! Bay Planting Materials Network Conference, 2003

Bamboo frames

Our picture (above*) shows bamboo frames constructed by Mr Johann Leyr of Vienna, Austria. The frames (top, bottom and side-bars) are built from bamboo (split or thin stems). The side-bars should be flat planks and Mr Leyr recommends using splits from giant bamboo stems. The side-bars fit together to build a so called ‘closed frame hive’. The hive, which Mr Leyr calls ‘Ambrosius hive’ could also be made of splits from thick stems of bamboo. It is possible to put the frames into hive boxes made of wooden planks. Instead of using nails or screws to fix the frame parts, any local fixing material can be used.

These frames are constructed with the intention of selling the honey as comb honey on local markets. If the use of extractors is intended, the frames could be wired and foundation mounted on the wires to prevent damage to the combs during extracting. To initiate better comb building when using no foundation, Mr Leyr recommends waxing the top and bottom bars of the frames. Then the bees will draw natural combs in line with the frames.

Mr Leyr is interested in any feedback to his proposals.

Source: Dr Rudolf Moosbeckhofer

* Where reference to images or figures is made, please see original journal article