In Issue 72

Dear friends

This edition of BfDJ brings the astonishing news that an antibiotic may be a naturally occurring constituent of honey. Research is still in progress, but if confirmed, then this might begin to explain why honey has been known and used as a medicine throughout history. Read more about this on the opposite page. This finding has arisen because of the ever-stricter analysis of honey required by EU legislation: one of the main issues facing apiculture today, connected as it is with the control of honeybee diseases and parasites, and the protection of remaining honeybee populations. These concerns are reflected throughout this edition. There is news of Varroa mites’ further spread (pages 8 and 9) and of an important Symposium being organised by Apimondia in Vietnam to address the issue of residues in honey: details on page 11.

Silent Spring in Northern Europe, (BfDJ 70 page 3) reported on heavy honeybee losses and has created a considerable response. A selection of the correspondence is shown on page 7. Books and DVDs reviewed in Bookshelf (pages 14 and 15) cover quite different aspects of apiculture in completely different ways, yet the message of both is constant: that the honeybee situation is in crisis, and we need to adopt alternative approaches to preserve healthy populations of honeybees. This Journal endeavours to bring you fresh, up-to-date news of international apiculture. To remain viable we need more subscribers: please think about sponsoring another subscription for a beekeeper in a developing country, and encourage your friends to subscribe. Only with your support can we continue this work.

Nicola Bradbear, Director Bees for Development

Bees for Development

1 Agincourt Street, Monmouth NP25 3DZ, UK Tel: +44 (0)1600 714848 info@beesfordevelopment.org www.beesfordevelopment.org