Letters

IN DEFENCE OF CEMENT

Jyothi Ravishankar, Karnataka, India

I am writing with regard to the letter from Mr Bola Adepoju, Nigeria published in BfDJ 78. Mr Bola Adepoja gave eight reasons why cement hives are not to be recommended.

REASON 1 In India in the summer the temperature is 37°C. My cement hive box has been tested for six years during this temperature. have not had a chance to test it in other countries, which have different temperatures.

REASONS 2 AND 3 Do not relate to my invention, so I cannot comment.

REASON 4 The total weight of the cement hive box is only 19 kg (see picture right). I do not think this is all that heavy.

REASON 5 If the bees do not like the cement they will move out. This happens in wooden boxes as well.

REASON 6 Cost-wise, I can only write about India where a cement hive box costs a quarter the price of a wooden box.

REASON 7 My invention will not destroy the soil. Once the cement box is constructed, then it is permanent. The forest is the gift of Mother

Nature. If there is no forest then definitely the soil will be destroyed. Bees can live only if there is forest. If we do not save the forest, then in the future there may be no bee colonies. For example, during my childhood, there were many Apis dorsata colonies nesting on the branches of trees. Because of the destruction of the forest, after only 50 years there are few of these colonies left. We must save the forest

REASON 8 Please study the cover picture: honey is stored inside the wax comb and does not touch the cement. The cement hives are meant as homes for bees. Many people also live in houses made from as homes for the bees. Many people also live in houses made from cement. | am surprised that Mr Bola Adepoju drinks water in the city where it will be stored in cement tanks!

VARROA DESTROYS APIS MELLIFERA

Beekeeping in Kashmir Valley

F A Shah, Apiculture Development Officer, Kashmir, India

During 1986 Thai sacbrood, the dreaded bee disease caused by Thai sacbrood virus, exterminated almost all the Apis cerana bee colonies in hives in Kashmir. This necessitated the introduction of Apis mellifera. Since then the exotic honeybee has been harbouring Varroa sp. However, Varroa symptoms remained suppressed due to the simultaneous infestation by another ectoparasite, 7ropilaelaeps clareae. Both mite Species reproduce and multiply on brood. The migration of bee colonies from Kashmir (a temperate zone) to sub-tropical areas during the winter period facilitated their uninterrupted multiplication. Tropilaelaeps clareae is a fast reproducing mite. It remained dominant. Beekeepers resorted to chemical treatments particularly with sulphur to control this mite. Whereas Varroa sp remained untreated. This gave enough opportunity for the Varroa mite to multiply enormously, culminating in an epidemic in July 2005. Whereas Varroa sp remained untreated. In 2005, 35,000 out of 40,000 Apis mellifera colonies had died by the end of December.

Beekeeping in Kashmir has again been reduced to zero level, as was recorded in 1986 when Thai sacbrood killed ali the Apis cerana colonies.

Experience gained during the last 20 years has shown that Apis mellifera has been almost a failure in collecting surplus honey from lsodon rugosus, a bushy plant flowering from mid-August to mid-October, probably due to meteorological conditions. This plant was extensively exploited by the indigenous honeybee Apis cerana and constituted a major source of honey production in Kashmir.

Similarly Apis mellifera has shown its inability to defend its nests against hornets. As a a result, good number of bee colonies are lost annually. Varroa and Tropilaelaeps clareae have never proved a serious threat to Apis cerana and beekeepers have never treated their bee colonies with chemicals to control these mites.

in view of this, the revival of Apis cerana beekeeping is being given serious thought by the beekeepers of the Kashmir Valley.

Korean haplotype of Varroa

Honeybees in the State of Jammu & Kashmir have been infested by the Korean haplotype of Varroa. The impact has been devastating, reported scientist Dr M K Khushu, with 80% of the honeybee colonies in the State completely destroyed during October to December 2005, with irreparable loss to bee farmers.

This is the first time the State has been affected. Colonies in the neighbouring States of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh had also been infested. Dr Khushu explained that the infestation is caused by a mite, which is a new type of Varroa destructor identified by Dr Denis Anderson.

Source: Bee Culture February 2006