Bookshelf

BEE

Claire Preston 2006 206 pages Soft cover £14 (€21) Code P500

This is a learned and enjoyable essay about bees. reviewed a number of books that take a cultural look at bees, and this is one of the best. Here on Bookshelf we have in recent editions Claire Preston draws upon vast literature for her a presentation. A flavour of the areas discussed can be gained from the Chapter titles The reasons for bees, Biological bee, Kept bee, Political bee, Pious/corrupt bee, Utile bee, Aesthetic bee, Folkloric bee, Playful bee, Bee movie, and Retired bee. Even the most widely read beekeeper will find something new here: for example, did you know that Suggs, the ‘eminently

sane’ lead singer of the 1980's band, Madness - chose a beehive as the one luxury he would like to take with him, when interviewed on the BBC's radio programme Desert island Discs? Most pages of this beautifully presented book have excellent and interesting illustrations. Unfortunately, the text is slightly let down by mistakes concerning honeybee science, and a picture (ludicrous to any beekeeper) of a marked queen, captioned ‘the queen bee is marked by her size and the red dot on her head.

However, this is not the book to read if you want to know about bee science or beekeeping. book to read if you want to gain a wider perspective of bees' role within our human society. It is a great book to read if you want to gain a wider perspective of bees' role within our human society.

MICROFINANCE AND FOREST-BASED SMALL-SCALE ENTERPRISES

FAO 2005 94 pages Soft cover £12.50 (€18.80) Code F005

Forest-based small-scale enterprises (like beekeeping) are usually economic activities taking place at the individual or household level, often employing relatives or neighbours, and where salaried labour is negligible. Such enterprises have great difficulty to obtain microfinance, which they need to purchase inputs (for example, packaging materials), to hire equipment or to smoothen uneven cash flows.

However, microfinance institutions regard small forest-based activities as risky, the people are in remote places, and the transaction costs of providing the small amount of finance will be relatively high.

This text seeks to inform people who are in positions to improve this situation, by examining the needsof the small-scale enterprises, and the different types of microfinance that might be available. Fact boxes provide plenty of examples of typical situations, and four case studies, from Nepal, Guatemala, Peru and Sudan are examined in detail. The text provides analysis and gives many suggestions for how microfinance can be made successfully accessible, along with other services including savings, leasing, insurance and cash transfers. These are crucial resources in helping people out of poverty.

TEACH YOURSELF BEEKEEPING

Adrian and Claire Waring pages Soft cover £11 (€16) Code W600

Is it possible to learn beekeeping from a book? If it is, then this is the book - at least if you want to learn the craft as it may be practised in the UK, or other industrialised countries where European races of Apis mellifera are present. Much of the text, especially concerning equipment names, and seasonal information, relates to the UK. The information given is practical, clear and understandable, and importantly, the chapter on pests and diseases is up to date. This is an excellent book for the beginner, or would-be beekeeper - all the necessary information is here, and not in overwhelming detail.

Sections headed ‘What you need to notice’, ‘Cannot find the queen? contain just the sort of hints and tips that a beginner beekeeper needs to know, and only an experienced beekeeper can provide. An extremely useful new text that will surely guide many to fruitful beekeeping.

DVD - VOICES FROM THE FOREST and PROFITING FROM HONEYBEES

Two films on one DVD. In the first, Voices from the forest (43 minutes), people living in forest communities in Southeast Asia introduce their way of life and talk about their activities and concerns. This is a good introduction to the importance of NTFPs (non-timber forest products), and shows the many skills that enable people to live from the forest resources surrounding them. Communities in Malaysia (Sarawak), Indonesia and the Philippines are highlighted. For all of them, conflict with logging companies and land-rights are the main problem. The final example, of a forest community in . the Philippines. shows that when land rights are secured, and when the skilfully made and beautiful NTFPs are marketed properly, forests and their human communities can be sustained. During Voices from the forest beekeeping in Danau Sentarum National Park Indonesia is, glimpsed briefly. The second film is Profiting from honeybees (25 minutes), and focuses entirely on the special apiculture practised here. The communities here harvest honey from the Apis dorsata colonies nesting in the swamps, obtaining up to 25 tonnes of honey each season, and a significant income source. The film introduces the three types of honey hunting: Lekw - the ownership of the tree is passed down through generations: Repaḵ the tree is not owned but a honey hunter can put his ‘mark’ on the tree to claim the honey from the colony. Thirdly, and the method shown here in detail, is Tikung, in which a rafter is attached to the tree for the colony to build its nest. Each t/kung takes about one hour to prepare, and a honey hunter will have 50-100 in use at any time.

These two films are informative and enjoyable, and highly suitable for showing at beekeepers’ and other meetings. The first film has a commentary in English. Profiting from honeybees has English subtitles.

Steadfast BfD Journal readers will remember the article on Tikung beekeeping in issue 59. This article is available now on the Information Centre of our website www.beesfordevelopment.org/into/into

APIARY GUIDES

Bee Craft 2005 £5 (€7.50) per pack Code (see below)

The publishers of Bee Craft. the UK beekeeping magazine, have prepared these guides to provide brief and clear introductions to some of the pests and diseases that challenge beekeepers. The guides have been prepared as laminated (easy to clean) 24 x 17 cm full colour sheets.

Code POS - Pack 1: Integrated pest management: Varroa destructor, its recognition and control (five sheets)

Code PO6 - Pack 2: Small hive beetle, Tropilaelaps clareae, American foulbrood, European foulbrood and minor brood diseases (four sheets)

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