News around the World

BRAZIL

Honey exports rise

Brazilian honey exports grew by 23% in 2006 compared with 2005, despite the EU embargo imposed on Brazilian honey in March 2006 (see BfDJ 79, page 6). International sales exceeded US$23 million (€17 m). Shipments totalled 14,600 tonnes, an increase of 1.1% compared with 2005. Analysis shows that the 23% increase in the value of exports was due mainly to the great increase in sales to the USA, where sales in 2006 totalled US$17.33 million (€13.35 m). This corresponds to 74% of Brazil’s total honey exports.

Source: Agência Sebrae (translated by Mark Ament) www.anba.com.br/ingles

NIGERIA

Sharing experience

I am a beekeeping extension/research officer working with a Bee Conservation Project in Nigeria. We use foundation sheets, liquid bait, ‘bee booster’ and swarm catchers, but our frame hives fail to colonise. What might be the likely causes and which baiting methods can we try? While waiting to hear from you, BEE ALIVE and have a HONEYED day!

Contact Chiegele Christian Akpoke chibeesakpoke@yahoo.com

Leventis Farmers’ Day

Leventis Farmers’ Day is an annual event organised by the Leventis Foundation Agricultural School in Ilesa. Farmers trained by Leventis are invited to display their products, and students are encouraged to visit and learn from the event. In 2006, Mr E B Ayinde organised an impressive exhibition of beekeeping tools and bee products for his stand shown left.

© E B AYINDE

NEPAL

Honey Pavilion

© MAHALAXMI SHRESTHA

Api-Net Nepal created a Honey Pavilion covering 150 m 2 to accommodate all the beekeeping activities, at the Agro Expo 2006 exhibition held in Kathmandu. The Honey Pavilion was showcased by the construction of a special entrance (see above). During the exhibition, Api-Net Nepal provided information to visitors and demonstrated different bee products and equipment, including an observation hive complete with bees. With the support of PSP/GTZ, Api-Net also published posters about bees and beekeeping in Nepal, and leaflets about honey and its uses. The leaflet was distributed freely and was most informative for honey consumers. Honeys from different sources and of a variety of colours were introduced. To show the diversity of its use, honey-lemonade, honey cookies and cake, and honey-lapsi candy were displayed and sold, along with beeswax candles and creams. The event was very successful, with interesting interactions between consumers, traders and entrepreneurs. Total honey sales were NPR400,000 (US$5,674; €4,369). The event was highly appreciated.

Mahalaxmi Shrestha, Secretary, Api-Net, Nepal

(Api-Net, Nepal was established in 2002, read more in BfDJ 68, pages 6 &7)

PHILIPPINES

The nuns of St Benedict Monastery of Lipa on the island of Luzon are in their third year of beekeeping since they attended a training course at the University of the Philippines at Los Banos in 2004. Initially interested only in apitherapy for their ministry to the poor, the nuns’ success in beekeeping prompted them to organise a seminar for people of the region.

Pax Seminar

The Seminar aimed to introduce beekeeping, with the efficient production and marketing of quality bee products, as a means to conserve the environment, augment rural income and contribute towards development. The focus of the Seminar was on the conservation of indigenous honey bees Apis cerana and Apis dorsata, and stingless bees Trigona sp. A highlight of the event was Professor Raymundo Lucero’s sharing of his expertise of Apis mellifera queen rearing techniques. The participants enjoyed constructing hives, melting wax for foundation and extracting honey.

The nuns demonstrated a transparent box they have designed for the effective management of Trigona sp. The Seminar concluded with the stingless Trigona sp emerging as ‘everybody’s favourite’, because it abounds in the region and requires the least amount of capital input. The enthusiastic participants named their group PAX Swarm and plan to meet quarterly to share their beekeeping experiences and discoveries.

Sr M Catherine Viray, OSB

PHILIPPINES: Seminar participants learn foundation making

© SR M CATHERINE VIRAY

PORTUGAL

In News around the World (BfDJ 73) we reported that honey bee queens imported to Portugal from the USA were found to be infected with larvae of the small hive beetle Aethina tumida. Immediate action was taken to destroy the larvae and make safe the surrounding area.

A further alarm that sounded in summer 2006 was fortunately found to be false when laboratory identification proved the beetles to be from the family Nitidulidae and not Aethina tumida.

Abeilles & Cie, November/December 2006

Beetle versus bee – the award winning film is now available on DVD – see page 13.

SOUTH AFRICA

Gauteng is experiencing an unprecedented influx. “In all our years of operation we have never witnessed anything like the current influx of bees, particularly in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg”, said Bree Leach of EcoSolutions.

Joe Hugill, Chairman of the Southern Beekeepers Association, said the reason for the increase was due to the good rains that followed last year's long, dry spell, and that led to increased nectar production. More nectar meant more colonies. A representative of Beeware, a beekeeping company, said that colonies were dividing at a great rate.

Pretoria beekeeper, Sidwell Banne, of Honey Badger, said several people had requested help to remove bees from their property. Banne said: “If you do not interfere with bees they will not sting you, but if they are left too long in a place and settle in, they are difficult to remove”. Banne warned residents against attempting to remove bees by themselves and recommended that they call professional beekeepers to do the job. It is illegal to kill bees because they help the environment.

Source: Pretoria News at www.iol.co.za/index

ZAMBIA

This is Victor Kahoota (right) with one of his hives. Victor started beekeeping in 2006 and wants to increase his knowledge. He is the recipient of a sponsored subscription to BfD Journal and hopes to find assistance to attend training courses and workshops.

If you can help contact Victor Kahoota, PO Box 057, Luangwa, Zambia

© VICTOR KAHOOTA

BIOTRADE VERIFICATION CERTIFICATION SYSTEM

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