Bookshelf

THE BEE TREE

Stephen Buchmann and Diana Cohn 2007 40 pages Hard cover £9 (€17.75) Code B050

This book, intended for children, provides a beautiful introduction to tropical Asia's Apis dorsata honey bees. There are two sections - the first depicts the story of a village boy climbing a flimsy ladder to ascend the colossal bee tree for the first time. The second half of the book gives background about Malaysia: her forests, bees and culture. Three people in the USA have been responsible for together creating this book: an artist, an author and an Paul Mirocha, the artist, has managed something difficult - magical pictures that recreate the atmosphere of the dark forest - the fact that honey hunting takes place only on the darkest, moon-free nights has always made it something difficult to capture on film. Diana Cohn, the author, has neatly described honey hunting and its important aspects, explaining how a boy learns the skills from his grandfather. The apicultural scientist who brought these skills together into this book is Stephen Buchmann.

Unlike most children’s books, the people who feature are not fictional characters, but people living in the forest today: Pak Teh, a respected honey hunter keeping forest traditions alive, and teaching his skills to young people like Nizam - also featured in the book. Malaysian bee expert Professor Makhdzir Mardan, who for many years has been advocating for better care and protection for these forests, was one of the first scientists to document the culture of these honey hunters and the bee trees (See pages 6-8).

THE HONEY BEE AROUND AND ABOUT

Celia F Davis 2007 158 pages £22.50 (€33.75) Code D305

Celia Davis’ first book The honeybee inside out (BfD/ 71) described the anatomy and behaviour of the honey bee. This new companion volume looks at more areas of honey bee biology. The first part considers honey bees in relation to other bees and wasps, the benefits of social behaviour, and discussion of bee breeding. The next part of the book is an assessment of honey bee pathology, grouped under the following headings: Health and hazards,

When the kids are ill, Problems with the grown-ups, Mighty mites, and The enemy within and without. Davis has the skill of making scientific information readable and interesting, and these chapters make the topics accessible and clear. The following chapters discuss flowers, foraging behaviour, bee products and honey. This excellent text can be useful for all beekeepers and trainers, as it provides readily accessible knowledge of bee science.

BEEKEEPING — INSPIRATION AND ADVICE

Andrew Davies 2007 96 pages Hard cover £6.99 (€10.50) Code D105

This does not pretend to be a text book on beekeeping, rather it provides a guide to what beekeeping entails throughout the year: the start up requirements, an introduction to the honey bee colony, what to look for when examining a colony, how to catch a swarm, honey harvesting, and a brief introduction to honey bee health.

It is a concise text appropriate for someone thinking of starting beekeeping, and very much focused on beekeeping as practised in the UK.

Now on DVD RAFTER BEEKEEPING WITH APIS DORSATA

Bee Research & Development Centre, Hanoi 2007 (video released 1995) 30 minutes £20 (€35.00) Code VIDO2

This film won a Gold Medal at the Apimondia Congress in 1995. It provides an informative explanation of Melaleuca swamps and the associated ‘rafter beekeeping’ with Apis dorsata. We are introduced to the flora and fauna of the Swamp in the Mekong Delta region, which has been greatly affected by war and deforestation. The important economic aspects of the honey and white wax collected from Apis dorsata are explained. Next is a section on the Apis dorsata colony and how it functions. Finally a description of why raftering developed, a step-by-step account of how the rafters are constructed, and the research that is underway to improve the techniques. Produced with funding from KWT Netherlands and BEENET Asia, the Technical Advisor is Vincent Mulder.

LATEST FROM KEYSTONE

A selection to tempt you from the Keystone Foundation, one of our partner organisations

THE KEYSTONE HAND BOOK ON HONEY HUNTING

2006 55 pages £15 (€22.50) Code K310 /n English and Malayalam

Keystone has worked for over 10 years with the honey hunters in the Nilgiris hills of South West India. This is a guide to best practice in honey hunting and processing activities, and includes the opinions of various stakeholders.

Now on DVD HONEY HUNTERS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS

2007 (video release 2000) 30 minutes £20 (€35) Code VID20

A brilliant film with fantastic shots of the honey hunters in the Nilgiris Mountains of South India and their relationship with the giant honey bee Apis dorsata. This film will interest not only bee lovers but also scientists and development planners wanting to address the issues of indigenous people in changing environments.

HONEY TRAILS IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS

2007 271 pages £15.65 (€23.50) Code K320

This book contains much information about a variety of themes concerning life within the ‘Blue Mountains’ - the Nilgiris Hills - of the Western Ghats in South West India. Information is conveyed by means of beautiful colour photographs, many maps, and 16 chapters of text describing the ecology, the people, the forest, the non-timber forest produce, and especially honey - because honey and its hunting have such a large role within local people’s livelihoods. The diversity of information provided is difficult to capture in this brief review. The book provides a fabulous resource for anyone working in this field.

FOREST PLANTS OF THE NILGIRIS, AN ILLUSTRATED FIELD GUIDE

2006 416 pages £18.70 (€28) Code K325

The main plant species from the forest areas of the Kotagiri and Coonoor region are included. These forests range from the dry deciduous to evergreen types, found both as extensive tracts and in small fragmented areas. Together, they form part of the Eastern Slopes of the Nilgiris Mountains and the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. This beautiful guide is illustrated with both photographs and illustrations by L Balasubramaniam, a local Kurumba person, which together provide an excellent publication enabling identification of plants, and giving their Kurumba, frula and other Adivasi names, as well as English and Latin. Adivasi people use the vegetative features of a plant, especially the bark and leaves for identification. This book therefore attempts to focus on ‘all-season’ plant features, and builds on crucial linkages between plants and habitat. The guide is organised in three parts: trees; climbers and lianas; and shrubs, herbs and grasses, with colour coding for easy reference.

POSTERS BY BFD

BEEKEEPING SUSTAINS LIVELIHOODS: 10 GOOD REASONS

2007 Information Poster No 1. Bees for Development’s philosophy in one page

POLLINATION

2007 Information Poster No 2. The importance of pollination is often overlooked or understated. This Poster aims to put the record straight.

Both posters are A2 size and cost £7

(€12) each. Published in 2007 are English, Portuguese and Spanish editions. edition in Mandarin will be available soon.

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