PRACTICAL BEEKEEPING
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PRACTICAL BEEKEEPING
BODY CREAM USING BEESWAX Finighang Aaron Ndichia, ANCO, Bamenda, Cameroon Cameroon, many beekeepers and honey hunters did not know the value of honey comb. Many would burn the combs to drive away evil spirits (as the belief goes) or discard them as waste. Since introduced them to In
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harvesting the beeswax from the combs, beekeepers and non-beekeepers have developed much interest in honey and other bee products. One example is my recipe for body cream. This wonderful lotion has not only increased the demand for beeswax, but solved a major problem among babies, especially within the Kom tribe of North West Province, where new born babies were taken to special traditional healers to be
protected or treated against skin diseases. Adults and babies who use this lotion do not suffer from scabies, tinia, dandruff, chapped lips, sunburned skin, hard skin on their hands, or any of the common skin diseases.
Three honest, traditional doctors have confirmed the positive effect of this lotion for skin problems.
BODY CREAM USING
BEESWAX REQUIREMENTS Empty, clean tomato can
(70g size)
- Two clean pots - A wooden pestle - Clean beeswax
Soft oil, for example peanut, soya or castor oil
Cypress and/or Eucalyptus leaves Clean containers Clean cotton string Pure petroleum jelly
Firewood
Matches
ash as you blow the fire. Observe until the contents turn into a uniform mixture. Further watch to make sure that there are no waves in the
small bundle of the leaves with the long cotton string. Suspend the feaves into the mixture making sure not to burn your fingers. Using the string take out the leaves when they have turned yellow-brown. mixture. Tie
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Shake the leaves to remove drops of oil back into the pot. Remove the pot in a water bath,
Melt the beeswax gently in one of the clean pots placed over a fire or stove. Measure one tomato can of melted beeswax into another clean pot. Add the equivalent amount of soft oil to the beeswax.
Gently and carefully warm the mixture making sure you do not add dust or
BEE VIRUS
INVESTIGATOR WINS VITA RESEARCH AWARD
from the heat and add the petroleum jelly using the pestle. Allow io cool a little, but fill the containers whilst the mixture is still warm to ensure a
smooth surface on the surface of the lotion. Allow to set and then put on the lids. Label attractively for sale.
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The 2007 Vita Research Award has been won by ~ Nizar Haddad, of Jordan's National Centre for ayricultural Research and Extension for his study of honey bee viruses.
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Dr Haddad was presented with the award at the Trust Reception in Melbourne. Dr the Haddad Apimondia Congress investigates during the pathogens that affect honey bees, working to enable the
technological transfer of results to beekeepers
in his own country and
beyond. Dr Max Watkins, Technical Director of Vita, said: “The more we study the causes of honey bee disease, the more important the role of viruses appears to be. Dr Haddad'’s research is particularly timely because of the — named current suspicions that Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV)
Israel - may be an underlying factor in
because it was first identified in CCD in America and may eventually be found to be associated with other sudden bee losses around the world. Researchers are by no means certain that this is the main cause, but Dr Haddad’s work may help cast some light on the issue”. Dr Haddad said: “Viruses are a prime source of confusion and error in diagnosing and managing honey bee diseases, because there is a poor understanding of the dynamics underlying viral disease outbreaks. So far, at least 18 honey bee viruses have been identified across the globe and many of these can be present in a colony at any one time. It is therefore
Dr Max Watkins presents Dr Nizar Haddad (left) with the 2007 Vita Research Award
very difficult to identify bee virus infections and almost impossible to differentiate mixed virus infections in the field. We have established a specialised laboratory to study viruses and other diseases using
molecular techniques and want to co-operate not only with the Arab world, but with scientists and specialists across the globe”. A comprehensive virus survey using DNA-sequencing technologies, says Dr Haddad, may yield new strains of known viruses and possibly new virus species, as well as providing an indication of the distribution of viruses and strains known throughout the world.
Welcoming the research, Jeremy Owen, Sales Director of Vita, said: “We have been particularly pleased with the quality of the research resulting from Vita’s first two awards which were announced at Apimondia 2005 and 2007. Projects can focus on any aspect of honey bee health and we welcome applications from individuals and organisations”. Applications for Vita’s next award may now be submitted. Closing date 31 May 2008. See www.vita-europe.com
PHOTO <i VITA (EUROPE) LID!
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