Bookshelf

IBRA Publications:

Proceedings of the THIRD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON APICULTURE IN TROPICAL CLIMATES

Nairobi 1984

270 pages, paperback, ISBN 0-86098-177-0

London, International Bee Research Association, 1985 price £17.50 or US$27.00 (plus postage 2.00 or US$3.00).

The Proceedings of this important Conference provide a wealth of information not available elsewhere. The 25 Resolutions passed by the Conference provide useful guidelines for a number of future actions.

The 61 papers, reports and addresses cover a wide variety of topical subjects related to beekeeping in tropical and subtropical regions, and also to the bees used and the hive products obtained. The book will be invaluable to everyone concerned with beekeeping and its problems in developing countries: government departments and aid agencies, extension officers, research workers, and beekeepers.

Contributions relate to all levels of operation—for example, when to harvest honey from traditional hives, management of colonies of African and Africanized bees, bee forage and honey sources, pollination of fruit and nut crops, and multivariate analysis of characters of tropical African honeybees. It is apparent from this book that many problems are common to beekeeping in most regions of the tropics and subtropics. At the same time, the different contributions show special concerns of individual areas: for instance, how best to exploit the beekeeping potential of a subtropical island; mite infestation in southern Afghanistan; nectar and pollen sources in a tropical forest; and pollination of lucerne on newly reclaimed land in Egypt.

The book includes names of Conference Officers and of organizations providing financial support, and also the names and addresses of Conference Participants. In addition there are indexes of countries and authors.

PEST CONTROL SAFE FOR BEES: A MANUAL AND DIRECTORY FOR THE TROPICS AND SUBTROPICS

by Margaret Adey, Penelope Walker and Peter T. Walker

224 pages, 120 line drawings, paperback ISBN 0-66098-184-3

London, International Bee Research Association, 1986 price £12.50 or US$19.00 (plus postage 1.50 or US$3.00).

Bees and other insects pollinate many crop plants that are important in the tropics and subtropics. However, insecticides and acaricides are commonly used to control the various pests which attack these plants If these chemicals are . applied to crops at flowering time, pollinating bees and other pollinating insects will be killed, and crop yields are likely to be poor.

Crop growers must know how to control the pests without killing bees, and beekeepers need to know how to protect their bees. Pest control safe for bees provides a practical guide. The text of the book is divided into two parts, Manual and Directory. The Manual explains why and how crop growers should try to control pests without killing pollinators, steps beekeepers can take to prevent their bees from being killed by pesticides, recommendations to pesticide manufacturers and traders, general safety rules for handling and applying pesticides and ways in which governments can ensure that bees are not carelessly killed by pesticides. The text of the Manual is easy to follow, and there are 120 explanatory drawings. The Directory contains detailed information on methods for controlling the most common pre-harvest pests on crops pollinated by bees and other insects. The crop entries cover 85 crop plants that are important in the tropics and subtropics, and give advice on control methods for a total of 150 major pests. The crop and pest indexes will help users of the Directory to find the information they need. Lists of pesticides, grouped according to their toxicity to bees, are printed on coloured pages, together with a pesticide index for easy reference.

This publication is intended for crop growers, beekeepers, and all those manufacturing, selling or supplying pesticides. It will be an invaluable reference book for extension officers who need to tell crop growers about the importance of bees as pollinators and about controlling pests without killing bees. The book will also be useful to government departments and others concerned with bees, pollination or pesticides, including farmer training colleges, development aid agencies, and rural development projects. PEST CONTROL SAFE FOR BEES: A MANUAL AND DIREC- TORY FOR THE TROPICS AND SUBTROPICS is published with financial support from the Tropical Development and Research Institute, London, UK.

Other publications:

Fundamentals of Beekeeping

by F. A. Shah

60 pages, paperback, India, 1983 Shah Beekeepers.

This is a valuable book since it provides one of the few guides available in English on beekeeping with Apis cerana. The object of the book is to provide all the fundamental information required for successful beekeeping. Mr Shah comes from a family of beekeepers who together form one of the most experienced beekeeping enterprises in India. Shah beekeepers are based in Kashmir and the book contains information on how to over-winter Apis cerana, and a useful calendar showing the sources of pollen and nectar available throughout the year, fluctuations in bee numbers with the seasons and appropriate management techniques.

The book can be obtained from Shah Beekeepers price Rs30, US$3, including postage, or from IBRA price £4.50, US$7.65 including postage.

Development of World Apicultural Trade

96 pages, paperback

Bucharest, Apimondia, 1978 Newly available from IBRA price £7.50 or US$11.50 (plus postage 1.50 or US$3.00).

The proceedings of a Conference held in Geneva in June 1977, sponsored by Apimondia and the UNCTAD/GATT International Trade Centre. The texts of 22 papers are given, each one dealing with some aspect of honey or beeswax trade. The resolutions of the two-day Conference are also given, and include motions concerned with: Export opportunities in world markets for honey and beeswax from developing countries, Generic promotion of honey: development of “honey awareness’, The influence of tariff and non-tariff barriers on access to’ markets, Price stabilization in honey trade, Practical problems encountered in importing honey from developing countries as seen by a European importer/ packer, Preparation of honey for export in a developing country, and Quality of honey and consumer protection. Although it is now nine years since the Conference took place, most of the information contained in these Proceedings is still useful and valid. The book is of great interest to anyone concerned with the export and sale of bee products.

Criagao de Abelhas (apicultura)

J. J. F. Alcobia

80 pages, paperback Maputo, Mozambique; Ministerio da Agricultura (Programa Apicola, Caixa Postal 1011, Maputo) In Portuguese.

A textbook giving practical information for beekeepers in Mozambique. This book is prepared from hand-out materials originally used by the Apiculture Programme of the Ministry of Agriculture, and gives all the practical details a beginner beekeeper requires. The book contains useful annexes giving hive designs of a greek clay hive, a top-bar hive and a movable-frame hive. A map of Mozambique showing the potential for beekeeping in different zones is also given.