Bees/or Development Journal 90
TREES BEES USE Kotschya recurvitolia Paul Latham, UK
KOTSCHYA RECURVIFOLIA Genus: Fabaceae Common name: Intenga
Description: A very variable, erect, much branched, aromatic shrub up to 4 m fall. The plant is covered with yellow to whitish sticky, hairs. Leaves are compound with 8-18 leaflets which are curved at the tips. Flowers are borne in dense masses, are golden yellow and covered with golden bristly hairs. The pods are hairy and the seeds greenish to dark red-brown.
Ecology: 1,800 m
It
in
is one of the dominant plants of upland grassland above Umalila, southern Tanzania. Also present in moorland,
LETTERS
bamboo forest, forest glades, at forest edges and in secondary thickets. Present in Ethiopia and south to Malawi and Zambia.
The fast paragraph in Dr Jacob Mogga’s article Quality honey from affordable local-style hives (page 3 of BfDJ 89 December 2008)
Uses: A valuable bee forage plant, yielding nectar throughout the day during May and June. The stems make good firewood which does not produce much smoke. Finger millet is commonly planted on land cleared from Kotschya recurvifolia as it is reported to improve soil
bothers me and
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hope you can publish a warning in the next issue:
“Honey should be extracted only by draining through perforated containers or galvanized wire mesh. It must at all times be properly covered with a clean sheet or cloth to avoid bee foragers coming to
ility.
collect the honey’.
References: CRIBB, PJ.; LEEDAL, G.P (1982) The Mountain Flowers of Southern Tanzania. A A Balkema, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Galvanized iron mesh is coated in zinc, a toxic element. The zinc can be taken up by the honey. Many years ago honey arriving in plastic barrels in the UK was rejected because the metal plugs were
BEENTJE, H.J. (1994) Kenya Trees.
made of cast zinc. Parts of frame hives may be galvanized, for example runners, or even made of zinc, for example queen
Shrubs and Lianas. National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya.
excluders, but a thin coating of propolis seems to prevent attack. So would discourage the use of galvanized wire mesh.
BURROWS, J.; WILLIS, €. (2005) Plants of the Nyika Plateau. SABONET 31 405 pp.
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Do keep up the good work. May we all enjoy a peaceful 2009, start getting global warming under control and develop beekeeping
Right: Kotschya recurvifolia flowers
everywhere.
Above right: Kotschya recurvifolia is often found in dense clumps in
Dr Fred Clark, London, UK
grassland
NEW POLLINATOR @ROJECT The five-year project Conservation and Management of Pollinators for Sustainable Agriculture through an Ecosystem Approach, worth
US$26.45 million (€20.40 m), has been launched by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to better protect bees, bats and birds that are essential fo the world’s crop production. The unique project will be implemented through the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and will help ensure food security through the protection of the key pollinator
species. The project is co-ordinated by FAO (UN Food and Agriculture Organization). It will be executed through partnerships with the Governments of Brazil, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nepal, Pakistan and South
birds, butterflies and even mosquitoes are essential for food production because of their role in pollination.
Pollinators also have a key role in maintaining ecosystem services including ensuring biodiversity and helping nature to adjust to external threats such as climate change. For these reasons, pollinators are known as keystone species in many terrestrial habitats. The main threats to pollinators can be linked to disease, pesticide use, habitat loss and degradation, monocultures and the introduction of exotic
species, causing concern to agricultural producers and conservationists. This project will contribute to the conservation, sustainable use and management of pollinators by: 1.
Developing and implementing tools, methodologies, strategies and best management practices for pollinator conservation and sustainable use;
2.
Building local, national, regional and global capacities to enable the design, planning and implementation of interventions to mitigate pollinator population declines, and establish sustainable pollinator
Africa in collaboration with stakeholders from different environmental and agricultural communities at national and international level, including ministries, research institutions, agencies, academia, NGOs,
private sector and farming communities. The GEF will contribute US$7.8 million (€6.01 m) and leverage another US$18.65 million
(€14.38 m) from other partners including multilateral organisations, governments and academic institutions. Pollinators such as bats, bees,
management practices: 3.
Promoting the co-ordination and integration of activities related to the conservation and sustainable use of pollinators at the international level to enhance global synergies.
More information www.unep.org/documents (search for ‘pollinator’)
