YDSM PICTURE COLLECTION COVER PHOTO
MR. HELMI FOR
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THE KING AND THE HONEY HUNTERS Makhazir Mardan, Institute of Multimedia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, 43400 Selangor, Malaysia His Majesty Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah, the King of Malaysia, joined the honey hunters of Gong Beris Village, Marang, Terangganu, Malaysia in harvesting honey from the bee trees with colonies of the Asian honey bee Apis dorsata in
July 2009.
The Honey Hunters’ Co-operative of Terengganu (KOPEMAT) demonstrated their technique for collecting honey. His Majesty Sultan Mizan has been their ardent supporter since establishing the Co-operative in May 2009 through the auspices of the Raya! Foundation Sultan Mizan, and
channelling his goodwill and assistance to promote the well-being of honey hunters Terengganu State.
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The opportunity that we had been waiting for arrived when two adjacent bee trees with 35 huge colonies were identified. They were located 250 m from the nearest accessible road, and a
45 minute drive deep into the interior of the Mercang Forest Reserve. Tree species include Acacia mangium and Melaleuca leucadendron. Access was provided by a 200 m boardwalk, constructed to the base of the bee tree. A 9 m’ platform was built to hold 40 people and a tent covered with
Cover: A ladder built cn a towering Melaleuca feucadendron in Malaysia's rain forest. The tree
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mosquito netting to provide safety from possible bee stings. When His Majesty Sultan Mizan decided to attend and witness the event, the bee tree was guarded around the clock by forest rangers for two weeks before the demonstration. Within that fortnight, two tigers and pigs were observed around the trees. During the event over 200 honey hunters took the opportunity to greet His Majesty and share their anecdotes about their experiences with the bees and honey bears in the
jungle.
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The Royal Foundation Sultan Mizan is now commissioning a specially-designed honey bottle for the honey harvest from Acacia sp and Melaleuca sp. The Foundation has allocated financial assistance to provide safety harnesses, navigation (GPS) tools, and a honey processing facility for KOPEMAT. His Majesty Sultan Mizan is as concerned as the honey hunters about the diminishing
Letters
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deforestation.
1% for Development Fund
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Keywords: Acacia, Apis dorsata, bee tree, honey hunting, Malaysia, Melaleuca
In this
issue
page
parasitic fly Ot
hohey
bees
Plagued by ticks? Or Varroa mites?
...
improved top-bars
Melaleuca forest that directly affects the honey harvest, as well as the broader concerns of
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Stingless bees as bioindicators in Brazil
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An all-American honey bee............... 9 News around the World
10
Trees Bees Use
11
Look Ahead/Learn Ahead
12
Notice Board
12
Bookshelf
14
Monetary value of forests
14
orD Bees/« evelopment Post
PO Box 105 Monmouth NP25 9AA, UK
Phone
+44 (0)16007 13648
info@beesfordevelopment.org www.beesfordevelopment.org
His Majesty Suttan Mizan (centre) looks up into the bee tree, accompanied by Professor Makhdzir Mardan (left). Also in the picture (partially concealed) is His Majesty's younger brother, Dato’ Tengku Temenggong, and on the far right is the Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of the State of Terengganu, YAB Mohamed Said. SUPPORT: Bees for Development Trust acknowledge: Anglo American Group Foundation, John Lewis Council, Manuka Life Ltd, Panta Rhea Foundation, Rowse Family Trust, Simply Manuka, Synchronicity Foundation, E H Thorne (Beehives) Ltd, VITA (Europe) Ltd, Wales for Africa Fund of the Welsh Assembly Government, The Waterloo Foundation. And the many beekeeping groups and individuals who support our work. Please encourage your friends and colleagues to help.
