Bees for Development Journal Edition 96 - September 2010

ISSUE NO 96, SEPTEMBER 2010

VARROA AND AFRICA ORGANIC BEEKEEPING WARRE HIVES CROSS COMB SOLUTIONS HONEY HAZARDS WWW.BEESFORDEVELOPMENT.ORG

COVER PHOTO © FRANC SIVIC

Beesfor Development Journal 96

This stunning, award winning photograph by Franc Sívic from Slovenia shows Apis mellifera carnica foraging on Centaurea cyanus

ISSUE No 96 September 2010 In this issue

page

Practical Beekeeping – Bee friendly beekeeping Part 2 ..............................3

Organic beekeeping – a discussion ....6

Practical beekeeping – Combs across top-bars or frames...................8 Understanding the HACCP..................9

News around the World ....................11

Look/Learn Ahead.............................12 Notice Board ....................................12

Bookshelf.........................................14

BfD Journal

Dear friends

VARROA IN TROPICAL AFRICA

For some time now we have been receiving e-mails and reports from readers in sub-Saharan Africa of Varroa in their honey bee colonies, for example Dr Issa Nombre (see below) and Mr Mike Ukattah in Nigeria (BfDJ 86). Now a study published in the Journal Apidologie* has provided scientific evidence for the identification of Varroa destructor in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Yet so far, no beekeepers in this region have described adverse problems being caused by the presence of this mite. Why not? This may be a consequence of the extensive, genetically varied, indigenous honey bee populations that still exist in tropical Africa. These bees’ specialised biology and behaviour exemplified by the frequent migration, absconding and swarming of colonies, and the non-interventionist nature of tropical African beekeeping are likely to be significant factors. The worst thing that African beekeepers can do now is to begin using chemicals in their colonies to control Varroa – in this way, Varroa tolerant colonies will not have the opportunity to be identified, and beekeeping will become – as it has in so many regions – a race against mite resistance. At the same time, the input costs of beekeeping would be increased while honey and beeswax would be reduced in value by the presence of chemical residues. *FRAZIER,M.; MULI,E.; CONKLIN,T.; SCHMEHL,D.; BALDWYN,. T.; FRAZIER,J.; TUMLINSON,J.; EVANS,J.D.; RAINA,S. (2010) A scientific note on Varroa destructor found in East Africa; threat or opportunity? Apidologie (463-465) Available online at: www.apidologie.org

VARROA IN BURKINA FASO?

In April 2010 we held a training course for local-style beekeepers from Mali. One of the practical sessions involved an apiary visit and we collected some honey. The honey was extracted the following day and upon inspection of some of the brood combs, we saw for the first time in Burkina Faso the mite Varroa destructor. Will our beekeeping be able to survive this? We ask for all the good will that can contribute to a better study of this parasite, to join us in order to understand the status of the infestation in Burkina Faso.

Dr Issa Nombre Laboratoire de Biologie et Ecologie Végétales, Ouagadougou

From Bf D

Sorry to read that you have discovered Varroa destructor in Burkina Faso. It is possible that the method of beekeeping practised in Burkina Faso is allowing honey bee colonies and the predator to evolve in natural ways that permit normal host-parasite relationships to develop. Research may reveal whether the mites are detrimental to the bee colonies, or the bees are surviving in their presence.

Published quarterly by Bees for Development and distributed to readers in over 130 countries Editor Nicola Bradbear PhD Co-ordinator Helen Jackson BSc

Bf D Trust Membership includes BfD Journal at no extra cost. See page 15

Readers in developing countries can apply for a sponsored subscription. See page 16

Copyright You are welcome to translate and/or reproduce items appearing in BfDJ as part of our Information Service. Permission is given on the understanding that BfDJ and author(s) are acknowledged, Bf D contact details are provided in full, and you send us a copy of the item or the website address where it is used.

Bees for Development Post

PO Box 105 Monmouth NP25 9AA, UK Phone +44 (0)16007 13648 info@beesfordevelopment.org www.beesfordevelopment.org

VARROA DESTRUCTOR

The ectoparasitic honey bee mite Varroa destructor was originally confined to the Asian honey bee Apis cerana. During the first half of the 20th century, as a consequence of beekeepers moving honey bee colonies around the world, Varroa spread to colonies of Apis mellifera, the honey bee species used by beekeepers in many countries. In this way, Varroa eventually became dispersed to Apis mellifera colonies and spread to many world regions. It arrived in North Africa during the 1980s and was first identified in South Africa in 1997. Until recently, there had been no reports of Varroa in sub-Saharan Africa. Damage caused to bees by the presence of Varroa is believed to be the main driver behind colony loss episodes in Europe and North America: Varroa is in many countries therefore considered a major threat for apiculture.

Let us know if you have seen Varroa in your honey bee colonies – often the easiest way to find Varroa is by inspecting some drone larvae - for information on how to identify Varroa, please go to our Information Portal at www.beesfordevelopment.org/portal SUPPORT: Bees for Development Trust acknowledge: Anglo American Group Foundation, Comic Relief UK, Panta Rhea Foundation, Rowse Family Trust, Synchronicity Foundation, E H Thorne (Beehives) Ltd and VITA (Europe) Ltd. And thank you to the many beekeeping groups and individuals who support our work. Please encourage your friends and colleagues to help.

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PRACTICAL BEEKEEPING

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SUSTAINABLE BEE-FRIENDLY BEEKEEPING – Part 2 David Heaf, Hafan, Cae Llwyd, Llanystumdwy, Cricieth, Gwynedd LL52 0SG, UK Keywords: bee disease, honey harvest, propolis, Varroa, Warré

Part 1 of this article (BfDJ 95) presented the principles of the People's hive which Emile Warré invented to make it simple for people to begin beekeeping. The Warré hive has no frames, foundation, queen excluder or supers (honey boxes) and is designed to preserve the warm nest atmosphere of the bees’ natural comb, thus promoting bee health.

First read Warré's Beekeeping for all 1. If you are a beginner, read-up bee biology, for example Jürgen Tautz's beautifully illustrated book2. He presents several recent discoveries that indicate the importance of natural comb for the health and work of the colony. Join a local beekeeping association and learn about frame hive beekeeping - you can hear much of value. Members who are up-to-date on bee biology and behaviour, not just interested in how to profit from bees, will be interested in your venture.

Making a Warré hive

DIAGRAM © DAVID HEAF

Warré hives are simple to construct and many beekeepers make their own.

Construction details can be found in Warré's book1, or downloaded from the internet3. Nick Hampshire's site shows woodwork novices how to make Warré hives4. I made most of mine out of recycled wood, driftwood and pallets. Avoid treated wood and plywood. The latter does not 'breathe' and contains artificial adhesives. Planing is unnecessary.

Working drawing for making a Warré box and top-bars

Cut eight 24 x 9 mm top-bars per box and nail them at 36 mm centres to the rebates (or battens) with 25 x 1 mm pins. If your combs must be removable, insert the pins just sufficiently to hold the bars while travelling or setting up the hives, and snip the heads off (protect your eyes!). Many beekeepers encourage bees to make parallel comb by forming wax starter strips under each batten. Warré describes how to do this by pouring molten beeswax on to the batten against a pre-wetted wooden former.

The floor comprises 15 mm boards nailed to battens underneath. For the entrance, cut a 120 mm wide notch extending 40 mm inwards (for a 20 mm box wall). Bees enter under the rim of the bottom box.

An apiary of Warré hives

Close-up of Warré box showing top-bars in rebate

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS © DAVID HEAF UNLESS STATED

Make at least four boxes per hive. Provided you keep their internal dimensions to 300 x 300 mm x 210 mm (high) you can use wood of any thickness greater than 20 mm. To support the top-bars, the box fronts and backs have 10 x 10 mm rebates in their top rims. Fix the corners together with simple butt joints using seven 65 x 2.65 mm galvanised nails. Fill outside cracks wider than 1 mm with linseed oil putty, leaving the bees to seal the inside with propolis (their universal sealant and antiseptic). Fix a handle batten on each side. Optionally, the box can be painted outside with two or three coats of raw linseed oil. Beginners like boxes with glass windows so they can watch progress inside5.

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PRACTICAL BEEKEEPING

PHOTO © BILL WOOD

Bees for Development Journal 96

The flight path near the hive entrance should not point over thoroughfares or any place where people pass frequently. The entrance should ideally face anywhere between east and south to rouse the colony to foraging at sunrise. Unless foraging conditions are exceptional, limit each site to three colonies to avoid stressing the bees through competition for food resources.

Hiving bees

In the UK, a natural prime swarm of around 2 kg gives best results. Run the swarm into a prepared 2-box Warré on a board sloping up to the entrance.

A 1.5 kg bought package of bees has been found to work well in many parts of North America. Tell your local association, police, pest control department and fire station that you will take swarms. At your first hiving you may want to enlist the help of another beekeeper. An ideal time in the UK is May, just before a main nectar flow.

With a mature package of bees, that is one that has been in transit for a few days, release the queen from her cage at the entrance once the inrush has begun. If the package has only just been given its queen, remove the protective plug over the candy and hang the cage from the top-bars of the top box. Check in a few days that the queen has been released, and remove the cage.

If there is no nectar flow, feed with syrup made from honey produced in your own apiary or from a known disease-free apiary (2:1 honey : water by weight), or, if no honey meeting that specification is available, syrup made from 1 kg refined sugar in 500 ml water. Put it in an open container loosely filled with straw (to stop the bees drowning in it) on the hive floor.

A pre-waxed top-bar and a way of positioning bars without nailing through them

PHOTO © DAVID CROTEAU

Nail an alighting board 160 mm square under the notch, projecting 70 mm.

The top-bar cloth is hessian. Warré advises stiffening it with flour paste to stop the bees fraying it1. They will coat the exposed parts of its underside with propolis.

The 'quilt', the same footprint as the boxes, comprises four 100 mm tall pieces of wood nailed into a square. Fix hessian or other coarse natural fabric underneath and fill the quilt with straw, wood shavings, or chaff.

The bees propolise the top-bar cloth between the bars

Roof construction is more flexible. It is waterproof, has about a 10 mm clearance all round to ease removal, covers the quilt/box junction, excludes mice from the quilt, can be flat and covered with a metal sheet (for example scrap hot-water cylinder, printers' plates etc) or sloping like Warré's, with its ventilated cavity to shield the hive from the sun1. This is an important feature for hot climates. You can make Warré's roof from wood scraps and paint it. Important: there is no updraught via the quilt (and roof). The bees control ventilation via the entrance.

The hive floor should stand at least 150 mm above ground. For example, blocks, an old sturdy crate or a wooden stand made of scrap, make serviceable stands. Mine are 300 mm high and have legs just outside the four corners of the hive to maximise stability.

One way of hiving bees from a commercial package

Monitoring progress

Storch6 details how a lot can be learned from entrance activity. All is well if, on rainless days, the bees are purposeful, many returning with pollen which is generally first seen after a day or two. The first box can fill with comb in a fortnight, occasionally in a week or less in warm, melliferous localities. In about another two weeks you can add a third box. If you do not have an assistant to help you lift the hive, various sorts of lifts can be contrived using scrap materials7. If you have not fitted windows to check how the comb has progressed, slide the hive backwards a little on the floor to make a satisfactory opening and look upwards with a torch, or use a mirror. Do not do this often. An important aspect of Warré beekeeping is to leave the bees alone.

Apiary site

Common sites include gardens, city rooftops, allotments, field margins (livestock fenced) and wasteland. Walls, fences, hedges and/or screening nets (windbreak) can help to funnel bee traffic in the desired direction.

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Swarming

Suppressing swarming, part of the natural reproduction of the honey bee colony, risks compromising the long term fitness of the bee population.

You can let your bees swarm and catch the swarm to start new colonies, if necessary by using bait hives10. This is not an option if there is any chance of annoying neighbours. In that case you can split the hive before swarming time in the second and later years, or do more complicated artificial swarm manipulations as Warré describes1.

Varroa control

Beekeepers generally use chemicals against Varroa mites. This is not sustainable in the long-term and adversely affects bee health. Honey bees will eventually co-adapt as they co-evolve with the mite. Intervention hampers this. I do not treat my Warré colonies as they create ideal conditions that help the bees to control the mites themselves. But I nevertheless risk losing some colonies. If you do not want this risk, consider dusting the hive with icing sugar (very finely ground sugar): intrusive and messy, but it works if done regularly10.

Later years

Entrance traffic of a colony in its fourth season without Varroa treatment

Check the colony survived the winter. Clean the floor and add one or two boxes. In later years you might harvest two boxes of honey. But remember that Warré beekeeping means not over-exploiting bees, so they should always be left with an adequate amount of their own honey. The golden rule is to keep it simple.

Harvesting honey

In the UK, if you hived bees in mid-spring, had an average summer, and are free of Varroa or other serious pests, you should get at least one box of honey in early autumn when nectar flow ends. Remove the roof and quilt.

Peel back the top-bar cloth and smoke any bees down into the second box. Loosen the box with a hive tool, if necessary with a gentle twist each way. Check that there is no brood by looking from underneath the box into the combs. Put the box aside in a covered container such as a plastic sack. Check the next box has at least the equivalent of six combs of honey (about 12 kg). These are the winter stores. Renew the cloth and quilt filling.

PHOTO © JOHN MOERSCHBACHE

References 1. Warré, É. (2010) Beekeeping for all. D.J. & P. A. Heaf (transl).

Northern Bee Books, Mytholmroyd, UK. www.warre.biobees.com/bfa.htm 2. Tautz, J. (2008) The buzz about bees. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany.

3. www.warre.biobees.com/plans.htm 4. www.thebeespace.net/ 5. www.warre.biobees.com/windows.htm or www.warre.biobees.com/plans.htm 6. Storch, H. (1985) At the hive entrance. European Agricultural Editions.

Brussels, Belgium.

7. www.warre.biobees.com/lift.htm; www.warre.biobees.com/pressing.htm 8. www.dheaf.plus.com/warrebeekeeping/solar_extractor.htm 9. www.dheaf.plus.com/warrebeekeeping/bait_hives.htm 10. Dennis Murrell: www.beenatural.wordpress.com/naturalbeekeeping/varroa-blaster/

Acknowledgements I thank Dr Johannes Wirz (Switzerland) for introducing me to Warré beekeeping and Bernhard Heuvel (Germany) for advice on sustainable beekeeping. In the UK, Phil Chandler - The Barefoot Beekeeper, Dr William Hughes (web space to support this work) and Northern Bee Books who published our translation of Warré’s text.

Also the Warré beekeeping e-group members providing valuable input on the performance of the hive in different climatic zones: www.uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/warrebeekeeping

Ms Hitomi Enomoto of the Asian Apicultural Association has contacted Bf D to say she is translating Part 1 of this article into Japanese. David Heaf says “This will add Japanese to the Flemish and Spanish translations already circulating. Your correspondent might be interested to know that Japan already has a Warré-like beekeeping with Apis cerana. The material was contributed by Syouichi Morimoto and I have put a web page about it on: www.warre.biobees.com/japan.htm”. See also ‘The box pile hive – Profitable beekeeping with Apis cerana’ (BfDJ 94).

A Warré box of honeycomb, suitable for cut-comb honey

Extracting honey

The lightest coloured comb at the top corners will be suitable for harvesting as cut honeycomb. The rest is crushed. The drained wax can be either pressed dry in a cloth8, or washed with lukewarm water. The honey syrup created from washing with water may be either fed back to the bees or made into mead. Wax is most sustainably recovered in a solar extractor9. It can be sold or made into candles.

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ORGANIC BEEKEEPING – A DISCUSSION Keywords: honey legislation, honey bee importation, international honey standards, Nosema ceranae, organic honey, queen rearing, Varroa

that the season is nearly finished before a colony has time to develop.

The best, specialised queen breeders are focused on selecting improved bees. If we take a closer look at Chile, there are no organic producers geared to sell queens. One of the best queen breeders in Chile is a company called Pacific Queens, who export many queens to Canada and the rest of the world. For 15 years this company has concentrated on selecting queens with an increasing ability to minimise Varroa damage. Pacific Queens is not certified as an organic producer and under European rules, the organic beekeeper should not be buying from them. However, their queen breeding programme is developing a bee that can live with Varroa, exactly the thing that organic standards see as desirable. Pacific Queens probably offer the best solution in Chile to reduce the impact of Varroa. Unless the European standard can show that honey produced from a colony from a non-organic queen is contaminated, the reason for this rule is not clear.

In March 2010, Mr Ian Staples of the company Rio San Pedro in Chile contacted Bf D. Ian is a commercial beekeeper working to achieve organic beekeeping. This article presents his comments concerning the difficulties of meeting organic standards, and his frustration on being faced with many different sets of standards. As a honey exporter, Rio San Pedro must endeavour to meet the standards which apply in the country where their honey is to be sold, and different markets have different demands.

The article includes also comments from Mr Ulrich Bröker, an organic beekeeping certifier based in Germany, and lastly from Bf D.

Ian Staples, from Chile

For beekeepers to gain organic status, one might expect there to be international guidelines and rules, administered by the organic accreditation agencies. However, this is not the case. As Chilean beekeepers, determined to work to European organic standards, we find that there are 30 different, wide-ranging certification standards for organic honey. The differences can be big. Let us compare two of these sets of rules: those applied in Canada and the USA, with those applied in Europe. These rules differ on many aspects of beekeeping such as what hives should be made of, how hives can be treated, the origin of queens, location of apiaries, winter feeding and disease and pest control. On all these points there are marked differences between the two sets of rules. The European rules are the most strict and difficult to achieve for a commercial beekeeper, which might be admirable in some cases, but some of the standards, in my view, are impractical while others appear nonsensical. We shall examine two points of difference: origin of queens and control of Nosema ceranae.

Control of Nosema ceranae

This is the areas in which European and Canadian/USA standards differ most. Nosema ceranae is a very serious disease of bees, widespread in both Europe and Chile. At Rio San Pedro, we have been rigorous about using no form of pharmaceutical product to control Nosema although each winter the level of infection has risen and we have suffered heavy losses, especially in early spring. We have had to work hard to recover lost colony numbers. When we discussed this with IMO Switzerland, one of the most respected organic accreditation agencies in Chile, they gave us good advice but we were already following most of their recommendations which included not keeping hives on the ground, frequent removal of old comb, not unifying weak colonies with strong colonies, and ensuring strong nuclei when forming new colonies.

In June to September 2009, with strong and apparently healthy bee colonies that we had moved to the Mediterranean climate in the central region of Chile, we started to see huge bee losses with up to 50 colonies dying each day. Analysis showed we had a high level of Nosema infection. In the summer the level of infection had been low and we thought we were on top of the problem. Despite these losses I refused to use any product until one block of 600 bee colonies had been reduced to 100. I then instructed that we should use the pharmaceutical product Fumagillin or we would have lost every single bee.

Origin of queens

PHOTOS © IAN STAPLES

According to European organic standards, at least 90% of new queens must come from a certified organic beekeeper. According to Canadian and USA standards, queens can come from non-organic queen producers. If Canadian beekeepers do not buy in queens, they do not have a business. This is because in Canada the productive season is so short, that unless they introduce a queen “ready to go” they have no business. If beekeepers must produce their own queens, this means

Apiary of Rio San Pedro hives, with an Ulmo tree flowering in the centre back of the picture

The honey processing plant at Rio San Pedro 6

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enough examples of disastrous effects, for example Varroa, small hive beetle and Nosema. For good reasons, the European organic standard demands locally, well-adapted strains of bees. Perhaps the solution is to set up an organic queen breeding scheme in Chile.

Although some experiments have been done on plant extracts such as achillea, basil, dandelion and thyme, and there is some evidence that these can be effective, none are nearly as effective as Fumagillin.

We do not apply Fumagillin in the winter feed, but spray it on the bees in the autumn using a sugar mix. The bees ingest this mix as they clean each other but they do not have sufficient to store. Post application analysis shows no residue of Fumagillin in the honey or the wax after treatment.

Nosema ceranae

The occurrence and cause of Nosema ceranae on Apis mellifera is still discussed and remains controversial. There is no organic patent medicine for control. Infestation seems to be related to colonies with poor performance of vitality, nevertheless strong colonies are under threat and far from being safe. It is hard to suggest how your good practice can be further improved. Part of your problems must be related to the structure of commercial apiculture, with a considerable concentration of colonies which does not occur naturally. The difference between the European and Canadian/USA standards is in part one of philosophy. In general, European standards are predominantly based upon fundamental assumptions, American standards focus on pragmatism and feasibility.

This is where the European standards and the Canadian/USA standards are very different. The European organic standards do not permit the use of Fumagillin, whereas the Canadian/USA standards recognise that bees should be healthy and be helped to survive: Fumagillin is a recommended product.

In conclusion, I would urge a revision of the European standards, with input from skilled commercial beekeepers, instead of relying on bureaucrats. The risk is that if we ignore these questions, many unscrupulous producers will simply cheat, undermining the whole concept of organic and responsible apiculture. This is unacceptable.

Another pressing issue within the organic apiculture debate is that of inspection. How can the application of organic rules be verified during an inspection of two hours or even one day? How to deal with risks from untrue documentation, which is at the same time understandable?

I am concerned with these questions.

From Ulrich Bröker, Germany

It would be excellent if there were one, world-wide unifying set of standards. However, a world-wide consent covering all aspects and interests of participating parties, considering all differences in beekeeping economy, structural conditions, natural resources, availability of equipment, access to markets and so on, seems to be difficult and unlikely to be achieved. IFOAM1 and FAO2 have set overarching frameworks for organic certification in an attempt to create a common base and understanding for what can be defined as organic.

However these are not binding for any individual nation or region.

National legislation can set organic rules according to their estimation about what is appropriate and realistic for their own circumstances.

At the end of August 2010 Apimondia’s 1st International Conference on Organic Beekeeping will be held in Bulgaria (see Look Ahead). It will provide a chance to address many issues which have arisen since certification of bee products began. There is considerable scope for revision, adaptation and harmonisation of international guidelines and it is hoped this process will gain momentum with the Apimondia Conference in Bulgaria.

From Bees for Development

European standards may appear strict, but under European conditions organic apiculture seems to work. Here the majority of beekeepers are hobbyists having less than 30 colonies and their main motivation is pleasure and a concern for ecological relations. The European standards and organic legislation were not written for nations in the subtropics with large-scale apiculture and very different conditions and situations.

However, the fact remains that for any honey to be sold as organic in the EU it must be produced under the EU guidelines, or the exporting state’s organic legislation must be approved as equivalent to the EU standards.

It is difficult to see how one set of rules can apply globally. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, beekeeping is very different from Chile and Europe. Many beekeepers in Africa practise what might be called wild or natural beekeeping and hives are distributed throughout vast natural forests. Producing a map of the apiary (a requirement for certification schemes) is impossible. Furthermore in Africa, beekeepers obtain new colonies through natural colonisation by wild bees. They cannot produce any documentation to prove that these colonising swarms have been “organically reared”. Bringing African beekeeping into the debate about organic apiculture raises additional questions for organic certification, not just because of challenges of the audit trail, but because Bf D would argue that wild or natural beekeeping, as practised in many countries, is more ecological and organic than the strictest, organically-certified bee farm.

Origin of queens

This is not a problem in Europe, where most of the beekeepers raise queens from their own stock, and where there are a number of organic breeders. This rule is not written to reduce honey contamination, but to enhance organic production in general, across the whole of the beekeeping sector. Nobody suggests that honey quality is associated with the queen’s origin. However, the global trade with queens has another aspect: distributing queens - or even colonies - across climate zones and hemispheres, risks spreading honey bee diseases. There are

1 2

International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Further reading

CONRAD,R. (2007) Natural beekeeping - organic approaches to modern apiculture *

SCHACKER,M (2008) A spring without bees - how CCD has endangered our food supply *

STEINER,R.; BRAATZ,T. (1999) Bees: nine lectures on the nature of bees *

THIELE,M. (1999) The need for organic beekeeping. Bees for Development Journal 50 **

*available from the BfD online store

** www.beesfordevelopment.org/portal/index.php 7

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PRACTICAL BEEKEEPING

COMBS ACROSS TOP-BARS OR FRAMES – A PROBLEM FOR YOU? Akpoke Chiegele Christian, Ebonyi State Agricultural Development Programme, PMB 040 Abakaliki, Onuebonyi, Ebonyi State, Nigeria

PHOTOS © AKPOKE CHIEGELE CHRISTIAN

Keywords: bee space, frame hive, honey bee management, Nigeria, top-bar hive, West Africa

Bees sometimes show behaviour that may put off some beginner beekeepers or look abnormal to them. A common one is when bees build combs against the parallel line of the top-bars or frames. This article examines the problems caused when honey bees build comb across the parallel line of the top-bars or frames and the beekeeper cannot lift them individually to examine them. Any attempt to lift them will damage the comb and its contents.

Usually a newly acquired colony should be allowed to build comb in a way it prefers, after which the beekeeper can make a few amendments to ease management. The bees will tolerate this if the amendments are carried out correctly. If the beekeeper disturbs the colony too early, the colony is likely to abscond.

A common reason for cross comb building is if the space between the frames or top-bars is not the required bee space. We have come to recognise that this is not a bad problem if you understand your bees and treat them well.

Brood and honey combs cross built in a frame hive

9. Gently pull the hive body up from the frames which are held together by the combs built across them 10. Lean the hive body on one side of the frames and use your body to shade from the sun, to create a shady area for the bees to move to 11. Carefully observe the comb arrangement and use a sharp knife to cut the cross combs from their points of attachment 12. Perforate the combs using a small stick and pass plantain rope through the openings 13. Tie the combs on the frame in the direction they should be 14. Return the hive body to its normal place standing upright. Carefully arrange the frames in the hive. Put the hive back on its stand, cover gently and leave alone for the bees to readjust.

The way out – frame hives

1. Smoke your colony and remove the roof and crown board 2. Listen to the bees before you observe 3. Observe the comb arrangement through the space between the frames 4. If there is no cross comb, continue with your inspection or harvesting 5. If cross comb has been built, talk to the bees and tell them you want to help by disturbing them for a short period. Be patient and the bees should move down to the bottom of the hive 6. If the bees have attached the frames to the hive body with propolis, gently detach them 7. Put the roof back on the hive (without the crown board) 8. Gently and carefully turn the hive upside down so it rests on the roof

The way out – top-bar hives

1. Proceed as for frame hives up to point 3 above. Lift up one top-bar to observe the comb arrangement. If not built across combs, continue as usual. If built across combs, continue as follows: 2. Cut each from their respective points of attachment

The hive is brought down from its stand and turned upside down on to the hive roof

The hive body is separated from the frames and comb. The cross combs are cut individually using a sharp knife 8

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Two brood combs (built across the frames) are tied on to separate frames and are ready to be returned to the hive

3. Cut out the top-bar with the cross comb bearing the weight of the comb with your other hand 4. Carry the top-bars out of the hive and gently lay them flat on the hive roof which has been placed on level ground 5. Use a well prepared rope and tie each comb on to a separate top-bar 6. Arrange each of the top-bars with comb back into the hive body, cover gently and leave alone.

Expected outcome

Leave the hive alone for 1-2 weeks before you check the colony. If you have been successful, the bees will have attached the combs on to the frames or top-bars with wax and you can remove the holding ropes. The bees will now follow your pattern and build parallel combs on the remaining top-bars or frames. In the 20 colonies where we have performed this operation we have achieved 100% success.

Each comb is tied on to a frame using plantain rope. Note that most of the bees are not on the frames but in the hive where it is dark

UNDERSTANDING HACCP-HAZARD ANALYSIS CRITICAL POINT SYSTEM Janet Lowore and Nicola Bradbear, Bees for Development

Keywords: EU Directive, honey contamination, HACCP, honey legislation

(pronounced 'HASUP'). HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point and is a process rather than a single indicator of food quality. This process was developed originally by NASA in the 1970s and has since been adopted by many authorities, including the EU, who need to ensure that effective food safety processes are implemented. HACCP: • is a process - not a single indicator of quality such as presence or absence of a chemical contaminant • has been adopted by the EU, in recognition of the robustness of the system in assuring food safety

The EU has strict controls about food safety, with implications for honey exporters planning to sell into the EU market. There are many regulations and directives that apply when considering the export of honey to the EU, and almost all aim to ensure that honey is safe for human consumption1.

The possible hazards that these regulations seek to control include contamination from pesticide residues, contamination from residues of veterinary products, and other forms of contamination that might result from poor hygiene, inappropriate storage or deliberate or accidental adulteration with other substances. The names of the EU regulations and directives can be daunting, as can the length of the list (Directive 96/23/EC, Regulation 396/05, Regulation 2377/90 are just a few). This is how to approach this complex tangle of red-tape: • do not panic • remember that most requirements can be met with common sense • become informed.

This article will explain about one EU requirement that concerns the processing of food products in factories, and goes by the acronym HACCP

is regulated by EC Regulation 852/2004, which requires that all businesses that handle food destined for the EU, implement a HACCP process at their food premises.

Some such as the Honey Standard are used to ensure that the product is authentic honey, and not whether it is safe to eat

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A Critical Control Point (CCP) is the point in the process where hazards must be controlled. It is this point where control is applied in order to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard. Examples: • The storage of honey - contamination hazards must be controlled at this point • The extraction of honey - contamination hazards must be controlled at this point.

The HACCP system is based on seven principles, that work together in a logical series (see Figure 1).

8. Verification procedures

9. Procedures for record keeping and documentation

10. A review timetable and process for the HACCP plan.

The main hazards associated with honey

Honey is classified as an animal product by the EU. Compared with other animal products such as milk or dead fish, honey is an extremely ‘safe’ food. Honey naturally resists microbial activity and does not go off. Honey does not have to be refrigerated and can be kept for a long time, unlike fresh meat or milk.

It is worth mentioning that the level of HMF (hydroxymethylfurfural) is a honey quality indicator monitored by honey buyers, and is not a food safety issue. High HMF does not pose a health hazard and is therefore not part of the HACCP regime. It is covered by honey standards. The main human health hazards associated with honey are chemical contamination (which can be derived from unclean equipment, contamination from cleaning chemicals and toxic substances present in the honey factory) and physical contamination (such as nuts, bolts, nails, broken glass, dust, debris, insects, pieces of wood). Sensible care and common sense can avoid these hazards.

Figure 1. The seven principles of HACCP Principle 1

Identify hazard, for example chemical contamination as a result of storing honey near other substances

Identify the point at which the hazard may occur - this is the Critical Control Point or CCP. For example, the CCP is the Principle 2 honey storage facility

Set a limit for each hazard, this forms the boundary between what is safe and what is not. For example, honey should Principle 3 never be stored in the same room as agro-chemicals, or cleaning fluids

Processes which underpin the application of HACCP

It is important to understand that HACCP is used to control and manage significant hazards and not every day or general hazards. Therefore, HACCP does not cover very basic hygiene practices such as hand washing and general cleaning. It is assumed that all countries that aspire to export food products to the EU have their own national regulations about the hygiene and handling of food products, and it is imperative that honey exporters adhere. An EU buyer may wish to find out about these, and check how they are implemented, in addition to checking the HACCP plan.

Establish a system to monitor how the CCP is controlled.

Principle 4 For example, daily checking of the storage room Principle 5

Establish the corrective action if a CCP is not controlled.

For example, destroy all honey stored next to fertiliser

Establish procedures for checking that the HACCP system is working. For example, every six months the HACCP plan is Principle 6 reviewed by the management team

Primary production

Food handling and processing premises must be covered by a HACCP plan, but what about primary production? Does an apiary or a farm need a HACCP plan? A HACCP plan could be applied at the apiary level but it is not an EU requirement. However, other safety assurance processes apply to primary production. The supplier and the supply system may be covered within the HACCP plan of a honey buyer. For example, the purchase of honey may be set as a CCP and this may be controlled by a company that decides to buy honey only from approved beekeepers those whom they know follow the proper apiary management practices.

For more information go to Bf D’s Information Portal/Markets and Trade/Legislation at www.beesfordevelopment.org

Establish complete documentation. For example, write down every aspect of the process, list of hazards, CCPs, monitoring Principle 7 system, checking system.

Having understood the seven principles of HACCP, these need to be implemented in a Step-by-Step plan (with between 10-14 steps). This plan, and associated documentation, is known as the HACCP plan.

What does a HACCP plan look like?

We acknowledge The Wales for Africa Fund of the Welsh Assembly Government support for Bf D’s recent work to provide HACCP information to beekeepers in Africa.

The HACCP plan sets out how the HACCP process is implemented in all food processing premises. Some food safety authorities provide templates or forms, which can be used to develop a complete HACCP plan. It might be useful to ask statutory food safety authorities for templates or ask your EU buyer for an example of the template that they use. Typically, a HACCP plan will include the following steps: 1. Terms of reference - a description of the food process and premises

EU BANS HONEY FROM INDIA

2. The HACCP team - names of people responsible for HACCP in the company

5. Identification of the limits of safety associated with each CCP

An EU Commission inspection to India has revealed serious deficiencies concerning the implementation of the residue monitoring plan for honey. Therefore, the entries for India concerning honey will be deleted from the list in the Annex to Decision 2004/432/EC.

7. The corrective actions which need to be taken when a CCP is moving out of control

www.eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010: 147:0005:0010:EN:PDF

3. Description of the food process and a flow diagram of the process this is sometimes called the ‘life story’ of the food product 4. Identification of the Critical Control Points (CCP) for each process

Further information

6. The monitoring procedures for each CCP

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NEWS AROUND THE WORLD

KENYA

CAMEROON

The 1st Care Giver Workshop on sustainable beekeeping was held at Arnesens Primary School and showed the commitment of Chrisbee Enterprises to promote the conservation and use of bees. Topics covered in the workshop included honey harvesting and marketing. One of Chrisbee Enterprise objectives is to ensure that producers receive a fair share for their hard work and investment. It is also our objective to ensure that there is a sound marketing system, to ensure that products find their way to the best markets. The beekeeping programmes and the workshop are supported by Neighbours in Action. Extra income from beekeeping helps in financing better health care and education and in improved nutrition.

In June a two-day workshop ‘Stock-taking and projecting the honey value chain into the future in West and Central Africa’, organised by the SNV West and Central African Forestry Knowledge Network as part of an FAO-NTFP project, was held in Foumban in the West Region.

Delegates from seven African countries had the opportunity to share knowledge and gain a broader understanding of honey trade across the region. Twenty-two presentations on the themes of production and hive products; processing, promotion and commercialisation; networking and partnership development; and enabling environmental and climate change, were followed by group working sessions. The key note presentation by Verina Ingram from CIFOR discussed the impact of beekeeping on livelihoods and conservation, with case studies from Cameroon, DR Congo and Zambia. SNV staff presented country overviews for these countries and Ghana, where they have been directly involved in the development and promotion of the honey value chain. The Proceedings will be available on the the SNV website www.snwworld.org and Bf D website shortly.

PHOTO © JULIET WRIGHT

Juliet Wright

Christopher Saboi, Chrisbee Enterprises, Eldoret PHOTO © IDRIS BARAU

NIGERIA

Delegates at the Workshop on Stock-taking and projecting the honey value chain into the future in West and Central Africa

INDIA AND NEPAL

Bihar State in eastern India is witnessing a sharp fall in honey production. A decline in the number of honey bees is the factor attributed to this. According to the environmental organisation Taru Mitra, honey bees are fast disappearing from many parts of Bihar and also Nepal. The honey output from a beekeeping co-operative in Vaishali District has gone down sharply, as the number of occupied hives fell from 100 to less than 20.

K R High School in Bettiash, West Champaran, now has only one hive out of 25 occupied by bees. An identical problem has been reported in neighbouring Nepal, where beekeeping organisations are on the verge of closure.

Robert Athickal, National Co-ordinator of Taru Mitra believes that two factors are responsible

for the bees’ decline: monocultural agriculture and the wide scale use of pesticides on fruit trees. He said that overemphasis on planting a single variety of trees denies regular supplies of food to honey bees as the single variety has a fixed flowering period. Farmers grow these trees specifically for market demand. This deprives honey bees of food and they are at starvation level for a major part of the year. Fewer numbers of honey bees will adversely affect the pollination process which is essential for fruit yields. Athickal appealed to farmers to adopt polyculture to provide honey bees with food all the year round. He said there is a need to make people aware of the long-term impact of the overuse of pesticides.

Source: bihartimes.com

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The Beekeeping Extension Society has received further funding of €19,965 (USD25,700) for beekeeping projects in Kaduna State in Nigeria. The funds are from the French Embassy Social Development Fund. The grant is for production of 450 top-bar hives for 450 beekeepers in 21 locations in Kaduna State. About 20% of beneficiaries are rural women.

Idris Barau, Beekeeping Extension Society, Shika

TAJIKISTAN

In 1992 the number of bee hives in Tajikistan was recorded at 250,000. By 2006 this figure had fallen by 81% to 49,600. In the same year a beekeeping programme was implemented to increase the number of hives to 218,000 by 2010. At the beginning of 2010 the estimated figure was 140,000 hives with the annual honey production projected at 3,000 tonnes. Muzaffar Khalimov, Director of Asali Tochik (Tajik Honey) says that small quantities of honey from Tajikistan are exported to Afghanistan, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. By 2011 it is hoped to include Japan in the export market, and to extend the beekeeping programme until 2018.

Rakhim Nazarov, The Times of Central Asia

Bees for Development Journal 96

LOOK AHEAD

ARGENTINA APIMONDIA: 42nd International Apicultural Congress 21-25 September 2011, Buenos Aires Further details apimondia2011@mci-group.com BRAZIL 11th Congreso Iberolatinamericano de Apicultura 2012, Rio Grande do Sul Further details in the next issue

BULGARIA APIMONDIA: Organic beekeeping conference 27-29 August 2010, Black Sea Coast Further details www.bee-hexagon.net/en/organic.htm GRENADA 6th Caribbean Beekeeping Congress 8-13 November 2010 Further details page 16

IRELAND BIBBA-GBBG-SICAMM-FIBKA Conference Going Native - the practicalities of breeding local honey bees 3-5 September 2010, Cahir Further details www.sicamm.org MEXICO ICPBR Pollination Symposium June 2011, Cholula (Puebla) Further details www.uoguelph.ca/icpbr

SLOVENIA APIMONDIA: Apimedica & Apiquality Forum 28 September - 2 October 2010, Ljubljana Further details www.apimedica.org

SOUTH KOREA 10th Asian Apicultural Association Congress 4-7 November, 2010, Busan Further details page 16 THAILAND 3rd International Beekeeping Congress 3-5 March 2011, Chiang Mai Further details www.cenfoundindia.org.in TURKEY EURBEE – 4th European Conference of Apiculture 7-9 September 2010, Metu - Ankara Further details www.eurbee2010.org

International Mugla Beekeeping and Pine Honey Congress 5 -8 October 2010, Mugla Further details www.muglacongress.org

UK Conwy Honey Fair 13 September 2010, Conwy, North Wales Further details www.conwybeekeepers.org.uk 79th National Honey Show 28-30 October 2010, Weybridge Further details www.honeyshow.co.uk

UKRAINE APIMONDIA: 43rd International Apicultural Congress September 2013, Kiev Further details www.apimondia2013.org.ua

VIETNAM International Conference: Beekeeping Development & Honey Marketing Affiliated with Apimondia 30 October - 2 November 2010, Hanoi Further details www.ias2010hanoi.com ZAMBIA 2nd International Api-Expo Africa 20-23 October 2010, Lusaka Further details page 16

LEARN AHEAD

MEXICO Organic beekeeping June - October 2010, Tapachula Further details www.ecosur.mx/Diplomados.html UK BfD Sustainable Beekeeping Course 4-5 September 2010, Ragman's Lane Farm, Gloucestershire An introduction to alternative, more sustainable approaches to beekeeping, with a UK focus Further details on our website

Bf D Beekeepers' Safaris 2010

Rodrigues and Mauritius 28 November - 9 December 2010 Trinidad & Tobago 7-17 February 2011 Further details on our website

If you want notice of your conference, workshop or meeting to be included here and on our website send details to Bees for Development, address on page 16

NOTICE BOARD

VOLUNTEERS WANTED: Apoolo Na Angor, a development group for women in Mbale, Uganda is looking for volunteers to help with their beekeeping. If interested Bf D will put you in touch with their Co-ordinator, Moses Aisia

QUARTER CENTURY: 2010 Annual SEEP Conference marks 25 years of connecting microenterprise development practitioners.

Join participants from NGOs, private sector, foundations, investment funds, and bilateral agencies from around the world, for focused interactive learning and networking opportunities. Visit www.seepnetwork.org

NEW GATEWAY: HKH Conservation Portal is a regional repository of biodiversity and conservation related information from the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region. See www.icimod.org/hkhconservationportal

PROJECT FUNDING: FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, supports beekeeping projects in developing countries.

TeleFood Special Fund: Beekeepers’ groups and associations may apply for small project funding of up to US$10,000. Request documents should include a brief description of project objectives, proposed food production or income-generating activities, work plan, number of participants, detailed list of inputs with cost estimates and reporting arrangements. Submit your request to the FAO or UNDP office in your country.

See www.fao.org and inform BfD of the outcome of your application.

1% for Development Fund: Small grants to enable community based beekeeping projects in developing countries to get off the ground. Applicants must clearly define objectives and how they are to be attained. See One-Per-Cent-Fund@FAO.org BEE CRAFT: The UK’s leading monthly beekeeping magazine. View a digital copy and subscribe on line at www.bee-craft.com

ULUDAG BEE JOURNAL: News, practical information and research articles. Published quarterly in Turkish with English summaries.

See www.uludagaricilik.org

IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE: BfD Journal offers a great opportunity to reach thousands of readers. Prices start from GBP35 (€42, USD60), various size ads available.

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AVAILABLE FROM Bf D NOW AT WWW.BEESFORDEVELOPMENT.ORG

BOOK SHELF

THE QUEST FOR THE PERFECT HIVE

Gene Kritsky 2010 198 pages Hardback £16.99 (€224) K800 Gene Kritsky is a beekeeper and entomologist who has investigated the history of hives, predominantly in the UK and USA. He observes, correctly, that while we have in recent years managed to sequence the honey bee genome, in these countries we continue to keep honey bees in hives that were developed over a century ago.

The text is accompanied by many excellent images of hives and beekeepers from the 19th and 20th centuries, and extends to discussion of bee houses and the various beekeeping paraphernalia. A fascinating book for everyone concerned with understanding the origins of beekeeping as practised today in North America and UK.

GUIDE TO BEES AND HONEY

Ted Hooper 2010 edition 272 pages £12.99 (€118) Code H450 A new and completely up to date edition of one of the best European beekeeping texts. This book is an entirely reliable and comprehensive guide to beekeeping with European honey bees and frame hive equipment. It is an ideal text for a beginner, while many experienced beekeepers turn first to their copy of ‘Hooper’ whenever guidance is needed. Sadly, Ted Hooper died earlier this year, and this excellent new edition makes a fine memorial to a great beekeeper.

BEE

Photographs by Rose-Lynn Fisher 126 pages Hardback £21 (€330) F800 Images of honey bees created by the latest high-resolution scanning electron microscope allow secret details of honey bee anatomy to appear in astonishing and beautiful detail. Rose-Lynn Fisher presents 60 photographs in magnifications of up to 5,000.

SIX LEGGED INSECTS

Jeffrey A Lockwood 2009 377 pages Hardback £14.99 (€222) L800 A remarkable story of human ingenuity and brutality, this book provides a comprehensive study of the too-often horrific history of the use of insects in warfare, from ancient times to as recently as 1989. Many honey bee stories are told, including the account of how lethal chemical weaponry ‘yellow rain’ was, according to US Secretary of State Alexander Haig, being used during the Vietnam War by the Soviet Union and its allies. ‘Yellow rain’ a feature of many Asian forests, is in fact the pollen laden faeces of giant honey bees, Apis dorsata.

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Bees for Development Journal 96

Support for training

Bf D Training Modules and Training Cards are for use by beekeeper trainers in Africa.

Each booklet provides one day of training on one topic. The cards provide pictures and plans illustrating techniques discussed in the booklets.

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Bees for Development Journal 96

API-EXPO AFRICA 2010 Lusaka, Zambia 20-23 October 2010

A showcase for Africa’s honey industry creating awareness of market and investment opportunities, and to demonstrate the relationship between beekeeping and other industries throughout Africa ApiExpo Africa is an initiative of ApiTrade Africa, a not-for-profit member-based organisation with a Secretariat in Uganda. A platform to spearhead the cause of the apiculture sector in Africa through trade.

Supported by

Welcome to Grenada

6th Caribbean Beekeeping Congress 8-13 November 2010

The Government of Grenada, Grenada Association of Beekeepers and the Association of Caribbean Beekeeping Organizations invite you to share the latest information in apiculture and experience the warmth, hospitality and beauty of Grenada.

We invite beekeepers, scientists, technicians, hobbyists, equipment suppliers and other stake holders to interact and exchange ideas and experiences. You are welcome to visit our apiaries and participate in hands-on experience with our beekeepers on the Island of Grenada and our sister Isle of Carriacou.

More information

APIMONDIA

GOVERNMENT OF ZAMBIA

NETHERLANDS DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION

BEES FOR DEVELOPMENT

www.apitradeafrica.org Further details

SPONSORED SUBSCRIPTION

If you would like to receive BfD Journal but you cannot pay the £20 subscription, apply for a sponsored subscription.

Download an application form from our website, send an email to journalrequest@beesfordevelopment.org

Or send a letter. We need to know your name, organisation, full postal address, email address (if any), plus a few details about your beekeeping activities.

Our sponsored subscription service is available to resource-poor beekeepers, projects, and groups in developing countries and is supported with funds raised by Bf D Trust.

www.6cbcgrenada.gd/Home.aspx Email: info@beekeepers.gd

10th ASIAN APICULTURAL ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE

Busan, South Korea, 4-7 November 2010

Hosted by: Asian Apicultural Association, Korea Beekeeping Association and the Apicultural Society of Korea

Congress theme

Green life with bee world

Congress sessions • Apiculture extension • Bee biology • Bee products and apitherapy • Beekeeping economy • Beekeeping technology • Bees and the environment • Melliferous flora and pollination • Pests and diseases

More information: www.aaa2010.or.kr

ISSN 1477-6588

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