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ISSUE NO 98, MARCH 2011
AAA IN KOREA LOCAL STYLE BEEKEEPING DIVIDING HONEY BEE COLONIES WORLD HONEY WWW.BEESFORDEVELOPMENT.ORG
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COVER PHOTO © BEES FOR DEVELOPMENT
Beesfor Development Journal 98
The 10th Asian Apicultural Association Conference took place in Busan, South Korea in November 2010, with over 4,000 participants. Our cover picture shows Korean beekeeping families waiting to greet delegates as they arrive. Read more on pages 8 and 9
ISSUE No 98 March 2011 In this issue
page
Practical beekeeping - dividing honey bee colonies in Ethiopia...........3 Local style beekeeping: Sierra Leone ..4 Trees Bees Use...................................6 World honey.......................................7 10th AAA Conference ........................8 Networks ...........................................9 News around the World ....................10 Recent research................................10 Letters..............................................11 Call to ban pesticides.......................11 Look & Learn Ahead/Notice Board ....12 Bookshelf.........................................14
Not just about bees
Many people all over the world, not just beekeepers, are concerned about the decline in honey bee populations, and a few governments are waking up to the problem. Scientists are working to define the situation, and to determine how honey bees are affected by the pesticides and other agricultural chemicals introduced in recent years. Campaigns are gathering momentum, especially on the internet – you can read more, see links and sign up at the Campaigns page of our website www.beesfordevelopment.org.
It is not just bees of course, but many insect species that are quietly and gradually disappearing, as well as the birds and other animals that depend upon them for food. Honey bees are championed by beekeepers, and this is another excellent reason for promoting the craft because when we show more care for honey bees, we take more care of all species and their habitat. Of course, we beekeepers must always ensure that bees are protected: this was not always the case when bees were abundant, and beekeepers could be sure that there would be bees available for the next season. In countries where bees and forests used to be abundant, beekeepers have practised forms of beekeeping where the bees were killed during harvest. This is no longer feasible, but with good training for beekeepers, bees can be protected and better quality produce harvested. An excellent example is given on pages 4 and 5, where Dr Kwame Aidoo worked with beekeepers in Sierra Leone to ensure that their beekeeping using local style hives was improved to ensure top quality harvests without harm to bees. These beekeepers are now practising sustainable and profitable beekeeping, using equipment that is cost-free. As we go to press, Bees for Development is enjoying a good moment here in the UK as the focus of BBC Radio 4’s Appeal for funds during the week beginning 6 March. The Appeal features one of our readers in Ghana – Prosper Agbeti. You can listen to Prospers’ story on the BBC website, read by Trust Patron Martha Kearney: go to www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/ and follow links to Radio 4 Appeal. And, as Prosper did, do send us your beekeeping story – we are always pleased to hear from you!
PHOTO © JOHN MLULU
BfDJ98:March 2011
BfD Journal
Published quarterly by Bees for Development and distributed to readers in over 130 countries Editor Nicola Bradbear PhD Co-ordinator Helen Jackson BSc Subscriptions cost £26 per year - see page 14 for ways to pay Readers in developing countries: apply for a sponsored subscription using the form on page 16 or through our website Bf D Trust UK Registered Charity1078803 works to assist beekeepers in developing countries.To become a Trust Supporter please see page 15 or visit www.beesfordevelopment.org
Bees for Development Post
PO Box 105 Monmouth NP25 9AA, UK Phone +44 (0)16007 13648 info@beesfordevelopment.org www.beesfordevelopment.org
Beekeepers, WWF and Udzungwa Mountain National Park officials met in December 2010 to find ways to improve market outlets for bee products. Many beekeepers are unaware of the value of beeswax. In Kilombero District we have 220 beekeepers, 21 beekeeping groups and Kilombero Valley Beekeepers’ Association.
John S Mlulu, Beekeeping Extension Officer, Kilombero District Council, Uganda
More News around the World on pages 10 and 11
SUPPORT: Bees for Development Trust acknowledge: Panta Rhea Foundation, Synchronicity Foundation and the many beekeeping groups and individuals who support our work. Please encourage your friends and colleagues to help.
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DIVIDING HONEY BEE COLONIES IN ETHIOPIA
Bees for Development Journal 98
Kerealem Ejigu, Adebabay Kebede and Assaminew Tassew, Andassa Livestock Research Centre, PO Box 27, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia Keywords: Africa, beekeeping, colony, queen cells
This study evaluated and demonstrated honey bee colony dividing techniques under rural conditions in Bahir Dar Zuria, Dangila and Guangua Districts in Ethiopia. Ten farmers were selected to undertake division of honey bee colonies after receiving intensive training. According to the views of the target beekeepers, this method was technically feasible and would enable them to obtain additional honey bee colonies. The process could be scaled up and used in districts where there are promising bee forage resources. The full article is available to read at www.beesfordevelopment.org
Keeping bees in baskets may have started about 5,000 years ago in northern regions of Ethiopia along with the early settlements (Gezahegne, 2001). Most beekeeping in Ethiopia is carried out today using local style hives and long established methods, with top-bar and frame hives also in use.
Ethiopia is endowed with good weather conditions, plant species and water sources. Such natural resources have created a conducive environment for the existence of millions of honey bee colonies and the annual production of thousands of tonnes of honey and beeswax (EARO, 2000). However, in some parts of the country acquiring honey bee colonies to start beekeeping and to extend existing apiaries is now becoming a major problem. Also the price of colonies is rising.
After completion of work in the experimental sites, field days were organised for target beekeepers, rural development workers and extension team leaders
Steps used for dividing honey bee colonies:
• Select strong colonies in top-bar hives.
Beekeeping extension packages provide hives and beekeeping equipment to farmers on a credit basis. Training has been given on the manufacture of beekeeping equipment to improve the routine management practices of the local beekeeping system. However, the strategy did not focus on how to maintain colonies, and obtaining honey bee colonies is the main bottleneck. Therefore, to alleviate the problem, queen rearing techniques that can be easily adopted by farmers should be introduced.
• The colonies were fed a supplementary feed (2 : 1 sugar water solution) before and during the experimental periods when they were kept under uniform conditions for forage nectar and pollen sources. • To divide a colony, a top-bar nucleus hive was used. This contained 10 top-bars that could accommodate brood and food resources for the worker bees.
• Nucleus hives were cleaned and smeared with molten wax and swept with aromatic plants.
Sampling techniques
• Hive stands were constructed and rearrangement of the combs was undertaken a day in advance of dividing the colony: checking for the presence of eggs, young larvae, sealed brood and drones. During division the queen was retained in the mother hive.
The study was conducted in three beekeeping districts of the western Amhara region: Bahir Dar Zuria, Dangila and Guangua. This involved the rural associations kebeles: Kimbaba (Woibegn), Bacha, Ziguda, Menta Wuha and Sigade. PHOTOS © KEREALEM EJIGU
• On the day of division half of the balanced resources (eggs, brood, pollen, honey) were transferred from the parent colony to the nucleus hive. • The nucleus colony was sited at least 100 m from the mother colony to minimise the risk of the colony re-uniting. • External and internal inspections of both mother and nucleus colonies were made to check that the bees had survived.
• On day 3 or 4 after division, the colonies were inspected to check whether the bees had constructed queen cells - a colony which lacks a queen will construct queen cells. • On day 9 or 10 after division, the constructed queen cells will have been sealed. Leaving the best queen cell, the others are destroyed by the beekeeper to control reproductive swarming. • On day 15 or 16, the emergence of the queen was checked and the colony returned to the apiary site. • Once the colony in the nucleus hive became populous it was transferred to a top-bar hive.
Top-bar nucleus hive contains 10 top-bars that accommodate brood and food resources for worker bees 3
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Bees for Development Journal 98
MAKING LOCAL BEEKEEPING SUSTAINABLE IN SIERRA LEONE Kwame Aidoo, Saltpond Honey Centre, PO Box 169, Saltpond, Ghana
ALL PHOTOS © KWAME AIDOO
Keywords: African beekeeping, basket hives, beekeeping calendar, FAO, honey marketing, Koinadugu, local hives, pulling honey, women
In this article Dr Aidoo describes the traditional practice and how it is now improved to ensure that bees are not harmed, and larger volumes of top quality honey and beeswax are harvested.
Koinadugu is the largest district in Sierra Leone, sharing a border with Guinea to the North. The major occupation is agriculture, with farmers involved in crop and animal production. Rice is the main staple crop and is grown in low lying swamps, as well as on high ground during the rainy season. Other cultivated crops include Brassica, cassava, okra, peppers and sweet potatoes. The rainy season is May until October while the rest of the year is a long, dry season, characterised by hot daytime temperatures with dry Hamattan winds.
Local style beekeeping
Many farmers use a local style of beekeeping that has been passed between generations. Honey from these beekeepers becomes available in the weekly markets during April and May. This beekeeping begins with learning the skills for weaving cylindrical baskets from raffia canes. These baskets are developed into bee hives by coating them with a thick layer of either cow dung or clay and cow dung mix. After the basket dries in the sun for three days, it is wrapped with a thick layer of dry grass and bound tightly with raffia rope. Two discs are woven with the pith of the raffia cane and these are used to close up each end of the cylindrical basket. Two holes made in the disc serve as entrances for the bee colony that is hoped will settle inside.
The battle of ‘pulling honey’
the village and moves into the dark forest with honey harvesting tools and containers. The operation begins with lighting a torch of fire made with dry palm fronds or grass. One member of the gang climbs the tree armed with a cutlass and a long, strong rope. He goes up into the canopy and ties the rope around the hive. He then cuts loose the raffia ties that secured the hive to the tree and using the rope and a tree branch as a pulley, lowers the hive slowly to the ground. The heavy hive lands on the forest floor and the bees are angry. As quickly as possible, the grass cover of the hive is cut open to expose the inner basket cylinder. This is slashed length-wise to expose all the combs.
Hive placement
The basket hive is placed high in the branches of a tall tree and is fastened with raffia rope to hold it securely. One tree may hold up to five hives, depending on the spread of the canopy. The beekeepers set up their hives during January and February to catch the swarms of bees that abound in the forests at that time of the year. In March and April, two to three months after the hives have been colonised, the farmers get ready for honey harvest, or as they refer to it ‘pulling honey’.
The battle of ‘pulling honey’
All honeycombs are removed and put into containers and some brood combs are taken to be eaten. During this operation many of the worker bees are burnt with the torch and the entire nest is destroyed. The fate of the few bees that are not killed is anybody’s guess. The team moves on to harvest the next hive in the same manner.
Basket hive coated with cow dung
Women are forbidden to climb trees and therefore cannot ‘pull honey’, however they are responsible for the important roles of processing and marketing. The man comes home deep in the night with a load of honeycombs and some brood combs to be enjoyed by all, including the neighbours. The woman’s work begins with preparing a hot bath for the man, and she checks his body to remove the remnants of numerous stings. She must extract the honey before daybreak, otherwise bees will invade the house next morning to take back their stolen treasure. The combs are put into a big cooking pot and placed on a fire to melt. The woman stirs up the combs until all have melted, the molten mixture of honey and wax is taken off the fire and poured into broad mouthed containers that are tightly covered and allowed to cool. After cleaning her kitchen of all traces of honey and wax, she goes to bed - only to be woken at dawn by the call to all faithful to worship. The next day the melted combs have formed solid beeswax on top of the honey. This is removed and put aside (it is not regarded as being of commercial importance). The cooked honey is packed into 7 kg plastic containers
Tree climbing is a skill that a good beekeeper must learn for hive placement and for honey harvest. At dusk the harvesting team leaves
The role of women
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BEEKEEPING IN SIERRA LEONE
Wrapping basket hives with Kola leaves
Bees for Development Journal 98
Pastor John Kamara shows the improved Kamara basket hive
system, and beekeeping in the district has been greatly improved through the modifications:
and sent to the market place where buyers from neighbouring Guinea buy them at cheap prices. The honey merchants are content with the honey produced in the district and buy at the giveaway price of SLL6,000 (US$1.40; €1.02) per 7 kg container. The sale of honey in the market closes the beekeeping season for the year.
Cow dung in hive construction: Wrapping the basket with Kola leaves or banana leaves is a good substitute for cow dung. New Kamara basket hive: The redesigned hive has a brood chamber which slots into a second honey section and allows harvesting without destruction of the colony.
Pastor John Kumara is acclaimed as the leading beekeeper in Koinadugu. He is the Chairman of the Musaia Beekeeping Group which has 25 members. This group has about 500 basket hives with an average yield of 14 kg of honey. About one tonne of honey is sent for sale in Musaia.
Placement of hives: Placing hives in trees stops bush fires from destroying colonies. A fire belt created around an apiary of 10-20 hives could offer protection.
A new era
Beekeeping calendar: A working guide for beekeepers (image below). Two honey harvests are possible in the dry season if colonies are not killed during harvesting.
The Government of Sierra Leone Ministry of Agriculture, with support from the Italian Government and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), launched Operation Feed the Nation under the Food Security for Commercialisation of Agriculture project. Honey was identified as one of the products that has potential to become an income earner for farmers, and in July 2009 FAO assessed the beekeeping potential of Koinadugu, and various interventions were planned for improvement. Beekeepers in the district were put into 44 groups, each with a membership of 25. These were prepared to receive interventions recommended by the FAO consultant. This marked the beginning of a new era of quality honey production.
Honey business centre: This will be established in Musaia to handle production from all groups in the district and focus on marketing top quality honey and other bee products.
‘Koina Forest Honey’ is now much sought after in Sierra Leone. Before the project, in Freetown, a 1 kg bottle of Koina Forest Honey sold at SLL5,000 (US$1.17; €0.85). Today, a 350 g jar sells for SLL14,000 (US$3.27; €2.37). Pastor Kamara and his group sell their well packaged honey directly to ten supermarkets and participate in a weekly food fair in Freetown.
In February 2010 a workshop was organised to discuss alternatives to negative practices. There were no drastic changes to the traditional
Dr Aidoo is BfD’s Correspondent in Ghana. The full article is on our website.
Bafa (thatch hutch) used as a bee house for effective colony management
Beekeeping calendar being developed for Koinadugu District 5
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Bees for Development Journal 98
TREES BEES USE
PHOTOS © MICHAEL DUGGAN
Michael Duggan, Wrens Old Cottage, Upper Teer, Brandon, Tralee, Co Kerry, Ireland
The logwood tree, Haematoxylum campechianum. Inset: Logwood flowers
The logwood tree - Haematoxylum campechianum Leaves
Keywords: bee forage, Caribbean, Central America, honey production
There are 2-4 pairs on each rachis which are small obovate to obscordate 1-3 cm long, and 7-20 mm broad, closely veined leaflets.
Apicultural value
Haematoxylum campechianum is worked by honey bees for nectar and pollen. Widely cultivated in many parts of the tropical world, is found often on coastal plains, and grows well and quickly on moist land. The nectar flow is much affected by rainfall.
Flowers
Pointed at both ends and 3-5 cm long.
Botanical description
Honey
A gnarled tree with trunk and lower branches fluted, and grows up to 10 m high. The bark is light grey and smooth. Flowers have 10 free stamens with filaments hairy at the base; a flat, thin nearly sessile membranous pod. Haematoxylum campechianum is endemic to Central America and introduced and widely naturalised in the Caribbean and some parts of the tropics. Unfortunately the wood is still used for making charcoal in some of the islands. It is also used in hedges in some places, in dyes, and thrives on limestone hillsides in dry, secondary thickets. It is easy to propagate from seed and is highly recommended for increasing honey production.
Light or almost white. The yield is high but in some areas the nectar flow is for only two to three weeks at a time and it is greatly affected by the soil moisture. Rain at the optimum time gives a long, heavy nectar flow.
Pollen
Haematoxylum campechianum is considered an important source of pollen.
Family
Caesalpiniacae (Leguminosae)
WHICH TREES DO YOUR BEES USE? Send information to the address on page 2
Names
French: Campeche or Bois de Campeche; Spanish: Palo de tinta 6
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VIETNAM: BEEKEEPING DEVELOPMENT AND HONEY MARKETING The International Conference on Beekeeping Development and Honey Marketing took place in Hanoi, Vietnam from 30 October to 2 November 2010. The excellent meeting was organised by Vietnam’s Bee Research and Development Centre, Vietnam Beekeepers Association, The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in association with Apimondia, and very well timed so that people could attend this Conference and then travel on to South Korea for the AAA meeting, reported on pages 8 and 9. Among many papers presented, Ronald Phipps from USA presented Honey Trade in the 21st Century disucssing trends affecting the international honey market. These are some of the data he presented:
PHOTO © BEES FOR DEVELOPMENT
Bees for Development Journal 98
World honey production 2000-2008
World production of honey increased by 32% from 2000-2008 to reach 1,517,747 tonnes. World honey production 2000-2008 Region
Trend
Africa
Increase
Asia
Increase
Americas Europe
2008 FAO statistics
% rise/fall
2008 total (tonnes)
5
325,086
Decrease Decrease
15 43 1
166,253 639,849
354857
In 2008, Argentina China, Turkey, Ukraine and USA were the top five honey producing countries. Since then production has declined in Argentina and the USA.
President of Apimondia, Mr Gilles Ratia, presents a new future for Apimondia
account all relevant variables, including floral source, climatic conditions and elevation (because these affect the metabolic and photosynthetic processes) and production of honey through the interaction of botanic and zoological life.
Honey consumption per capita
We must understand the different variables that are currently influencing, and are likely to continue to contribute to an increase in both production and prices. These factors include: • Increased global industrialisation • Reduction in arable land
• A shift to more profitable enterprises as societies become more industrialised and urban populations increase
International honey standards
• Increased cost of production • Increased vulnerability of bees • Climatic volatility, more severe droughts
Country Greece Austria Germany Canada USA Japan Argentina China Brazil India
kg/person/year 1.60 1.40 1.10 0.90 0.50 0.30 0.10 0.10 0.09 0.05
Because of the fact that bees are vulnerable to diseases and must be protected, honey does not 2008 FAO statistics exist in a realm of ultra purity. We need to establish tolerance levelsand testing levels, international standards and internationally accepted good beekeeping practices. Due to the increase in global trade in honey and the fact that the major consuming countries do not produce enough honey to satisfy their needs, honey trade is necessary. Issues of legality and safety are leading todemands for traceability of honey from all origins. Traceability from individual beekeepers, to honey exporters or dealers, and to honey packers, is critical for compliance with good manufacturing practices and for strong quality control to ensure purity and origin.
• Volatility in relative currency values, which affect the comparative advantages and disadvantages for different countries in purchasing honey • Antidumping laws, as various countries adopt policies to protect domestic industries.
Global honey science
The development of international honey trade requires increased understanding of the science of honey. A global database of primary honey samples that takes into account climate, elevation, methods of blending and floral sources is essential for both scientific and legal credibility. This database can be established only by commercial laboratories. The study should involve academic and government entities and be rooted in objective science, not commercial interests. The international industry should support a study that would involve co-operation from all major honey producing countries, and take into 7
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Bees for Development Journal 98
SOUTH KOREA HOSTS AAA CONFERENCE
Seunghwan Lee, Division of Entomology, Seoul National University, San 56-1, Shillim-dong, Kwanak-gu, Seoul 151-742, South Korea
Funds for AAA
Keywords: apitherapy, Asian Apicultural Association, Apimondia, Asian beekeeping, biodiversity
In addition to organising an excellent Conference, the 2010 AAA Local Organising Committee Chaired by Dr Kun-Suk Woo, contributed US$20,000 (€14,750) to support the further work of AAA.
The 10th Asian Apicultural Association (AAA) Conference was held in the peninsula’s south coast city of Busan, 4-7 November 2010, co-hosted by the Apicultural Society of Korea, the Korea Beekeeping Association and the Korea Apicultural Agriculture Cooperation. With the theme of Green Life with Bee World, the Conference attracted over 4,000 participants from 27 countries, and provided 212 scientific presentations, with three full-day technical tours, and numerous ceremonies and celebrations.
Seasonal hive management in Korea
by Mr Cho Sanggyun, President of Korea Beekeeping Cooperatives
This is an excellent account of current beekeeping practices in South Korea, where there are now 33,000 beekeepers managing over 1.5 million Apis mellifera colonies, one of the highest colony densities in the world, using intensive management methods. This comprehensive article is now available in Korean and in English on our Information Portal at www.beesfordevelopment.org
Scientific programme
The five plenary lecturers were: Professor Jae Chun Choi who spoke on Honey bee and human beings: two great social creatures; Professor Siriwat Wongsiri (AAA President Thailand) on Biodiversity and evolution of the genus Apis in Asia; Dr Moonho Kim (Api-med South Korea) on Health and the Honey bee: why not bee venom?; Professor Benjamin Oldroyd (University of Sydney, Australia) on Solving Darwin’s dilemma: evolution of worker sterility in the honey bee; and Mr Gilles Ratia (President of Apimondia) on Collaboration between APIMONDIA and AAA.
PHOTOS © BEES FOR DEVEOPMENT UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED
Professor Lee is AAA Chapter Delegate for South Korea
Api-Expo
During the Conference, 74 exhibition booths displayed bee products and equipment from 35 Korean and 11 international organisations and companies.
Tours
Daily apiary tours to the local Korea Beekeeping Association’s apiary in Busan, managed by Association President Mr Kyung-su Bae, and one-day technical tours were offered to all participants, so that many participants enjoyed visiting apiaries, tasting traditional Korean food and teas, and admiring the scenery of the Korean autumn. The three venues were the Korea Apicultural Agriculture Cooperative, the Kkoh Shaem Food Co (Ltd), and the Yasaeng Beekeeping Supplies Co (Ltd)
PHOTO © 2010 AAA CONFERENCE
Bees prepared for winter in South Korea. Each colony is protected with a fleece cover and is being fed with sugar syrup. The fleece is applied only after the bees have clustered for winter, in late October.
All Conference participants enjoyed the well-arranged technical tours 8
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AAA
AAA was established in 1992 to encourage exchange of information between beekeepers and bee scientists in Asia. Contact Ms Hitomi Enomoto at the Administrative Office of AAA in Japan for more details and for the local representative in your country. Email HSRC@arg.tamagawa.ac.jp. There is also AAA information on the Bf D website.
Bees for Development Journal 98
PHOTO © 2010 AAA CONFERENCE
NETWORKS
Bees for Development Journal is proud to be the official AAA Newsletter. Malaysia won the bid to host the next AAA Conference, scheduled for 28 September - 3 October 2012. The venue will be Primula Hotelin Kuala Terengganu, with pre and post-conference tours to visit the rainforest. It is hoped that His Majesty The Sultan of Terengganu is most likely to visit the Conference.
Professor Makhdzir Mardan, Local Organising Committee
Further details about the next Conference will be published as we receive them here in BfD Journal
Api-Expo encouraged the spirit of the international beekeeping festival
APIMONDIA
PLEASE NOTE THIS IMPORTANT DATE: If you intend to present a paper or poster at the forthcoming Apimondia Congress in Buenos Aires Argentina 21-25 September 2011, then you must submit your abstract before 10 March. All the necessary information is at the website www.apimondia2011.com and follow links to abstract submission.
APITRADE AFRICA
At the ApiTrade Africa meeting in Zambia October 2010, Ethiopia won the bid to host the 3rd ApiExpo Africa event which will take place in 2012, and will be organised in collaboration with the Ethiopia Apiculture Board and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
ApiTrade Africa will hold its 3rd Annual General Meeting in Addis Ababa on 29 March 2011. This will be followed by a meeting the next day between the Executive Committee of ApiTrade Africa and sector stakeholders. The purpose of the meeting is to kick-start planning and set up the Local Organising Committee and mobilisation campaigns.
Sophisticated presentation of South Korean honey
For more information please visit www.apitradeafrica.org
ASSOCIATION OF CARIBBEAN BEEKEEPERS ORGANISATIONS (ACBO) 6th Caribbean Beekeeping Congress
PLEASE NOTE RESCHEDULED DATES 23-27 May 2011 ORGANISED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF GRENADA
in collaboration with
Grenada Association of Beekeepers, ACBO, St George’s University
This is an important Caribbean event which attracts many participants from the region and beyond The Congress is a unique occasion to enable Caribbean beekeepers, researchers and organisations to meet one another and share knowledge and skills. Scientists and experts will facilitate Workshops during the Congress.
Professor Makhdzir Mardan wins his bid to host the next AAA Conference in Malaysia (see left, top)
www.6cbcgrenada.gd
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Bees for Development Journal 98
DR CONGO
Participants at the Training for Beekeepers Seminar held in Fait à Goma in May 2010. The meeting was organised by Centre de Promotion de l’Apiculture et de l’Agriculture au Nord–Kivu.
PHOTO © SULAYMAN MANJANG
NEWS AROUND THE WORLD
Sulayman Manjang from The Gambia
prone to problems with wax moth. To keep beetles away, visit your hives two to three times each week, and do not allow water to touch the hives.
Sulayman Manjang, Banjul
PHOTO © CEPANKI
RECENT RESEARCH
NIGERIA
Thank you for sending the resource box with training materials for our seminar held in December 2010. Please continue to support our sponsored subscription to BfD Journal in 2011. Akande Ayoade, Student Farmers Assocation, Osun State Ed: For how to apply for Sponsored Subscriptions and Resource Boxes see page 16
PHOTO © AKANDE AYOADE
THE GAMBIA
Beekeeping and beetles Jalisut Beekeeping Organisation was established in February 2009. We started with two basket hives, then wooden hives and concrete hives. As a newly established organisation we have to sustain ourselves and we are seeking assistance from donor organisations to help us build a centre to process and store our honey and to offer teaching to others who need support.
We would like to contribute to the debate about beetles registered in BfDJ 95. We discovered the beetles in our hives in May 2010. They get into the hives through the entrance used by the bees. It is difficult to stop this because they are smaller than the bees. Once in the hive they feed on comb and become bigger. The comb is damaged and the bees move to another area of the hive and the beetles follow them. Although not directly harmful to the bees, damaged brood cells are 10
Self-destruct Varroa Researchers from the UK National Bee Unit and University of Aberdeen have worked out how to ‘silence’ natural functions in the Varroa mites’ gene, with the potential to make them self destruct. Dr Alan Bowman from the University of Aberdeen said: “Introducing harmless genetic material encourages the mites’ own immune response to prevent their genes from expressing natural functions. This could make them self destruct. The beauty of this approach is that it is specific and targets the mites without harming the bees or, indeed, any other animal.” Dr Giles Budge from the National Bee Unit: “This is environment-friendly and poses no threat to the bees. With appropriate support from industry and rigorous safety testing, chemical-free medicines could be available in five to ten years.” In developing this, scientists have used the Nobel-prize winning method of ‘RNA interference’, which controls the flow of genetic information. So far the silencing process has worked with a neutral Varroa gene, which has no significant effect on the mite. Scientists now need to target a gene with the specific characteristics to force the Varroa to self destruct. Other scientists have shown the treatment can be added to food for bees, and the bees move it into food for their young, where Varroa also reproduce. The full report is available at: www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/3/1/73
Jennifer Phillips, Office of External Affairs, University of Aberdeen
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LETTERS
Combs across top-bar hives or frames
I have successfully used the method of tying wild comb into frames reported in the article in BfDJ 96. Alternative methods are to use elastic bands or, instead of piercing the combs to push string through, prepare the frames with a few loops of string tied fairly loosely at each end, cut the comb to shape using the frame as a template, and then ease the string loops along, pulling them diagonally to tighten them. In my experience with my top-bar hives, the bees are always
Profitable beekeeping with Apis cerana
inclined to draw comb in a curve and this makes sense as it adds strength in a different plane, in the same way as in corrugated iron. If you can get the comb while still young, you can easily persuade it back to the straight and narrow with a gently applied hive tool. When then placed next to an end wall or between straight combs, the bees will draw it as the beekeeper desires. When harvesting or renewing combs I always leave a 'footprint' from the old comb on the top-bar if it is in the right alignment: this normally ensures the subsequently drawn comb is ok. If the footprint is not as desired then I remove it. Chris Slade, UK Mr Hisashi says that Apis cerana hardly every abscond without a reason. True, no doubt. But what are the reasons? And what should the beekeeper do to prevent it? What does he mean by the bees’ language; what are the 20 expressions which he uses, and the 10 used by Apis mellifera? Do Apis mellifera in a cluster face downwards? The picture shows them fanning above the hive entrance so obviously they are facing downwards towards the entrance but I think they normally face upwards when clustering. How interesting that Apis cerana queens lay only in newly built cells. I could not find any mention of this in books from Sri Lanka, so maybe it only applies to Apis cerana japonica? Does this mean that even if space is limited, the queen will ignore empty, used comb and wait for
PHOTO © FUJIO HISHAHI
Many thanks for this article in BfDJ 94. Mr Hisashi is very knowledgeable, however, I have some unanswered questions. I was interested to read that Apis cerana honey sells at four times the price of Apis mellifera honey. How are the honeys different? Surely it is the nectar source which really makes a difference? I do not think there is such a price difference in China. I agree that Apis cerana is docile, but do they really make friends with humans? If so, they are very different from Apis mellifera. Received wisdom is that it is the experience of the beekeeper and the way s/he handles the bees which contributes to good behaviour.
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According to Fujio Hishahi, Apis mellifera honey bees tend to face downwards when fanning and when in a cluster 11
PHOTO © CHRIS SLADE
BfDJ98:March 2011
Comb tied into a frame
fresh comb to be built? It seems rather wasteful. I really enjoyed the article and am keen to read more. Peter Sibley, UK
Ed: Tell us your story - your letters and emails are welcome and we read them all. Profitable beekeeping with Apis cerana (BfDJ94) is on our website information portal.
CALL TO BAN PESTICIDES
On 24 January the UK Parliament House of Commons debated the impact on bees and other insects of the new generation of pesticides that has been linked to bee mortality in other countries. The Government were requested to suspend all neonicotinoid pesticides approved in Britain, pending more tests of their longterm effects on bees and other invertebrates. The chemicals are already banned in France, Germany and Italy however the UK Government has refused calls for them to be suspended. The compounds, which imitate the action of nicotine, the natural insecticide substance found in tobacco, are arousing increasing concern among environmentalists and beekeepers because they are systemic (enter every part of a treated plant, including the pollen and nectar). Thus bees and other pollinating insects can pick them up, even if they are not the target species for which the pesticide is intended. A study by the USDA Bee Research Laboratory (unpublished for nearly two years, but now being prepared for publication) backed by research in France, indicates that even microscopic doses of neonicotinoids make bees more vulnerable to disease.
Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor www.independent.co.uk
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LOOK AHEAD
ARGENTINA APIMONDIA: 42nd International Apicultural Congress 21-25 September 2011, Buenos Aires Further details apimondia2011@mci-group.com AUSTRALIA XVIII International Botanical Congress 23-30 July 2011, Melbourne Further details www.ibc2011.com GRENADA 6th Caribbean Beekeeping Congress 23-27 May 2011 Further details see page 9
MALAYSIA 11th Asian Apicultural Association Conference 28 September - 3 October 2012, Kuala Terengganu Further details when available MEXICO VII Mesoamerican Seminar on Native Bees 11-13 May 2011, Cuetzalan (Puebla) Further details page 16 ICPBR Pollination Symposium 27-20 June 2011 Cholula (Puebla) Further details www.uoguelph.ca/icpbr
THAILAND Global Conference on Entomology 5-9 March 2011, Chiang Mai Further details www.entomology2011.com UK BBKA Spring Convention 15-17 April 2011, Stoneleigh Park near Coventry Further details www.britishbee.org.uk
UKRAINE APIMONDIA: 43rd International Apicultural Congress September 2013, Kiev Further details www.apimondia2013.org.ua
LEARN AHEAD CHILE Curso Práctico de Apicultura Orgánica 24-25 February 2011, Bío Bío Further details www.corporacioncet.cl IRELAND Irish Beekeepers’ Summer Course 24-29 July 2011, Gormanston Further details www.irishbeekeeping.ie
UK Bees for Development Sustainable Beekeeping Course Ragman’s Lane Farm, Gloucestershire, UK 7-8 May 2011 and 1-2 October 2011 Further details www.beesfordevelopment.org
Bf D Beekeepers Safaris Bee themed holidays to superb locations
Rodrigues and Mauritius
13-24 November 2011
in partnership with Care-Co Rodrigues
Trinidad and Tobago
in partnership with Gladstone Solomon
January/February 2012 6-16 January 2012 Further details www.beesfordevelopment.org
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
GRANTS TO SCIENTISTS IFS Research Grants are for citizens of a developing country who are scientists under 40 years old, with at least a Master's or equivalent degree/research experience and attached to a university, national research institution or a research-orientated NGO in a developing country. See www.ifs.se COMPETITION International Apiculture Photography Contest - closing date 30 April 2011. See www.aulaapicolazuqueca.com 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 FRIENDS Join our Network Centre Go to www.beesfordevelopment.org and then Network Centre. Search for beekeepers in your own nation or any other country worldwide. Visit our Facebook page to keep in touch with latest developments at Bf D
BEE CRAFT The UK’s leading monthly beekeeping magazine. The March 2011 edition features Bf D projects in Cameroon and Uganda. 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 (US$60, €42), various size ads available. 12
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AVAILABLE FROM Bf D NOW AT WWW.BEESFORDEVELOPMENT.ORG
BOOK SHELF
BEE CONSERVATION: Evidence for the effects of interventions
Lynn V Dicks, David A Showler, William J Sutherland 2010 139 pages £19.99 (€335) D935 This book provides readers with fast access to research evidence of the effects of interventions that aim to contribute to bee conservation. It emphasises the need for research work that is evidence based and can be captured in studies such as this, to provide the scientific information that is crucial for decision making. Most of the text considers interventions for bee species other than honey bees, and for consideration of these non-Apis species, this is a very useful tool giving rapid access to a useful aggregation of current research findings and status. Readers of BfDJ might expect to find mention of beekeeping activities towards conserving bees and their habitats. Unfortunately the authors decided not to consider the literature on, in their words, ‘the largely domesticated honey bee Apis mellifera’ and go on to mention that ‘it is seldom the native subspecies that is being kept’. What does ‘largely domesticated’ mean? This is a non-scientific partition. Honey bee populations maintained by beekeepers have consequences for conservation of honey bee species, as well as other species. There is great need to ensure conservation of populations of indigenous races and species of honey bees and many beekeepers are much concerned with this. Even if nesting inside man made hives, honey bees are living and foraging in the wild, and cannot be discounted from scientific consideration because of genetic impurity.
GETTING THE BEST FROM YOUR BEES
David MacFawn and Chris Slade 2011 141 pages £13.25 (€221) M935 This is an unusual book, written in a chatty style by two very experienced and thoughtful beekeepers – one from North America - David Elgie MacFawn, and one from UK – Chris Slade. Their approach is summed up by MacFawn, quoting the mantra of another famous beekeeping teacher, John Ambrose: ‘To be successful with bees, you need to understand enough about their nature such that you do things supportive of their nature, and not against their nature. The bees know better what they are doing than the beekeeper’. With this attitude in mind, the book addresses many practical aspects of beekeeping, making no assumptions of the type of bees, nor the type of equipment in use by the reader, for ‘all beekeeping is local’ and beekeepers must learn the characteristic of their local bees and prevailing situations. The book provides an abundance of those practical details that beekeepers need to know, yet that are omitted often from standard introductory texts that tend to describe the ideal situation rather than what happens in real beekeeping life. For example, what do you do when a frame becomes jammed, or if the queen flies off while you are admiring her? So this book is not for complete beginners, but is an enjoyable read for those with some experience who aim to get the best from their bees, which is, after all almost the title of this excellent and helpful new book.
COLLINS BEEKEEPER’S BIBLE
2010 412 pages Hardback £35 (€550) C935 We are happy to supply this to order A beautifully produced book, with many full page and colour pictures of all things bees, honey and apiculture related. It contains much reliable information divided over five sections: Bees and beekeeping history; Understanding the honey bee; Practical beekeeping; Honey and other bee products; and Recipes and home crafts. It describes the processes and techniques involved, mainly for frame hive beekeeping. The excellent pictures and presentation are what make this book stand out, along with numerous items of interesting information. For the last 90 pages, the book turns into a recipe book, again with lavish illustrations.
DVD - THE HONEY KING
This DVD has been produced by ApiTrade Africa to showcase the African apiculture sector and to demonstrate its potential and increasing role for significant trade. The DVD consists of nine short films, each of 10-15 minute duration. These include an introduction to ApiTrade Africa and its aspiration to support the sector, and films focussing on the apiculture in eight member countries: Cameroon, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The films show beekeepers, co-operative leaders, traders, and various representatives from the arena of honey trade in each nation. Copies are free to beekeepers in developing countries. A limited number are available from Bf D, or see www.apitradeafrica.org The film on apiculture trade in Cameroon was prepared with support from Bees for Development’s Africa Wales Honey and Beeswax Trade Project, funded by the Welsh Assembly Wales for Africa Programme (reported in BfDJ 97).
BUYING FROM Bf D Order through our secure online store. Or send us an e-mail, or post us a note of what you want. Payment is required with order DELIVERY UK addresses: FREE delivery on orders up to 1 kg Outside UK: Orders dispatched by airmail post. Add 10% for delivery to Europe; 25% for outside Europe. Orders over £500 please request quote)
WAYS TO PAY • Secure order and payment at www.beesfordevelopment.org • to store@beesfordevelopment.org • Credit/Debit card Amex/Maestro/Mastercard/Visa. We need card number, name on card, valid from and expiry dates, card issue number (if given), security number on back of card.
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ON THE MOVE
E H Thorne (Beehives) Ltd the UK based manufacturer and supplier of beekeeping and candlemaking equipment has reached an exciting moment in the company’s history “We have moved to a new site that provides large amounts of additional space for all departments enabling us to improve every aspect of the service we provide to our customers. Now in our fourth generation and with a staff of 80, we are proud of our reputation for quality, service and reliability” Beehive Business Park, Rand, Wragby, Market Rasen LN8 5NJ, UK
www.thorne.co.uk
Bf D Trust Supporter Assist Bees for Development Trust to help beekeepers in developing countries
Funds are needed to: • provide sponsored subscriptions to BfD Journal • send Resource Boxes for training courses and events • respond to enquiries • maintain our website Information Portal See How to help at
www.beesfor development.org 15
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Support for training
SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE Sponsored subscriptions to Bees for Development Journal are available for resource-poor beekeepers, projects, schools and groups in developing countries. Supported with funds raised by Bees for Development Trust
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Email requests to: journalrequest@beesfordevelopment.org Post to: BfD Trust, PO Box 105, Monmouth NP25 9AA, UK
ISSN 1477-6588
Printed on environmentally friendly paper © Bees for Development 2011
Bf D Training Booklets 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. These are included in our Resource Boxes for training events and workshops.
Projects and associations in developing countries are welcome to apply for a Sponsored Resource Box by filling out an application form on our website, or request the form by email. Projects in other areas can purchase Resource Boxes through our website store.
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