Bookshelf

BEE CONSERVATION: Evidence for the effects of interventions

Lynn V Dicks, David A Showler, William J Sutherland 2010 139 pages £19.99 (€35) 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 (€21) 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 (€50) 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).