Bookshelf

Honey Sources Satellites 1986

The Directory of important world honey sources by Eva Crane, Penelope Walker and Rosemary Day was published by the International Bee Research Association in 1984, with financial support from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa. The database from which the Directory was produced contains much concentrated information which is of value to specialists. IBRA has therefore published a series of six Honey Sources Satellites to the Directory on topics of special interest, compiled from the database.

1. Bibliography (with author reference codes); country codes; other abbreviations. Reprinted from Directory of important world honey sources for use by readers of Satellites 3-6 who do not have thedirectory.

Price £5 US$7.80, 50pp, ISBN 0-86098-185-1

2. Plants listed alphabetically and by family; common name index; pollen grain information. Plants having entries in Directory of important world honey sources.

Price £5 US$7.80, 47pp, ISBN 0-86098-186- x

3. Chemical composition of some honeys. This satellite includes printouts for the 107 honeys whose composition was reported in the Directory of important world honey sources. Honeys especially likely or unlikely to ferment on storage are listed.

Price £10 US$15.50, 42pp, ISBN 0-86098- 187-8

4. Physical properties, flavour and aroma of some honeys. Information for 294 honeys which were reported in Directory of important world honey sources. Section 3 lists honeys that are reported to granulate rapidly (within 2 weeks) or slowly (over a year).

Price £10 US$15.50, S6pp, ISBN 0-86098- 188-6

5. Honeydew sources and their honeys. Complete printouts are given for 15 important honeydew sources and their honeys mentioned in Directory of important world honey sources. Other sections give information on honeydew production from 23 important nectar sources, an index of the honeydew producing insects mentioned in the printouts, and a previously published discussion paper.

Price £10 US$15.50, pp, ISBN 0-86098-189- 4

6. Drought-tolerant and salt-tolerant honey sources. Complete printouts for 98 plants that are reported in the to be drought and/or salt-tolerant in at least one region of the world. Separate lists show plants that are drought-tolerant and those that are salt-tolerant.

Price 10 US$15.50, 94pp, ISBN 0-86098- 190-8

IBRA, Cardiff. Half price to IBRA members.

Honey: A Survey of Major Markets

International Trade Centre UNCTAD/ GATT Geneva, 19986, 167 pages, paperback

This new study gives an overview of the world market for honey, followed by chapters on selected markets: Belgium- Luxembourg, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Japan, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Denmark. In addition to analysing supply and demand, the book gives information on market characteristics, product requirements, packaging, storage and transport, distribution channels, prices, sales promotion and market access. Selected addresses of importers, agents, packers, industrial users, trade associations and relevant government offices are given for each individual market surveyed. Numerous statistical tables are included throughout the study.

Copies of this 167-page report can be obtained free of charge by producers, exporters and trade-related organisations in developing countries, and by government officials in all countries by writing to ITC, Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland. The study is sold for US$30 to other persons. French and Spanish versions will be issued by ITC in the coming months.

Tropical and sub-tropical apiculture

FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin No. 68

Rome, 1986, 283p, paperback, ISBN 92-5-102444-8

This book sets out to provide a general introduction to the aspects of beekeeping encountered in developing countries of the tropics and sub-tropics. Technical information on beekeeping found in many standard beekeeping manuals is not repeated in this new book, which instead concentrates on the particular points which create problems for beekeepers in the tropics.

The first two chapters provide an introduction to apiculture, and the various honeybee species found in developing countries. Chapter 3 covers bee disease, pests and other enemies. Chapter 4 describes how honey-hunting and some traditional methods of beekeeping (strangely the comparatively-recently developed Kenya top-bar hive is also described in this section). Chapter 5 “Modern Apiculture” describes beekeeping in movable-frame hives. Chapter 6 discusses hive products, and gives useful information on honey and beeswax processing; i.e. pollen and propolis are also discussed here, along with details of royal jelly and bee venom production ‘‘to satisfy reader’s curiosity’—it is rightly pointed out that harvesting of these products requires high technology equipment and very carefully controlled conditions. The final chapters of the book consider apicultural development programs—case studies are given, and methods of training and extension discussed. The book also has a useful Appendix section giving honey sources, the Codex standard for honey, an article on beekeeping in the Kalahari by Clauss, lists of bee vulnerability to pesticides and information resources.

This book can be obtained through normal FAO sales agents.