Bees for Development Journal Edition 105 - December 2012

ISSUE NO 105, DECEMBER 2012

OSCAR PERONE HIVES IN SOUTH AMERICA URBAN BEEKEEPING IN ETHIOPIA GM HONEY CHILE WARRÉ HIVES IN AFRICA WWW.BEESFORDEVELOPMENT.ORG

COVER PHOTO © MAKHDZIR MARDAN

Bees for Development Journal 105

Dear friends In this 20 page edition we are bringing you plenty of fresh ideas from Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. All around the world beekeeping is enjoying resurgence, as people realise our need for insect pollinators, and the possibilities to house and care for honey bees. Discussion about what exactly that house should look like has already entertained beekeepers for many centuries and will continue to do so. Some beekeepers in South America are much appreciating the benefits of using the style of hive developed by Oscar Perone as shown on page 3, and in Africa some pioneer beekeepers are finding success with Warré hives (page 9).

Meanwhile, imaginative urban dwellers are realising the fun of beekeeping with their environments maybe offering relatively safe havens for bees. On page 12 we introduce you to Mr Bayligne – an urban beekeeper in Ethiopia’s capital city – Addis Ababa. In the centre pages we bring important news from Chile, where the livelihoods of rural beekeeping are being put at risk by decisions made far from Chile by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

We do hope that you find inspiration from this news of beekeepers all around the world.

His Royal Highness Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, Sultan of Terengganu (right) with Professor Siriwat Wongsiri, President of AAA (left) during the Opening Ceremony of the 11th AAA Conference held in Malaysia in October. More on page 5.

Waterproof papier mâché hive Many readers expressed interest in the article published in BfDJ 104. For more on this fascinating hive see www.beesfordevelopment.org/portal/article.php?id=2959

In this issue

PHOTO © MAKHDZIR MARDAN

ISSUE No 105 December 2012 page

Latin America’s path to sustainable beekeeping...................................... 3 11th AAA Conference....................... 5 ApiTrade Africa Event....................... 6 Trees Bees Use................................ 6 News around the World.................... 7 Warré experience in Africa................ 9 Repercussions in Chile from EU judgment on honey................... 10 Urban beekeeping in Bahir Dar........ 12 Recent research............................. 13 Clearer rules on pollen in honey...... 13 Bees helping people....................... 14 Bookshelf....................................... 16 Look and Learn Ahead................... 18 Notice Board.................................. 18 BfD Journal Produced quarterly and sent to readers in over 130 countries Editor Nicola Bradbear PhD Co-ordinator Helen Jackson BSc

Bees for Development Post 1 Agincourt Street Monmouth

NP25 3DZ, UK Phone +44 (0)1600 714848 info@beesfordevelopment.org www.beesfordevelopment.org

HRH Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, Sultan of Terengganu (2nd right) is presented with honeys from around the world by Dato Dr Makhdzir Mardan (3rd left), at the 11th AAA Conference held in Malaysia in October. See page 5.

SUPPORT: Bees for Development Trust acknowledge Marr Munning Trust, Panta Rhea Foundation, E H Thorne (Beehives) Ltd, Trade Advance Ltd, The Waterloo Foundation and the many beekeeping groups and individuals who support our work. Please encourage your friends and colleagues to help. See our website for how to become a Supporter.

Subscriptions to BfDJ cost £26 per year - see page 17 for ways to pay Readers in developing countries may be eligible for a sponsored subscription. Apply online or use the form on page 20 BfD Trust UK Registered Charity (1078803) works to assist beekeepers in developing countries.

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, BfD contact details are provided in full, and you send us a copy of the item or the website address where it is used.

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Bees for Development Journal 105

PRACTICAL BEEKEEPING

LATIN AMERICA’S PATH TO SUSTAINABLE BEEKEEPING Alexis Torres and Claire McHale, Fundación Salvemos a Las Abejas, Carmen #602, Depto 1706, Comuna de Santiago, Chile PHOTO © OSCAR PERONE

Keywords: Africanised bees, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, frame hive, Oscar Perone, PermApiculture, Perone hive, vertical top-bar hive Though bees play a pivotal role in our food system, people often view keeping them as a costly and time-consuming activity.

However, it does not have to be so.

PermApiculture is a non-invasive beekeeping system that aims to provide bees with peaceful, chemical-free environments so that they can maintain optimum health, raise local organic agricultural yields, and create high-quality food for themselves and people.

At the same time the system seeks to lower costs and labour for the beekeeper. PermApiculture focuses on long-term sustainable beekeeping free of contamination and dependence on fossil fuels.

Hives of bees may require a two or three season maturation period before they begin to yield harvests - depending on the environment and genetic strength of the colonies.

[1] Bees nesting in Capulin, Mexico. Oscar Perone advocates that for bees to meet their full potential, they need more space than usually provided by beekeepers

Background PermApiculture was created by Argentinian beekeeper Oscar Perone, who drew his ideas from 40 years of experience with his hives and feral honey bee colonies. Perone sought to imitate the bees’ natural habitat as much as possible. He worked in subtropical Argentina with Africanised bees, but during the last four years, his techniques have also been modified and used in Chile, Colombia and Costa Rica with European bees. In 2012 beekeepers have initiated experiments with PermApiculture in France, New Zealand, UK and USA.

top-bar hive – see images 2 (below) and 3 (overleaf). The hive has two sections: the bees’ part which is a 180 litre area for the nest and the colony’s reserves; and the beekeeper’s part for the commercial harvest. The sections are separated by a comb grid, which has seventeen 24 mm wide bars. Each bar is spaced 9 mm from the next. Perone copied the design from feral nests, in which he measured the distance from the centre of one comb to the next 33 mm. He believes that this distance allows bees to generate and maintain heat in the hive more efficiently, enabling them to survive winter and to control Varroa.

Three principles It is important to note that depending on the reader’s location, he/she may not be able to copy Perone’s techniques exactly: rather we advise that anyone wishing to use PermApiculture adapt it to their own climatic conditions. Whatever modifications are made, three elements must be incorporated:

The beekeeper’s part consists of three 10 cm high supers and the roof. To deter the queen from laying in the beekeeper’s part, additional comb grids (or removable top bars if the beekeeper wishes) separate one super from the next. These comb grids DO NOT ACT as queen excluders - rather the logic is that the queen prefers to make her nest in the form of a giant sphere, so she will choose to lay eggs where she has the most uninterrupted space (ie in the bees’ part). © CLAIRE MCHALE

• Lots of space – Perone insists that for bees to meet their full potential, they need more space than that provided by the boxes most beekeepers offer. He believes that larger colonies are stronger and better able to perform necessary functions – such as hygiene – that keep a colony alive year after year. He cites his own experience and the massiveness of several feral honey bee nests (see image 1).

• Lots of honey – PermApiculture recognises a colony’s own honey as the best source of nutrition for bees when there is no nectar flow and rejects the use of sugar or any artificial feeding, which it deems as harmful to the bees (and people too!). The beekeeper must respect the bees by leaving them with ample reserves.

• Lots of peace – Bees control hive conditions like temperature and humidity to meet their needs. Every time someone opens a hive, these conditions are ruptured and need to be restored.

Furthermore, contamination can enter the brood area via a beekeeper’s hands, gloves or tools. To let bees maintain their health, PermApiculture advocates that the beekeeper never enters the brood nest nor applies chemical treatments.

Perone hives To meet the above principles, Perone designed a frameless vertical

[2] Diagram of the frameless vertical top-bar hive 3

PHOTO © CLAIRE MCHALE

PHOTO © NICOLAS CABEZAS

Bees for Development Journal 105

PHOTO © OSCAR PERONE

PHOTO © OSCAR PERONE

[4] Alfredo Cabrera’s hive developed from transferring a frame hive in Curacavi, Chile. The bottom bar and one of the sidebars of the frame are removed so the bees extend the comb further out and down

[3] A two entrance Perone hive in Lican Ray, Chile Wooden hives should be made from untreated lumber, since chemicals in treated wood can damage bees. After construction the wood is charred to waterproof it. Hives do not have to be wooden: in Mexico, where lumber is scarce, people have made Perone hives from metal barrels and clay.

[5] Some beekeepers attach a single frame of brood to one of the top-bars so that the bees will adopt the brood as their own and stay in the hive (Neiva, Colombia)

Positioning the hive The hive should be installed on a base so that it does not have direct contact with the ground.

Chilean beekeepers practising PermApiculture advise that the comb grids should be orientated so that the bars run from north to south, citing that bees align their combs with the earth’s longitudinal lines.

[6] Oscar-Perone’s homemade cart

Harvesting While the bees’ part should never be entered, any honey within the beekeeper’s part can be harvested. Perone harvests at night by a red light (a colour undetectable by bees) to ensure that the bees will be deep within the bees’ part of the hive, far from where he is working. No smoke is used.

It is recommended that bees are kept at least 8 km from transgenic crops and any sites where pesticides are applied. People are encouraged to take advantage of the bees’ pollination services and to plant an organic garden or orchard with a variety of flowering plants so that colonies can have nectar and pollen throughout the season - and beekeepers can have fruits and vegetables too.

Mr Perone uses a cart that he made from a trolley (see image 6).

He passes a wire between the comb grids and supers and rests the supers on a frame mounted on the trolley. He then cuts the honey out and it falls into a bucket below. The comb is crushed, squeezed, and decanted for up to two weeks.

Populating the hive ‘A hollowed tree’s cavity does not change size neither should a beekeepers’ hive’, states Perone. He encourages introducing the bees to the hive in its completely assembled state, and then maintaining it that way all year round.

Further information For more information about PermApiculture and the experiences of beekeepers using this system see: www.keepingwiththebees.wordpress.com www.biobees.com/forum/

In Argentina, Perone and other beekeepers attract swarms to their hives, placing old dark brood comb in the hive as bait. However, most bees will look for a cavity that is similar in size to their previous home. Chilean beekeepers mount smaller boxes in trees to attract swarms and then a few days later transfer the swarm into the Perone hive by turning it upside down in the bees’ part and shaking it. To prevent absconding, some beekeepers attach a single brood comb from a frame hive to one of the top-bars so that the bees will adopt the brood as their own and stay in the hive.

Films www.youtube.com/user/vidaenpaz?feature=mhee www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcZWV2JtQuQ The information in this article is provided by people who practise PermApiculture including: Oscar Perone (Creator of PermApiculture, Buenos Aires, Argentina), Miriam Ortega (President of the Co-op Apicuracavi, Curacavi, Chile), Esteban Acosta Pereira (Co-ordinator of the Biodynamic Agroecology Movement, Universidad EARTH, Costa Rica), Raúl Herrera (biologist and beekeeper, Chiloe, Chile); and Alexis Torres and Claire McHale, PermApiculture practitioners and article authors.

While swarms are preferable, they are not always available so Chilean beekeepers have been experimenting also with transferring colonies from frames hives or nucs into Perone hives. The bottom bar and one of the sidebars of the frames can be removed so that the bees will be able to extend the comb further out and down.

The frames can then be tied to the top-bars of the Perone comb grid, preferably in a corner to accommodate future extension of the combs (see images 4 and 5).

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Bees for Development Journal 105

11th AAA CONFERENCE IN KUALA TERENGGANU MALAYSIA 28 SEPTEMBER – 2 OCTOBER 2012

PHOTOS © BfD

A highly successful 11th Asian Apicultural Association (AAA) Conference took place in Kuala Terengganu Malaysia in early October 2012. The event was masterminded by Dato Dr Makhdzir Mardan who maximised the opportunity to organise a series of practical workshops at nearby Universiti Malaysia Terengganu prior to the Conference.

The opening of the Conference was a cultural affair with gamelan players and human bees accompanying HRH Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, Sultan of Terengganu, as he declared the Conference open. A lively programme of talks was well attended with keynote lectures by international experts followed by parallel sessions. The ApiExpo event featured a number of stands offering international products and equipment as well as local traders offering honey hunted Apis dorsata honey for sale: the marketing of this honey has become sophisticated with typical prices of MYR110 (US$36; €30) per kg.

Excellent pre-Conference Workshops took place at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, enabling participants to gain wider knowledge in their field

The AAA Conference had indeed been planned for this location and this time of year to enable participants to see giant honey bees Apis dorsata nesting in Terengganu’s Melaleuca forest.

However Apis dorsata honey bees are migratory, and sadly this year had not arrived in the area. The reason for this is unknown: possible explanations may include changing climate, loss of habitat, pesticide use, or over-exploitation. It is now imperative to know whether the increased trade in Apis dorsata honey can be sustained by the remaining Apis dorsata population.

With much to interest participants, as well as excellent possibilities to meet with friends old and new, the Malaysian hosts and organisers are to be congratulated on a very smoothly run and highly worthwhile AAA Conference.

These AAA events took place with support from Terengganu State Government and The Sultan Mizan Foundation.

At the closing ceremony, Turkey won the opportunity to host the next Conference in 2014.

Nicola Bradbear’s participation in the Conference was kindly sponsored by The Sultan Mizan Foundation

Several stands at the ApiExpo offered honey from wild nesting Apis dorsata colonies. Is this trade sustainable?

AAA was established in 1992 to form a network and encourage exchange of information between beekeepers and bee scientists in Asia. The network is intended to benefit developing countries of Asia.

A conference is held every two years.

Regional office Information about membership and contact details for your country’s Local Representative from: Prof Dr Cheng Li Hong Vice-President & Secretary-General, AAA c/o Apicultural Science Association of China Xiangshan, Beijing China Honey hunted from the wild nesting giant honey bee Apis dorsata is offered for sale

Email clhb@hotmail.com or 86clh@sina.com 5

Bees for Development Journal 105

APITRADE AFRICA During 26-29 September members of fifteen African nations attended the ApiTrade Africa Event ApiExpo Africa 2012 in the Millennium Hall, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Events included a three day conference programme and a four day exhibition of stands showcasing bee products, service providers and equipment suppliers. The quality of bee products on display was exceptional giving aspiring beekeepers a good standard of product for which to aim. Ethiopia, as host country, proudly presented an extraordinary variety of mono- and poly-floral honeys.

The event was organised by ApiTrade Africa, the all-Africa honey trade network aiming To promote trade in African bee products by addressing market access constraints and coordinating marketing initiatives, and by a Local Organising Committee lead by the Ethiopian Apiculture Board.

The next ApiTrade Africa Event will take place in Harare, Zimbabwe in 2014.

Janet Lowore’s attendance was supported by the ApiExpo Africa 2012 Local Organising Committee and Apitrade Africa.

To find out how to become a member of ApiTrade Africa see www.apitradeafrica.org where you can download conference papers from ApiExpo Africa 2012.

His Excellency Ato Mitiku Kassa, State Minister of Agriculture (grey suit), cuts the ribbon to open officially ApiExpo Africa 2012 as Mr Harun Baiya, Board Chairman of ApiTrade Africa (left), looks on

TREES BEES USE Schefflera volkensii Paul Latham, Croft Cottage, Forneth, Blairgowrie, PH10 6SW, UK PHOTO © PAUL LATHAM

Keywords: Africa, bee forage, epiphyte, honey production, Tanzania Apicultural value Schefflera volkensii is recommended for honey production.

Family Araliaceae Common names Imogoro Description A creeper or tree which is sometimes much branched, spreading up to 24-30 m tall. Schefflera volkensii may grow as an epiphyte on other trees. Leaves are composed of 4-7 leaflets, each up to 15 cm long by 7 cm wide. The leaf stalk is up to 13 cm long.

Ecology Found in wet or dry upland forest, sometimes in Hagenia woodland or in the bamboo zone at 1,550–2,900 m.

Propagation The plant can be grown from cuttings, wild seedlings or from seed. Ripe fruit should be collected from the ground and gradually dried. The seed is stored in sealed containers in a dry place. No treatment is required before sowing.

Schefflera volkensii growing as an epiphyte near Inyala, Tanzania

Management Schefflera volkensii requires supporting when young in order to grow straight.

The wood is used for firewood and charcoal. It can also be grown as a living fence and for shade. The latex from this plant, mixed with honey, is used medicinally to treat colds and coughs.

Uses The flowers are important bee forage. Bees were seen collecting nectar from Schefflera volkensii in June. A related species, Schefflera abyssinica, is an important source of honey in Ethiopia having abundant pollen and nectar: the honey is pure white and granulation fine. Schefflera wallichiana is an important honey plant in tropical Asia producing up to 60% of the total honey crop.

References are included with this article on our website information portal

WHICH TREES DO YOUR BEES USE? Send information to the address on page 2 6

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NEWS AROUND THE WORLD BURMA

KENYA

Members of the Burma Apiculture Association are worried because Chinese honey is being imported. The cheaper product is a threat to income for local beekeepers.

I wish to thank you for the Resource Box that I recently received. I have read many editions of BfDJ and have more insight on best practices. I have keenly followed the discussions on frame hives, especially after failing miserably with their management and I have now considered top-bar hives. My main challenge was accessing initial support from the vendors of the hives. I have also faced challenges from honey badgers and human pests who vandalised my hives and stole the honey. I am reviving my project with reference to all the literature I have received. Long live BfD!

“Our honey has an excellent international reputation because of its quality and purity,” said U Win Sein, Vice-Chair of the Livestock Federation. Since 2005 honey has been exported from Burma. Over 2,132 tonnes were exported in 2011-12, earning US$2.13 (€1.66) million.

U Pyae Phyo Aung, Chairman of the Apiculture Association, said the industry needed government protection: “We want to protect our market here in the face of business people who are trying to make easy profits. Beekeeping is already a challenging business and many in the industry make small profits. Beekeeping is commercially practised countrywide with major producers in Magwe, Mandalay and Sagaing regions. In 2010-11 365 beekeepers with 60,000 colonies were Association members”.

Myat Nyein Aye, www.mmtimes.com

INDIA On behalf of the Rural Institute of Apiculture I would like to offer our sincere thanks for the resource materials you have supplied. We are working with a Tribal community to promote Non-Timber Forest Based Industries for Livelihoods Support under the North East Development Society. Beekeeping is one of the major areas where we are taking initiative. We have a Honey Producers Association in Assam, Meghalaya, and Mizoram States. In each Association there are individuals and a self-help group, together totalling 37 beekeepers.

is first put in the hive and then the swarm.

The brood comb will prevent the swarm from absconding. His hives are sited near to his home.

Kariuki Waweru, Nairobi See page 19 for more information on Resource Boxes

MADAGASCAR Mr Rado Ratakamamola lives in Savamba in north-eastern Madagascar and works on a coconut plantation that has 40 honey bee colonies for pollination and honey production. He manages his own four colonies and claims to make a good income. He collects wild swarms or colonies from nearby forests and keeps them in home-made bags hanging on a tree near his house until the colony is settled. The bees are then transferred to a frame hive. The bees are not defensive and Mr Rado Ratakamamola does not use protective clothing.

Lutfor Abraham, Director - RIA BRIGLE, Guwahati City, Assam State

Brood comb is collected from the same nest as the swarm

The bees are very gentle and easy to handle

Kerala State in South India is one of the best places to harvest large quantities of honey from rubber cultivation and there is also a large forest area. I am a professional beekeeper and trainer.

However, only 3% of the potential honey harvest is collected - the rest is lost because of lack of bees and beekeeping: this means the Spices Board is facing a crucial issue in Kerala State because the flowers are not pollinated. Therefore India must create a massive programme to develop beekeeping for this purpose.

Collected swarms are housed in homemade bags until colonies are settled

Bejoy Alex, Greenland Honey Beekeeping Centre, Pathanamthitta

Mr Rado Ratakamamola also brings brood and honey combs home. The brood comb 7

The bees are very gentle and easy to handle. The Madagascar honey bee Apis mellifera unicolor is endemic to the Island. It is black, small and docile, and can be kept close to houses. Due to Madagascar’s geographical isolation the bees are spared from many bee diseases and parasites. Ants and termites are not really a problem for beekeepers and it seems that Varroa and foulbrood diseases do not occur.

Reinhard Fichtl, Zurich, Switzerland

Bees for Development Journal 105

NIGERIA

NIGERIA

Floods

Catch Them Young PHOTO © LUKE OMIGADE

I wish to inform you that flooding and the submerging of vast farmlands in the riverine areas of Adamawa, Anambra, Benue, Crossriver, Enugu, Kogi and Taraba States mean that honey bees have been cut off from their valuable food sources. Consequently, many bees will die of hunger and honey production in the affected areas will be almost zero. The price of honey will skyrocket. All the areas affected by flooding are the major honey producing areas in Nigeria.

Mike Ukattah, Umuahia, Abia State

PHOTO © MATTHEW KAWA

TANZANIA

In July 2012 I held a training programme to introduce beekeeping to young children Luke Omigade, Imeko,Ogun State

ZIMBABWE

Matthew Kawa, Dar es Salaam

Mamvura Shorai, Marondera

UGANDA During my work as founder member and Chairperson of Kitgum Women’s Beekeepers Association from 1995-2010, membership grew from nine pioneers to 386 to date, comprising 33 groups. I am now with Jjllima Holding Co Ltd as Managing Director. We currently employ six people and hope to market honey for over 100 honey producers in Kitgum.

PHOTO © MARGARET OGABA

At the recent Honey Show in Dar es Salaam an exhibitor gives advice on local style box hives. On the table is a hive made from a sisal stump.

I would like to say thank you to BfD for sending me BfD Journal: I find it educational and the content helpful. I have been at college for the past two years and successfully completed a Diploma in Agriculture with a first class distinction. At the graduation ceremony, I was awarded a prize for the best student in apiculture.

I am looking forward to obtaining more information and assistance to develop my experience in beekeeping.

International month of bees and beekeepers During the 3rd International Meeting of Young Beekeepers held in July in Prague, Czech Republic, the Czech Union of Beekeepers proposed that legislators should declare May the “International Month of Beekeeping” with 20 May the International Day of Bees and Beekeepers to commemorate the significance of bees and beekeeping for nature and human societies.

It was recommended that beekeeping organisations who work with young beekeepers should address the appropriate authorities in their countries to accept this proposal.

TELL US YOUR STORY at www.beesfordevelopment.org/ what-we-do/beekeeper-stories

Margaret Ogaba, Kitgum Margaret Ogaba displays the runner up certificate awarded to Jjllima Holdings in the Processors Category at the recent ApiExpo Africa in Ethiopia (see page 6).

Kitgum Women’s Beekeepers Association came first and ARYODI Bee Farm from Lima, Uganda were awarded second place in the Producer Associations category.

If you are on Facebook remember to ‘like’ BfD! 8

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WARRÉ EXPERIENCE IN AFRICA From Elacons Bee Farm, Nigeria Asade Elijah writes: We set up a demonstration apiary consisting of 15 Langstroth frame hives in 2010. We had no access to foundation but after being put in contact with Idrisbee Beekeeping Extension Society in Zaria, Nigeria, we obtained foundation sheets.

What about the size of the boxes – did they vary? Warré hives are designed to be ‘supered’ from below. This means when the brood box is full you place an empty box underneath and not on top. The bees then gradually build their brood nest in the bottom box and store honey in the vacated brood comb in the upper box.

However all our efforts to colonise the frame hives proved unsuccessful. In 2011, I joined the online Warré beekeeping discussion forum1 and eventually installed 40 Warré hives in our Bee Biodiversity and Conservation Project. This is jointly owned by Nissi and Elacons Beefarms and is located in the derived savanna belt between Yewa North and the Imeko/Afon border area.

We are interested to understand our experience.

References

BfD replies Thank you for sharing this interesting experience with us. We cannot fully explain this but can discuss it:

1. www.warrebiobees.com 2. SLADE,J. (2012) The development of a foundationless frame.

BBKA News 207: 22-25.

It is common to hear of colonisation failures with frame hives in tropical Africa. One reason is that the hives are placed on the ground and tropical honey bees, and indeed most races of Apis mellifera, prefer hives and nest sites to be some metres above the ground. However, we assume that your Warré hives are also on the ground therefore this does not account for the difference.

Another common problem with frame hives in tropical Africa is that bees colonise the hives but then abscond after inspection. If you were inspecting your frame hive colonies but not inspecting your Warré hive colonies, this might explain absconding, but does not explain the problem if the frame hives were not colonised in the first place. Another possible explanation is that the frame hives were made badly and if, for example, there were gaps where ants could invade, this could deter bees from occupying the hives.

Ed: Contact us if you have similar experiences to share or would like to comment on these observations.

PHOTO © DAVID HEAF

To our surprise, the same procedures used to bait the frame hives resulted in nearly 100% of the Warré hives becoming colonised.

To date we have supered 50% of the hives and will super the remainder once the bee colonies are strong enough.

One of the big problems with frame hives is that when occupied by bees, the bees are required to raise their brood in the same comb over and over again. Unless the beekeeper provides fresh foundation there is no chance for them to renew the brood comb, and this causes possible build up of pathogens. However in a Warré hive, when you put an empty box underneath the bees will build new comb. The queen will lay in this comb while honey is stored above, and harvested from the top - this sets up a cycle of constant comb renewal.

Other explanations We assume that there was no foundation in the Warré hives – is that right? In which case perhaps there was something about the foundation which the bees did not like. The wax may have been contaminated by mistake with chemicals or with paraffin wax.

Generally bees prefer to build their own nests with their own comb so they may have been more attracted to a hollow space than to a box full of foundation (in nature bees nest in hollow spaces).

In a recent article in BBKA News2 a researcher gave reasons why bees might not like foundation which is a mixture of wax from many different sources. If a beekeeper puts a swarm in a brood box half-full of frames and foundation – and the other half is left empty - you will often find that the bees start building fresh comb in the space and ignore the foundation until they have no choice but to use it.

Hive design Some people have written about the benefits of the Warré hive and explain that they are superior to frame hives (of any type) because the design of the frame hive makes it hard for bees to make a sealed and contained nest from the top down. At the top of the frame hive there is a bee space and enforced gaps between the frames. These spaces make it difficult for bees to build a sealed internal environment. Possibly bees find it easier to build a nest in a simpler cavity where they can attach the combs to a sealed ceiling and create an internal environment of their own making.

In a Warré hive the empty box 2 is placed underneath, where the bees will make new comb and the queen lays eggs. Honey is stored above (in box 1) and harvested by the beekeeper from the top of the hive.

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REPERCUSSIONS IN CHILE FROM THE JUDGMENT BY THE EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE CONCERNING HONEY CONTAINING GENETICALLY MODIFIED POLLEN

Harriet Eeles

Harriet Eeles, Beekeeping Network of the Lakes Region, Casilla 7, Tegualda, 10 Region, Chile Keywords: genetic modification, GMO, honey legislation, pollen, South America

Repercussions of the European Tribunal’s decision for Chilean honey exports:

An interesting article appeared in BfD Journal 104 (September 2012) European policy on GMO can damage honey marketing in developing countries.This policy is still causing considerable concern and difficulties for beekeepers in many parts of the world, and we would like to share with you our experience of trying to face this new situation.

• Drop in final price to producers of 30% compared with 2011.

• In the 2011-12 season, 35% of the volume normally exported to Europe had to be diverted to alternative markets at much lower prices.

• Exports to Germany fell from 80% to 45% of total exports and to USA rose by 31%.

Beekeeping in Chile The latest national census registered approximately 1,500 beekeepers, with 500,000 colonies. Ninety percent of beekeepers have less than 100 colonies, and 4% have over 1,000.

The total annual honey production averages 11,000 tonnes, of which 80% is exported. Until the European Court of Justice decision in September 2011, 80% of this volume went to Germany.

Chile’s domestic, formal market absorbs about 1,200 tonnes, and the informal market about 800 tonnes. Honey consumption per capita is very low at less than 100 g per year.

• Production costs rose due to GMO pollen analysis cost.

• Long delays in payments to producers.

• Diversion to the domestic market, at lower prices, of honey of doubtful quality normally destined for export.

• For small-scale beekeepers, access to credit and subsidies was suspended for 12 months, due to uncertainties in the European market.

Action taken by representatives of the beekeeping sector:

The beekeeping community has a number of private organisations for co-ordinating activities including the National Beekeepers’ Network, the National Center for Beekeeping Development, the Association of Honey Exporters, the Queen Breeders’ Co-operative, the Federation of Beekeeping Co-operatives, the Association of Apitherapists and the Api Cultural Movement.

• Workshops organised to co-ordinate beekeepers and their presentations to Parliament, Ministry of Agriculture and other governmental authorities.

Co-ordination between the public and private sectors takes place in the National Beekeeping Board, and several regional Boards.

In the public sector, in addition to the Ministry of Agriculture and its specialised agencies, other ministries that participate in the co-ordination of the activity include Foreign Affairs (ProChile), and Health, Education and Environment.

• Incorporation of topics related to GMO crops and consequences for beekeepers in seminars all over Chile.

• Formation of working groups to address challenges facing beekeeping, in particular the consequences of the European Tribunal’s judgment.

• Proposals to update the national strategy for sustainable development of beekeeping in Chile.

Some results: • Two presentations made (November 2011 and April 2012) to members of the Agriculture Commission in the lower house of Parliament to stimulate discussion on the effects of European policy on beekeeping and fruit export sectors.

At least seven of the principal universities have training programmes for beekeepers, and carry out research. Over the past year, the National Beekeepers’ Network has built up important strategic relations with the national fruit exporters’ and seed producers’ associations, to deal with pollination and GMO issues.

• Meeting of representatives with Minister of Agriculture.

• Implementation of online system to inform registered beekeepers if their apiaries are within 5-10 km of a GMO crop.

GMOs in Chile GMOs have been present in Chile since 1997, but are authorised for seed production for export only. The main species are canola, maize and sunflower. Due to pressure from the beekeeping sector, information has recently been made public on the location of GMO crops for seed production. However, the system for updating this information needs perfecting, and information is not available on the species planted, which leads to legal uncertainty among European importers on whether these crops are authorised for human consumption. The laboratory analysis to determine presence or absence of GMO pollen has to be done in Germany. As we have no accredited laboratory for these tests in Chile the high cost of this analysis has to be borne by the beekeeper.

• Publication of digital maps showing locations of GMO crops.

Challenges that we face: • Search for new markets for honey exports.

• Support for a 10-year moratorium on GMO crop cultivation.

• Support to declare districts as GMO-free regions or areas, and for positive labelling of products from these areas.

• Creation of laboratories recognised by the EU for the detection of GMO pollen in honey, and of plant species involved.

• Campaign to increase honey consumption in Chile.

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• More research on functional properties of Chilean honeys.

• As it is not possible to eliminate the presence of GMO pollen in Chile, action must be taken to stop further cultivation. Alliances must be formed with other groups involved in GMOs, like the Seed Producers’ Association and the Fruit Growers’ Federation.

• Production diversification, especially small-scale beekeepers.

• Professionalisation of pollination services to meet the increasing demands of fruit growers.

• Investment is required for differentiation of honeys and other bee products, to improve their competition on the world market, and in promoting the benefits of consuming them.

• Regulation of beekeeping activity to control migration of colonies in search of safe production areas, which can jeopardise production for resident beekeepers.

• It is essential to create awareness in the Ministries of Health and Education on the benefits of introducing honey into the diet of school children.

• Defence of the natural heritage of the country that is in danger from deforestation, reforestation with exotic species, and different kinds of environmental contamination.

• To prepare for an increase in national consumption, beekeepers must be trained to meet this demand, with adequate quantities and quality of honey produced and bottled in suitable conditions, with the implementation of Good Beekeeping and Manufacturing Practices, and Clean Production Agreements.

Conclusions • The Chilean beekeepers, as well as our organic farmers, must demand the government authorities to respect our right to produce natural and healthy foods.

• Those responsible for contamination of a product like honey that is by nature 100% natural and healthy, must pay the bill for certifying these qualities through costly testing, or compensate for the loss of these inborn qualities.

GMO

Genetically Modifed Organism

See page 13 for the latest European Commission report

Opinions of beekeepers’ leaders Marcelo Rodríguez, past President of the National Beekeepers’ Network: The Chilean beekeepers are the most recent victims of the GMO agro-biotechnology industry, as we find ourselves involved together with other production sectors, like the organic farmers and environmental movements, in a fight against GMOs. We have taken on the task of informing the community and politicians of the environmental, social and economic risks and impacts of GMO crops.

Misael Cuevas, President of Ibero-Latina American Beekeeping Federation (FILAPI) and elected President of the National Beekeepers’ Network: In the case of Chile, the following factors have to be considered: • Our high dependency on the German honey market.

• The lack of information on the species of GMO crops authorised in the country for seed production, necessary for ascertaining if they are authorised for human consumption in Europe.

• The lack of a laboratory for pollen tests associated to GMO crops using the same methodology as in Europe.

Misael Cuevas

• The high percentage of small-scale beekeepers with static hives.

• The slump in honey sales and prices due to market restrictions.

• Lack of information on the impact and effects on production of wind-blown GMO pollen.

These topics involve all links of the production chain and require joint action, in co-ordination with the public sector, for implementation of a contingency plan to: • Reduce the economic impact that threatens the sustainability of the business.

• Increase the coverage of governmental instruments for promotion of the sector, especially commercial missions for capturing new markets, supported by ProChile.

• Demand complete and reliable information on all GMO incidents in Chile.

• Strengthen the domestic market and national consumption of bee products.

• Evaluate the possibility of demanding compensation for damage caused to beekeeping activities.

Juan Sebastián Barros, commercial beekeeper from the Araucanía región: We as beekeepers are much more than honey: we are a strategic reserve for life, and the basis for Chile’s mission to be a power for agricultural and food production. We did not bring in, promote, nor plant GMO crops, therefore the Chilean State must compensate us if it wishes us to continue to exist. The fall in honey prices and the negative load due to previous bad seasons have cornered us. Without beekeepers, there are no bees, and no bees means no fruit for export. Without bees the regeneration of grasslands will be at risk, leading to increased prices for meat and milk products; the forest lands will also be affected, together with the shrubs and bushes that protect the watersheds and provide our water supply….

By courtesy of the Consorcio Apícola extracts from Actualidad Apícola, July 2012 11

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URBAN BEEKEEPING IN BAHIR DAR Janet Lowore, Bees for Development, 1 Agincourt Street, Monmouth NP25 3DZ, UK Keywords: Africa, Andassa Livestock Research, Bees for Development Ethiopia, calabash hive, local style hive, mother colony, top-bar hive

Roof top beekeeping is now a regular sight in London

PHOTOS © BARNABY SHAW, BEE URBAN

Beekeeping has long been considered a rural craft, however in recent years beekeeping in urban areas has become much more common. In London (UK) there may be as many as 3,200 apiaries1 with rooftop beekeeping becoming a popular feature on several of London’s landmark buildings. Steve Benbow, author of The Urban Beekeeper, talks of the “nectar paradise offered by the city woodland”2 and reports crops of honey so heavy that he had to buy more hive boxes mid-season to accommodate the honey flow.

The following story from Bahir Dar in Ethiopia shows that urban beekeeping is not confined to industrialised countries. Sandwiched between a busy main road in Bahir Dar and Lake Tana is a strip of land about 40 m wide owned by beekeeper Mr Bayligne - the gate to the apiary can be seen just behind Mr Bayligne on the right of the picture below.

On this tiny patch of land, which also supports trees for fruit, timber and bee forage, Mr Bayligne maintains 10 local style hives, one top-bar hive and one small calabash hive (shown bottom-left).

The calabash hive is deliberately maintained as a mother colony to produce swarms for multiplication. Mr Bayligne listens to the colony and when he hears a young queen piping, he will stay in the apiary waiting for the swarm that he knows will soon emerge.

Since January 2012 he has acquired five new swarms from this colony which he had pre-selected for its preferred traits.

PHOTOS © BfD

From one recent harvest the top-bar hive yielded 49 kg of honey: this is due to its comparative large size. The hive is empty now as he was advised to try a frame hive by a government extension

The entrance to Mr Bayligne’s apiary beside Lake Tana

Mr Bayligne with his top-bar hive

Mr Bayligne has local style, top-bar hives and a calabash hive maintained as a mother colony to produce swarms

Mr Bayligne’s local style hives in his field shelter 12

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in the middle and he carefully avoids damaging the brood during harvest. The far end (near the bees’ entrance) is inaccessible and any honey stored there is left for the bees. Mr Bayligne makes these hives himself and sometimes sells them empty for 50 birr (US$3; €2), or with bees for 600 birr (US$33; €25).

Mr Bayligne is not the only urban beekeeper in Bahir Dar. Mr Tilahun Gebey, Director of Bees for Development Ethiopia, recently harvested 42 kg of honey from his top-bar hive. He believes bees in towns benefit from the Eucalyptus trees and ornamental bushes. Mr Gebey explained: “One kg of honeycomb can fetch 70 birr (US$4; €3) and the advantage of beekeeping in town is that the customer is right on the doorstep”.

Mr Kerealem Ejigu (Apiculture Centre Manager of Andassa Livestock Research Centre in Bahir Dar) said: “Environmental degradation and agricultural pollution in rural Ethiopia is severe.

It is surprising but true that for many bee colonies the urban environment is more conducive than some rural areas”.

This beautiful honeycomb was harvested from Andassa Livestock Research Centre in Bahir Dar city worker. He bought a frame hive cheaply from another beekeeper (who had been given the hive) and earlier this year transferred the colony to the frame hive. However, Mr Bayligne does not have a honey extractor and chose instead to sell the frame hive complete with the bee colony for 900 birr (US$50; €38).

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/celebrity-beekeeperstold-to-buzz-off-7854420.html 1

The urban beekeeper - a year of bees in the city by Steve Benbow - available from the BfD webstore.

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The local style hives (see page 12) are inside Mr Bayligne’s field shelter. To harvest honey he removes the covers from the inside ends and takes out the honeycombs. The brood nest tends to be

Keeping bees in towns and cities by Luke Dixon reviewed in Bookshelf page 16

CLEARER RULES ON POLLEN IN HONEY

RECENT RESEARCH Honey bees bite!

Researchers have discovered that honey bees can bite as well as sting and that the bite contains a natural anaesthetic.

The surprise findings discovered by a team of researchers from French and Greek organisations, in collaboration with Vita (Europe) Ltd, will cause a re-think of honey bee defence mechanisms and could lead to the production of a natural, low toxicity local anaesthetic for humans and animals.

The natural anaesthetic discovered in the bite of the honey bee - measured at the University of Athens - is 2-heptanone (2-H), a natural compound found in many foods and also secreted by certain insects, but never before understood to have anaesthetic properties. Independent tests have verified Vita’s findings and the potential of 2-heptanone as a local anaesthetic. As a naturally occurring substance with a lower toxicity than conventional anaesthetics, 2-heptanone shows great potential.

Until recently, research seemed to indicate that 2-heptanone was either a honey bee alarm pheromone that triggers defensive response, or a chemical marker signalling to other foraging bees that a flower had been already visited. The new research shows clearly that 2-heptanone paralyses small insects and mites bitten by bees for up to nine minutes.

Somewhat like a snake, the honey bee uses its mandibles to bite its enemy and then secretes 2-heptanone into the wound to anaesthetise it. This enables the honey bee to eject the enemy from the hive and is a particularly effective defence against pests, such as wax moth larvae and Varroa mites, which are too small to sting.

Source: Vita-Europe.com The research is published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0047432

A proposal to amend rules on honey to clarify the true nature of pollen following the European Court of Justice preliminary ruling was adopted on 21 September 2012 by the European Commission (EC).

In line with international World Trade Organization standards, the proposal defines pollen as a natural constituent of honey and not as an ingredient.

The Court of Justice based its interpretation on the honey directive dating back to 2001 and qualified pollen as an ingredient in honey arguing that the pollen is found in honey mainly due to intervention by the beekeeper. However, the Commission proposal recognises that pollen is a natural constituent and not an ingredient of honey; it enters into the hive as a result of the activity of the bees and is found in honey regardless of whether the beekeeper intervenes.

Consequently, since pollen is considered as a natural constituent of honey, EU labelling rules requiring a list of ingredients would not apply.

The Commission’s proposal will not affect the conclusion of the Court as regards the application of the GMO legislation to GM pollen in food. In particular it does not alter the Court’s conclusion that honey containing GM pollen can be placed on the market only if it is covered by an authorisation under the legislation. Furthermore, the labelling rules on GMO in food will also be applicable. The proposal also aims to align the existing Commission implementing powers in the Honey Directive 2001/110/EC with those introduced by the Lisbon Treaty.

Source: http://europa.eu/rapid (search for reference IP/12/992) Further reading Markets & Trade at www.beesfordevelopment.org/portal 13

Bees for Development Journal 105

BEES HELPING PEOPLE A HUMANITARIAN BEEKEEPING PROJECT IN SLOVENIA Franc Šivic, Beekeeping Association of Slovenia, Brdo pri Lukovici 8, 1225 Lukovica, Slovenia Keywords: apitherapy, Beekeeping Association of Slovenia, beekeeping for the disabled, beekeeping learning trail, IMEX

Franc Šivic

honey bees and how to keep them by using the learning apiary, the beekeeping learning trail, and through the textbook. The learning apiary also provides employment for clients who are entrusted with the management of the bee colonies and feel that they have received a responsible mission: being important and useful is healing for everyone. In addition, they will produce seeds and grow nectar-bearing trees, shrubs and herbs for sale.

We have not heard of any similar beekeeping venture. We have successfully connected beekeeping and the beneficial effects of bee products and bees (apitherapy) with training, work and care of disabled people, and this is the first major international humanitarian project for us at the Beekeeping Association of Slovenia. We are willing to share our experiences in more detail with beekeepers in other countries and we hope to see more examples of such co-operation coming to light across the world.

Slovenian beekeepers will have good memories of July 2012.

Within a new humanitarian beekeeping project we have set up an apiary with a garden full of nectar plants and a beekeeping learning trail leading up to it. This is the Centre for Training, Work and Care in the town of Draga. Young people and adults with special needs, who are clients of the Centre, now have an objective that contributes to their well-being and could help them to find a means of living in the community.

Members of the Beekeeping Association of Slovenia had been considering bringing bees closer, not only to pupils in the beekeeping clubs at primary schools, but also to young people with special needs. In collaboration with the Slovenian Convention Bureau, we gained the support of the international congress company IMEX, who financed the installation of the apiary and beekeeping learning trail, and the restoration of the greenhouse in Draga to provide seeds for honey plants. Members of IMEX collected €25,000 (US$32,500) - the evaluated cost of the project. But that is not all: in early July, fifteen of their volunteers came to Draga for three days, leaving behind their desks and replacing them with picks and shovels.

The Beekeeping Association of Slovenia has contributed to the realisation of the project by donating honey bee colonies to settle in the apiary at the Centre, and publishing the textbook A bee introduces itself in a didactically modified form, translated into a format that is easy-to-read and readily understandable by clients of the Draga Centre.

There will be an opportunity to learn close-up about the life of

PHOTOS © MARKO BORKO

The textbook A bee introduces itself adapted into easy-to-read language

The new training apiary with the garden full of nectar plants 14

Bees for Development Journal 105

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BOOK SHELF

Buy these titles at www.beesfordevelopment.org/catalog or at our shop in Monmouth, UK

Top-bar beekeeping – organic practices for honeybee health Les Crowder and Heather Harrell 2012 175 pages £20.99 (€35) C555 An excellent text with information not published elsewhere. Les Crowder writes in the introduction: “Now, after thirty five years of keeping bees, I can state confidently that careful beekeepers can keep bees successfully without using antibiotics to kill bacteria, comb fumigants to kill wax moths, miticides to kill mites, or fungicides to kill chalkbrood fungus”. He goes on to describe in detail his approach, keeping bees in top-bar hives as he has done for 19 years in New Mexico State in south-west USA. Unique to this book is information about how to configure and manage combs within top-bar hives, and in particular to enable the removal of old combs from the hive. A very useful new work on a natural style of honey bee colony management.

Management of Philippine bees – stingless bees and honey bees Cleofas R Cervancia, Alejandro C Fajardo Jr, Analinda C Manila-Fajardo & Raymundo M Lucero 2012 71 pages £20 (€35) C560 Another excellent new book with fresh information about stingless bees, and the Asian hive bee Apis cerana, and how to look after them. The book also describes the wild nesting giant honeybees Apis breviligula and Apis dorsata, how to harvest from them in a sustainable way, and how to process the honey and wax. Well presented with many good colour photographs: this is a very useful text for beekeepers working with indigenous bees in Asia.

Keeping bees in towns & cities Luke Dixon 2012 184 pages £15.99 (€30) D555 A beautiful book in which Luke Dixon describes how to become an urban beekeeper. An explanation of how to obtain bees and look after them towards your first honey harvest. What makes this book special are the 23 stories of other beekeepers from around the world keeping bees in varying urban environments and in all sorts of interesting ways. It is nice to see how popular beekeeping is becoming with new generations living in cities.

Plants for bees – a guide to the plants that benefit the bees of the British Isles W D J Kirk and F N Howes 2012 Hardback 312 pages £28 (€40) K555 In the UK in 1945 F Norman Howes, a botanist at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, published the famously useful, but modestly published, book Plants for bees. This book has now been expanded and modernised by William Kirk, with additional text contributed by experts in their fields and more details about the plant species.

There is also an abundance of excellent photographs of bees and flowers.

The BBKA guide to beekeeping Ivor Davis and Roger Cullum-Kenyon 2012 182 pages £17.99 (€32) D560 A new text for beginner beekeepers in the UK, especially those following the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) Beginners’ course, but also a useful resource for anyone new to the field. Laid out in modern, easy to read style with an abundance of pictures, the book contains all the conventional information for a beginner who will be using European honey bees in frame hives.

Starting with bees The Beekeeping Club of St Augustine Secondary School, Sirima, Kenya, the Beekeeping Club of St Regina Secondary School, Nairutia, Kenya, and Francesco Nazzi 2012 45 pages £12 (€17) N355 This guide is prepared by students of two secondary schools in the central highlands of Kenya. The concise text was created by ‘collective writing’ whereby students contributed to and revised the text. The outcome is a very clear and understandable introduction to bees, making and using equipment including top-bar hives, harvesting honey and beeswax, and information about local bee plants.

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Queen of the sun – what are the bees telling us?

Taggart Siegel and Jon Betzand 2011 144 pages £17.99 (€36) S555

This is an anthology of poems and articles contributed by authors including Carol Ann Duffy, Heidi Hermann, David Heaf, Gunther Hauk, Michael Thiele, Vandana Shiva and many other poets and thinkers, providing philosophical and spiritual insight into humans’ relationships with bees. A beautifully produced book with stunning colour photographs, an excellent, thought provoking Christmas present for any beekeeper!

Having healthy honeybees – an integrated approach John McMullan 2012 117 pages £16 (€24) M555

Despite its title, this is a book about honey bee pathogens. Most of the text is concerned with very clear descriptions of the major pathogens affecting European races of Apis mellifera. Each pathogen is concisely described: cause, diagnosis, virulence and treatment, together with clear photographs. Chapter 4, Integrated health management, describes good practice for maintaining a well run apiary.

Buying from Bf D Order through our web store Secure Payment System Or send us an e-mail, phone us, or post us a note of what you want. Contact details on page 20.

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LOOK AHEAD SOUTH KOREA

APIMONDIA 44th International Apicultural Congress 15-20 September 2015, Deajeon Further details will appear here

UK

BBKA Spring Convention 12-14 April 2013, Harper Adams College Further details www.britishbee.org.uk

USA

2nd International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health and Policy 14-17 August 2013, Penn State University Further details www.ento.psu.edu/events

TURKEY

12th Asian Apicultural Association Conference 2014 Further details will appear here

UKRAINE

APIMONDIA 43rd International Apicultural Congress 29 September - 4 October 2013, Kiev Further details www.apimondia2013.org.ua

ZIMBABWE

4th ApiTrade Africa Event 2014 Further details to be confirmed

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 20

NOTICE BOARD

LEARN AHEAD IRELAND

Irish Beekeepers Summer Course 21-26 July 2013, Gormanston Further details www.irishbeekeeping.ie

BfD UK Courses Strengthening livelihoods in developing countries through beekeeping 5 April and 19 September 2013 Monmouth Sustainable beekeeping 6-7 April and 20-21 September 2013 Ragman’s Lane Permaculture Farm, Gloucestershire Further details www.beesfordevelopment.org

FUNDING FROM FAO: TeleFood Special Fund Beekeepers’ groups and associations may apply for 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. See www.fao.org 1% for Development Fund Small grants enable community based beekeeping projects in developing countries to get off the ground.

Applicants must define clear objectives and describe how they are to be attained. Email One-Per-Cent-Fund@FAO.org BEE GUIDE I am Raymond Huber and I have written a guide to honey bees for younger readers. You are welcome to download the book (pdf or ebook) at www.raymondhuber.co.nz/honey-bees-free-book-life-cycle-honey-stings-crisis-myths/bee-book-download/ GRANTS TO SCIENTISTS IFS Research Grants are for citizens of a developing country who are scientists under 40 years of age, with at least a Master’s or equivalent degree or research experience and attached to a university, national research institution or research-orientated NGO in a developing country. See www.ifs.se AWARD A professional development programme that strengthens the research and leadership skills of African women in agricultural science, empowering them to contribute more effectively to poverty alleviation and food security in sub-Saharan Africa.

See www.awardfellowships.org YOUNG SCIENTISTS International Union of Biological Sciences offers grants to scientists under 35 years of age. See how to apply for support to attend the next International Symposium on Pollination organised by the International Commission on Plant Bee Relations and part of the IUBS at www.iubs.org CIVIL SOCIETY RESPONSIVE GRANT Non-profit or cultural organisations can apply for funding from the Commonwealth Foundation to support activities including training courses, workshops, conferences, exchanges and study visits to promote international or intercultural exchange, co-operation and sharing of skills, knowledge and ideas between people from developing Commonwealth countries. Conditions apply.

See www.commonwealthfoundation.com AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL The oldest English language beekeeping publication in the world. See a digital copy and subscribe at www.americanbeejournal.com BEE CRAFT UK Beekeeping Journal for beginners and seasoned apiarists. View a digital copy and subscribe on line at www.bee-craft.com BEE CULTURE The magazine of American beekeeping. 140 years experience. Today’s techniques. Tomorrow’s ideas. US$15 for a digital subscription.

See www.BeeCulture.com ULUDAG BEE JOURNAL News, practical information and research articles Published quarterly in Turkish with English summaries.

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XXXXIII Apimondia International Apicultural Congress 29 September – 4 October 2013 Kiev, Ukraine Congress theme

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