Bees for Development Journal Edition 109 - December 2013

Bees for Development

JOURNAL

ISSUE NO 109, DECEMBER 2013

COMB HYGIENE ZOOM IN ON MOZAMBIQUE MONGOLIA & KYRGYZSTAN BEEKEEPING ECONOMICS WWW.BEESFORDEVELOPMENT.ORG

20 1993

YEARS 2013

Beekeeper Shide Gete lives in Wonjeta, Amhara, Ethiopia – see right

Issue No 109

December 2013

In this issue page Practical beekeeping – comb hygiene......................................... 3–4 Pasture use for beekeepers in Kyrgyz Republic ............................... 5 Interview with Tecla David................. 6 Zoom in on Mozambique.................. 7 Japanese technique in Mongolia....... 8 Recent research......................... 9, 17 Beekeeping economics II................ 10 Trees Bees Use............................... 12 News around the World.................. 13 Bookshelf....................................... 16 Look and Learn Ahead.................... 18 Notice Board............................. 18, 19

Dear friends Our cover shows beekeeper Mr Shide Gete from Wonjeta in Amhara State in Ethiopia.Mr Shide is holding combs harvested from his top-bar hives – he received training in top-bar beekeeping from Tilahun Gebey of Bees for Development Ethiopia, during 2013. With the help of the local government development agent Mr Mengistu Nibret, who has also been trained by Tilahun, Mr Shide harvested these combs in December 2013. Tilahun emphasises that constant brood comb renewal is important to maintain bee hygiene and health.

Honey stored by bees in brood combs tends to fetch a lower price in local markets where consumers tend to shun the darker combs. However the local honey cooperative has been trained to buy honey stored in darker combs – provided that the honey is perfectly ripe and sealed. When asked if he would be willing to mentor beginner beekeepers from within his community, Mr Shide said, “Yes, the more honey that is produced locally the better it is for everyone as this way we can attract bulk buyers”.

The topics mentioned by Mr Shide neatly introduce two items covered in this edition of the Journal. On the page opposite, Dr Wolfgang Ritter explains the great importance of ensuring fresh, clean comb for the brood nest in frame hives. On pages 10–11, Martin Jones and I discuss the need for beekeepers’ producer organisations to do the calculations necessary to understand the most cost effective ways of selling their honey – packing and selling in 500 g jars is commonplace, but may not be necessarily the most profitable route to market.

We do apologise that you are receiving this edition very late, due to some production problems. However surely not too late to wish you a New Year filled with lots of bees, flowers and honey!

PHOTO © VINCENT HAKIZIMANA

COVER PHOTO © BfD

Bees for Development Journal 109

BfD Journal Produced quarterly and sent to readers in over 130 countries Editor Nicola Bradbear PhD Co-ordinator Helen Jackson BSc Subscriptions cost £26 per year - see page 17 for ways to pay Readers in developing countries may apply 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.

Bees for Development Post 1 Agincourt Street Monmouth

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

Vincent Hakizimana is a beekeeper in southern Rwanda. More on page 15 Support: Bees for Development Trust gratefully acknowledge Marr Munning Trust, Panta Rhea Foundation, E H Thorne (Beehives) Ltd, Trade Advance Ltd, The Waterloo Foundation, and the many groups and individuals who support our work. Please encourage your friends and colleagues to help. See our website for how to become a Supporter.

2

Bees for Development Journal 109

PRACTICAL BEEKEEPING

GOOD BEEKEEPING PRACTICE – COMB HYGIENE Wolfgang Ritter, CVUA-Freiburg, Am Moos Weihez, D 79108, Freiburg, Germany PHOTO © W RITTER

Keywords: American foulbrood, chalkbrood, Nosema, Varroa, wax cycle, wax moth The third in the series from Dr Wolfang Ritter offering advice for Good Beekeeping Practice to ensure healthy bees with “fresh” comb and high quality honey.

Brood combs can become infested by pathogens including Nosema, chalkbrood and foulbrood spores. As each bee pupa moults, it leaves a cuticle which gradually narrows the width of each brood cell. This becomes critical when it prevents bees from developing to their full size. For these reasons it is therefore essential to replace brood combs regularly. In Good Beekeeping Practice, combs from the brood chamber never get into the honey chamber, because they may be contaminated by germs (pathogenic micro-organisms) and pollutants that may affect honey quality. Combs from the honey chamber are suitable and acceptable to replace those in the brood chamber.

The decision to keep or to melt is not always as clear as shown here during comb hygiene training for veterinarians

Open wax cycle In all frame hive management methods, old combs are produced every year. Small-scale beekeepers will give them away for wax processing in exchange for new foundation which should be certified pest and pollutant free. Large-scale beekeepers may process the wax themselves, but must test regularly for pollutants. A closed cycle – always using the same wax – is not recommended. An open system is much better where every year, at least one third of the wax (the oldest) is removed from the cycle, and used, for example, to produce candles. New, clean wax for the foundation can be obtained from the uncapping of honey combs when honey is

harvested (uncapping wax). However, it is possible to modify one’s management method completely or partially by favouring natural comb construction. Never buy used combs – the risk of importing pests into the apiary is too high.

Melting and disinfecting Old combs are produced as a result of additional feeding and spring management. An appropriate management method consists of completely replacing the frame with the oldest combs (see illustration below). In spring any mouldy or fouled combs are

PHOTO © J SCHWENKEL

The dark combs (centre) appear bright and let light through, however those on the left must be destroyed. Comb on the right is in good condition and is ready to be used again

3

Bees for Development Journal 109

PHOTO © W RITTER

Disinfecting combs 120 ml of 60% acetic acid is sufficient to disinfect ten combs.

Sponges or felt layers saturated with acid are placed between the stack of frames, or an open receptacle of the liquid is placed underneath.

Advantage: does not affect any metal parts, is cost-effective and is classified as food safe.

Disadvantage: short duration of effectiveness.

Killing wax moth Sulphur • Advantage: cost- and time-effective.

• Disadvantage: hazardous to user’s health. Repeated treatment and airing of combs before re-use is necessary.

Bacillus thuringiensis • Advantage: long lasting effect, applicable within the colony, and non-hazardous to the user’s health.

• Disadvantage: expensive and involves using a time-consuming spray.

Air draught • Advantage: takes time, free of residues.

• Disadvantage: ventilator costs are high.

Frost or cold • Advantage: takes time, free of residues.

• Disadvantage: expense for deep-freezing respectively dependent on climatic conditions when stored outdoors.

Although in comb construction terms still correct, this fouled comb from a Nosema colony must be melted removed. Bees would clean them but the combs could be germinfested and it would restrain the bees from accomplishing other important hygiene activities. Food combs of colonies killed by Nosema, apparently looking clean and bright, have to be disinfected.

In case of the originally tropical Nosema ceranae (nowadays widespread), it is sufficient to deep-freeze the combs for a short time. Combs of colonies killed by Varroa are usually contaminated also by viruses. With infestation from chalkbrood or sacbrood, disinfecting with 60% acetic acid is necessary. This is also recommended as a preventive measure if colonies have died due to weakness or long-term queenlessness.

Wax moth control Wax moths mainly feed on larvae cuticles, therefore combs that have had brood, and combs, must be stored separately. Sulphur application for moth control should be repeated after a few days, because the moths often survive the first treatment. Using Bacillus thuringiensis solution (available commercially in some countries) has a longer term effect and is non-hazardous for bees. Moth-proof receptacles can prevent new infestations. As Good Beekeeping Practice does not involve use of chemicals, or the use of bacteria, multiplication of moths can be avoided also by using a constant draught of air. This can be achieved by a chimney effect in the frame stack caused by a grid cover.

Checklist for Good Beekeeping Practice

Exchange and store combs

Combs that have had brood, and that have not had brood, are stored separately

Yes

Combs with brood are not inserted into the honey chamber One third of uncontaminated wax introduced into wax cycle per year Combs from other apiaries are not introduced Mouldy or fouled combs are melted Combs of Nosema colonies are exposed to frost Combs of Varroa colonies are disinfected

Replacing combs If frames in the honey and brood chambers are of the same size, you can offer colonies an additional frame with food; put this on top of the stack containing combs from which honey has already been extracted. Therefore at the end of the breeding season (at harvest or in early spring), you can remove the brood frame with the oldest comb and melt the comb.

Melting comb Beeswax melts at 65°C and combs can be melted using several methods: Water quench • Viruses and Nosema spores are killed with little technical effort.

Solar wax extractor • Without additional energy input more obstinate pathogens are killed at temperatures up to 120°C. Steam wax extractor • Under pressure and at temperatures of up to 130°C several combs can be melted at the same time.

Oil-bath wax extracting by thermal oil heaters • Spores of American foulbrood cannot survive at 150°C for 40 minutes. After an outbreak of American foulbrood, sanitation must be carried out in compliance with any legal requirements.

Combs are stored in moth-proof receptacles Only non-hazardous substances (sulphur, Bacillus thuringiensis) or physical methods (heat, cold, air draught) are applied to achieve moth-proof storage PHOTO © J SCHWENKEL

BfD acknowledges www.diebiene.de as the source of this article

Diagonal view of the comb clearly shows a covering of mould 4

No

Bees for Development Journal 109

PASTURE USE FOR BEEKEEPERS IN KYRGYZ REPUBLIC Martin M Jones and Nicola Bradbear, Bees for Development, 1 Agincourt Street, Monmouth NP25 3DZ, UK Keywords: Darwin Initiative, honey marketing, law on beekeeping

Most beekeepers in Kyrgyz Republic are of Russian ethnicity. For example, Andrei who moves his hives on the back of a truck to access different pastures as the flowering season rolls up the Kyrgyz hills. Beekeeping is profitable for him. His daughter has recently returned to work with him following her graduation from university in Germany where she trained in apiculture. Andrei complains of the lack of support from the Government that has failed to introduce the law on beekeeping, first drafted in 1989.

This means that non-local beekeepers like Andrei have to pay for access to local pastures because their legal right to access is unclear. We are working on changing this, by lobbying for a law on beekeeping to be introduced, and to incorporate a freedom of access clause so that all beekeepers (local and non-local) are able to access pastures and to continue their apiculture.

Our Darwin Initiative Project in Kyrgyzstan (introduced in BfDJ 103) is encouraging people who are working as shepherds to have the opportunity to use beekeeping for their livelihoods, and raising awareness of the value of pollination. Malik first learned to keep bees after he was captured as a Prisoner of War – during the war in Chechnya – where he was sold as a slave to a local beekeeper.

Now he continues to practise beekeeping and passes on his skills to young locals. However, he believes that many young people do not see beekeeping as a realistic source of income: instead they decide to leave for the cities – without promise of a better existence there. Part of our Project therefore involves providing beekeeping training to 60 young Kyrgyz herders, giving them the opportunity to realise feasible, sustainable livelihoods without needing to leave their ancestral rural homes.

PHOTOS © BfD

This Darwin Initiative Project is already helping to improve people’s lives – ensuring that they have the tools, desire and necessary legal framework to achieve a sustainable and ecologically beneficial livelihood. (left) Malik and his wife earn a livelihood from beekeeping - and want others to do so (below) Andrei’s graduate daughter will join him as he moves his hives up to summer pastures

5

Bees for Development Journal 109

INTERVIEW WITH TECLA DAVID Also more people in areas like Sussundenge are becoming interested in producing their own honey. Nevertheless, the domestic market still is not very large and I believe that exporting to the EU is a necessary development for the industry.

BfD: You hope to establish a Residue Monitoring Plan (RMP) in Mozambique to enable you to sell to the EU. What is the current situation?

TD: Mozambique still has no RMP. There has been increasing pressure from new honey traders which has brought about more dialogue, but the process stopped again recently. Our current government has started to see the value in apiculture and the potential it has for poverty reduction. For this reason I am sure that we will soon develop a RMP. BfD: Have you considered trading in beeswax?

TD: No. I rarely come into contact with my producers’ wax and there is no market for beeswax here in Mozambique. However, as beeswax does not have as many regulations as honey, selling to the EU would be a possibility.

BfD: Please tell us more about your association of beekeepers.

Tecla David of Sussundenge in Manica Province, western Mozambique started beekeeping as a teenager. In 1999 she established herself as a honey trader and since then her business has grown along with the sector. BfD interviewed Tecla in August 2013 about recent developments.

TD: I buy honey from a group named the Chizizira Association.

I provide technical assistance and train them in apiculture, as many of them are new to beekeeping. Of course I buy their honey to sell within my business. I prefer to buy their honey because of my personal involvement with the association, but unfortunately I cannot always purchase as much as I would like. Their production is going really well and we need to secure other buyers for their honey. The 50 beekeepers currently involved have varying numbers of hives, and for those with more, honey has become a large part of their income. Some members have gone on to use that money to send their children to school or university, improve their homes, or purchase animals and small farms. The association is a great example of apiculture’s capacity to improve livelihoods and has consequently fostered greater interest in beekeeping in the area.

BfD: Where are you currently buying honey, and where do you sell it?

TD: I buy honey from small groups of local beekeepers based in Sussundenge District. I also harvest my own honey. With regard to sales, my business has two facets: I sell larger orders to supermarkets which will go nationwide (this is how my honey business started), and in 2006 I started my own shop in Sussundenge Casa do Mel (House of Honey) which has become a really important part of the business. The shop sells mainly to local people, especially the sick, but has taken on a life of its own.

Through the shop I have developed a good local reputation and a degree of visibility I did not have before.

BfD: What are your hopes for the future?

TD: I hope to secure financial support to help me to sustain the shop and develop my business. I would like to invest in equipment such as a computer. With regard to apiculture in Sussundenge, investment is needed. We have fantastic conditions and are producing good quality honey, and with the right finance we could produce so much more. For Mozambique the long term aim is securing the RMP soon to allow us to export our honey to the EU.

BfD: How has the honey market in Mozambique developed in recent years? Is the domestic market sufficient for sales?

PHOTOS © TECLA DAVID

TD: Compared with when I started in the 1990s, the consumption of honey has increased significantly - which of course has helped my business to grow. Last year I sold over five tonnes of honey.

Chizizira Associations’ collection centre

Tecla’s shop in Sussundenge: Casa do Mel (House of Honey) 6

Bees for Development Journal 109

PHOTOS © TECLA DAVID

ZOOM IN ON

MOZAMBIQUE Mozambique is in south-east Africa bordered on its East Coast by the Indian Ocean. It has a warm, tropical climate with temperatures of 15°C during the dry winter months (April-September) and 30°C during the summer rainy season. About 60% of the country is natural forest providing an ideal environment for organic honey production.

Population Twenty-five million. Following more than four centuries Portuguese colonial rule, Mozambique suffered civil war until 1992.

of

Size: 801,590 km² Agriculture Arable land accounts for 45% of the country and agriculture is the backbone of the economy, with subsistence farming contributing 80% of total agriculture production.

Key cash crops are cotton, sugar and tobacco in addition to beans, cassava, maize and rice.

Casa do Mel buys honey from Chizizira Association, Manica Province there is confidence that Mozambique‘s honey could compete in the high-end, organic market. Mozambique does not have a Residue Monitoring Plan recognised by the EU and therefore cannot export to the EU.

Beekeeping The honey bee Apis mellifera scutellata is indigenous and Mozambique has a long history of beekeeping.

Central and southern parts offer the most potential for honey and beeswax production with vegetation capable of supporting large populations of honey bees. Extensive beekeeping using hives made from the bark of local trees is widespread. These time-honoured methods are practised in rural communities where the sale of honey is an important source of cash income. Annual sales of honey per beekeeper range from 53 kg in Gondola, 411 kg in Sussundenga to 500 kg in Maputo1. Honey harvest in most regions takes place twice a year. Honey cropping commonly takes place at night when the bees are less defensive.

Associations One obstacle to honey trade has been the lack of organisation among producers, with only some regional co-operatives in existence and isolated efforts by different NGOs and private enterprises to offer training to beekeepers. Bees for Development’s long term correspondent, Tecla David of Casa do Mel, buys honey from the Chizizira Association in Manica Province and works to help them produce more honey and to sell it in bulk.

The Mozambique Honey Company2 MHC was established in 2010, 45% owned by its 5,000 small-scale producers, and aiming to improve the sustainability and profitability of production as well as providing much needed access to markets. The strategy of the company is to focus on harvesting organic honey for both the high-end domestic and international export markets.

Honey production Mozambique has favourable conditions for organic honey production and a good history of beekeeping, yet various factors, including lack of investment, producer training, credit and market access have hindered the growth and productivity of the sector. Furthermore illegal logging, wildfires, shifting cultivation and various climatic issues such as drought and flooding, are constantly challenging production. Should these constraints be addressed it is believed that dominant honey producing regions have the capacity to easily double their current production rates.

Recently assistance is emerging for producers, and the honey sector shows much promise.

With this new momentum, the Mozambique Government is beginning to take greater interest in the sector. The Dutch organisation SNV is working with small-scale producers, processors and local government to develop a National Honey Council to provide an arena for joint action and policy dialogue.

References 1 TOTAL TRANSFORMATION AGRIBUSINESS. Situation Analysis of Beekeeping Industry (online). www.beekeeping.com/articles/us/beekeeping_regional_situationalanalysis.pdf 2 MOZAMBIQUE HONEY COMPANY. http://mozambiquehoneycompany.com/ ITC (2011) The Sweet Bite of the Bee. http://itc.co.mz/publicacoes#content-tab-1-0-tab www.itc.co.mz/documentos/Estudo-de-Caso-Honey-English.pdf

Trade Honey is used as food, medicine and for alcoholic drinks. There is no well-developed market for beeswax. Although some regional co-operatives exist, production and trade remain individual, with many beekeepers selling their honey by the roadside. Honey is produced in natural environments, free from contaminants and has excellent flavour. Unfortunately honey which is packed and sold as table honey must compete with imported honey which tends to be marketed with higher quality packaging and labelling. This is a key area for development of the Mozambique market. Official export of honey from the country is largely non-existent, however

Thanks to Tecla David for this information and Catherine Morgans for the translation 7

Bees for Development Journal 109

JAPANESE TECHNIQUES IN MONGOLIA

Hitomi Enomoto, ApiScience Information Services APISIS, 5-6-3 Tamagawa Gakuen, Machida, Tokyo 194-0041, Japan

PHOTOS © HIDEHIRO HOSHIBA

Keywords: Beekeepers’ Association of Mongolia, GEF SGP, honey production, JAICAF, Tree of Life Inc, UNDP, World Vision

Participants of the Seminar to raise awareness of environment conservation and biodiversity essential for high-quality honey and other bee product production During summer 2013, experts from Japan made a series of visits to Mongolia to promote the production of high quality bee products, and to increase awareness by Mongolian beekeepers of their environment and their need for biodiversity.

into a market economy, only a few individual families who had worked for the state farms were left to continue with beekeeping.

Beekeeping started 50 years ago in Mongolia. During the former socialist period, several state bee farms were found in the forest steppe zone of Mongolia, particularly in the region of Darkhan-Selenge. In the 1990s, as Mongolia failed its transition

Beekeeping development projects started in the late 2000s.

Supported by World Vision and the Global Environment Facility’s Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP) and UNDP, the Beekeepers’ Association of Mongolia conducted basic training during 2005 to 2012. In 2009, 40 families were keeping 200 colonies. Today there are 100 beekeeping families managing 3,000 colonies, and harvesting 30 tonnes of honey per year. They face many obstacles including financial constraints, and difficulties related to worsening natural conditions.

Apiary visits to Shaamar Sum and Darhhan-Selenge Region

Extracting honey 8

Bees for Development Journal 109

Japan’s Association for International Collaboration of Agriculture and Forestry (JAICAF) sent an expert team to collaborate with the Beekeepers Association of Mongolia and to support improved productivity and better income generation for the beekeeping sector.

bee products to access the international market. Course participants enjoyed his demonstration of beeswax candle making.

Dr Hoshiba also visited apiaries in Shaamar Sum and DarkhanSelenge Region with Professor Togtokhbayar, to inspect hives and talk with the beekeepers. They were much interested to hear his advice on frame layout aiming at higher bee density and higher honey productivity.

The Japanese experts and Professor Togtokhbayar Norovsambuu from the Mongolian State University of Agriculture worked mainly in Shaamar Sum (county), and Selenge Province, where the Association has 51 family members with 2,000 colonies. About 100 beekeepers attended their seminar from all over DarkhanSelenge and other regions. Professor Jun Nakamura from the Honeybee Science Research Center at Tamagawa University talked about beekeepers’ awareness for the conservation of their environment and biodiversity, which are essential for highquality production of honey and other bee products. Dr Hidehiro Hoshiba, former professor of Tamagawa University, focused on practical techniques of colony management, honey harvesting and processing, as well as on the quality management of honey to meet international standards. Mr Ryoichi Udagawa, Business Executive of Tree of Life Inc, signposted strategies for Mongolian

One month later, Mr L Oyunbaatar, Chief of the Beekeepers’ Union reported to JAICAF that each group had started to trial the new way with a few hives. Finding good results, every union member had adopted the frame layout, and had gained more oviposition and higher honey production. He said: “Every colony shows an improved condition. I have not received any bad reports. We call it the Japanese Technique, and are teaching it to our neighbouring beekeepers”.

The development of the beekeeping sector could give a boost for implementation of the new government’s environment protection policies. JAICAF will publish a guide for Mongolian beekeepers written by Dr Hoshiba with Professor Togtokhbayar.

Plenty of forage for honey bees in Mongolia

RECENT RESEARCH

bumblebees were viable and could infect bumblebees and honey bees. The research found commercially imported bumblebees could interact with wild bees and honey bees, spreading disease by visiting the same flowers. Co-author of the study Professor William Hughes, (University of Sussex), said: “Many bee species are already showing significant population declines due to multiple factors. The introduction of more or new parasite infections will at a minimum exacerbate this, and could quite possibly drive declines.”

Plea over bee import control Each year 40,000-50,000 commercially reared bumblebee colonies are imported into the UK to pollinate greenhouse crops such as tomatoes, to boost pollination of other plants such as strawberries and for use in gardens. However DNA testing of 48 colonies of buff-tailed bumblebees purchased from European producers found that 77% of the colonies were carrying parasites. All but one of 25 samples of pollen supplied with the colonies as food for the bees were infected with parasites as the study in the Journal of Applied Ecology showed.

Source www.heraldscotland.com Citation: Graystock, P., Yates, K., Evison, S.E.F., Darvill, B., Goulson, D., Hughes, W.O.H. (2013) The Trojan hives: pollinator pathogens, imported and distributed in bumblebee colonies.

Journal of Applied Ecology. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.12134 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.12134/full

The team from the universities of Leeds, Stirling and Sussex (UK) found that the parasites carried by the commercially reared 9

Bees for Development Journal 109

BEEKEEPING ECONOMICS II

MAKING A PROFIT AS A COMMUNITY BASED PRODUCER ORGANISATION Martin M Jones and Nicola Bradbear, Bees for Development, 1 Agincourt Street, Monmouth NP25 3DZ, UK

PHOTO © BfD

Keywords: honey marketing, KABECOS, Kenya, Tanzania, TUNADO, Uganda Beekeeping is a powerful tool for development. Bees for Development was the first organisation worldwide to recognise this important fact when we began our work over two decades ago – and we continue to work hard to promote low-cost, communityled, environmentally sustainable approaches to beekeeping for the benefit of poor communities.

We know that beekeeping training on its own is not enough to help communities to move out of poverty. While beekeeping provides a valuable source of food for beekeepers and their families, to significantly increase their income, communities must be able to sell their honey to larger, distant markets. Exactly how to do this can be complicated. During the past four years our Uganda Honey Trade Project has been working with a small rural co-operative to enable individual farmers to collectively sell their honey. We have been collaborating also with TUNADO (Uganda’s National Beekeeping Organisation) to promote the industry at national level. Local communities throughout Uganda take great pride in their honey - which perhaps explains the persistence of small community based organisations (CBOs) producing and packing their own honey - giving rise to the hybrid business model of the producer-packer organisation. This phenomenon is perhaps unique to the honey trade sector. You do not generally see dairy co-operatives (producers) bottling and selling their own milk direct to the general public. Nor do small coffee co-operatives roast, process, pack and sell their own coffee direct to local households.

In both sectors the dominant trend is for producer organisations to sell directly to a packer organisation. Why then, do CBOs continue to process, pack and sell their own honey, and does this represent the best way of boosting incomes in rural households?

Left to right: Martin Jones (Bees for Development) George Tunanukye (Executive Director, Kamwenge Beekeepers Co-operative Society - KABECOS), Jackson Jurua (Chair, TUNADO), Tusiime Rose (Sales Manager, KABECOS) chain will be lengthened, middle-men will be involved, and this is perceived as working against the interests of the community.

3. There is reluctance among CBOs, who play a very valuable role in bulking honey, to sell their honey on to processing organisations who will then sell “their” honey under a different brand. Under this model there is no recognition of the hard work of the community which produced the honey – apart from the financial reward of income from sale of the honey to the packer.

Several factors could explain this phenomenon: 1. Business advice from various stakeholders including Government, invariably includes a rallying cry to add value to products, such as the idea of bottling honey themselves, or turning honey into premium mead for the middle classes of Kampala. However as with any business decision, individuals and organisations need to ask “Is the extra effort of adding value worth my while?” and “Will the extra income be worth the increased time, effort and cost of adding value?” When it comes to packaging honey for sale, an activity which adds a lot of value to honey, it seems that few producer-packer organisations do this at sufficiently low-cost to enable the finished product to be sold at a reasonable price on the shelves of supermarkets. The result? Ugandan honey is perceived to be an expensive product (in a country blessed with an extremely accommodating environment for beekeeping) and demand for home-produced honey remains low - due to price competition from lower-cost imports from neighbouring Kenya and Tanzania.

4. Perhaps cash-flow is the main issue? By their very nature, CBOs are more likely to have limited capital bases and therefore selling their valuable honey in smaller units allows them to improve their cash flow. Is it the inability of small organisations with limited capital bases to wait for payment for large bulk orders that is driving them to become producerpackers? This explanation does not explain why CBOs continue to demonstrate a strategy for selling to supermarkets in as large a volume as possible. A more nuanced iteration of this argument could be that supermarkets are the least untrusted of bulk purchasers in the sector – and more trusted than honey packers, for example.

Evidence suggests that the greatest overall profits are gained from selling bulked honey directly to packers. This avoids producer CBOs having to fund the overhead costs of processing and packing – the extra staff who are under-utilised, the equipment that lies idle much of the time, and the small volumes sold due to the high price of the finished goods on the shop shelf. Let us for example analyse the sale of the 500g jar of honey – a common sales format in much of Uganda. The costs shown in Table 1 (above right) are actual costs from December 2013 from an existing CBO:

2. Community based producer organisations may believe that by selling their honey in an unprocessed or unpackaged state they surrender their ability to add value to their honey, and therefore reduce the benefits to their members. They feel that the value 10

Bees for Development Journal 109

Table 1. Sales analysis for 500g jar of honey in Uganda (December 2013) Item Jar (500g size) % of carton cost: (cost of carton UGX 1,700/capacity of 24 jars)

Things to consider from this article are:

Cost UGX

Cost US$

Cost Euro €

1. You must calculate all the costs of producing your honey – not just the obvious ones. These are variable costs.

400

0.16

0.12

2. You must sell your honey for more than it costs to produce.

3. You must calculate the cost of running your organisation that is not the direct result of producing that honey – such as rent, electricity or non-production staff. These are fixed costs.

71

0.03

0.02

Security seal

100

0.04

0.03

Label

250

0.10

0.07

Cost of honey

*3,846

1.52

1.12

Transport from farmer

**650

0.26

0.19

TOTAL

5,317

2.11

1.56

4. Your profit from all the honey you sell must at least equal the value of your fixed costs. If they do not, you cannot survive as a business.

5. Do not assume that because you are selling a lot of kgs or selling at a high profit per jar that the organisation will be profitable. You need to follow points 1–4.

6. The most profitable organisations are those who keep fixed costs to a minimum (1), minimise the variable costs (2), ensure that they maximise the profit made per jar while still allowing many kgs to be sold.

* buying at UGX 5,000 (US$ 2; €1.5) per kg (unprocessed) from farmer.

2.0 kg unprocessed honey produces 1.3 kg liquid honey ** paying a Collection Centre Manager UGX 500 (US$ 0.20; €0.15) per kg of unprocessed honey collected from local community. Average cost of a motorbike taxi UGX 40,000 (US$ 16; €12) transporting 50 kg per trip

In the next edition of BfD Journal we will analyse the focus on honey sales direct to packers. We welcome your thoughts regarding the issues affecting the honey market. Do you represent a CBO producer? Do you pack and sell your own honey – or do you sell in an unprocessed form to a honey packer?

The example above produces a 500g jar of honey at a cost of UGX 5,317 (US$ 2.11; €1.56). This does not include any of the fixed costs that the organisation might incur – such as rent, electricity, water, internet and staff costs. Given that the Kampala market is highly competitive and saturated with many CBOs selling their own self-packed 500g jars, it is difficult to find a customer who will give large orders at a price much above UGX 5,500 (US$ 2.18; €1.61). Given the cost of producing a jar in our example is UGX 5,317, this leaves a profit of UGX 183 per jar (US$ 0.07; €0.05), which is equivalent to 3.4%. Out of this profit you need to subtract the costs of transport from the CBO to Kampala and still pay for staff, rent and utilities. Extremely large volumes need to be sold just to cover these fixed costs. An organisation with fixed costs of UGX 16,000,000 (US$ 6,337; €4,681) per year will need to sell over 111 tonnes of honey in such a format simply to cover total costs. At this level the organisation still has not realised a profit. In short, it is extremely difficult for CBOs to realise a profit this way!

BfD ON TWITTER We update our Twitter account daily – with fun and interesting information on beekeeping from around the world. Are you following us?

You could feature in a future edition of BfD Journal!

PHOTO © HENRY SSOZI

Meet Henry

Table 2. Fixed costs and break-even point for CBO Total fixed costs (UGX)

Profit per jar (UGX)

Break-even point ie tonnes must be sold to cover costs

A

16,000,000 (US$ 6,337; €4,681)

183 (US$ 0.07; €0.05)

111,878

B

10,000,000 (US$ 3,953; €2,911)

183 (US$ 0.07; €0.05)

54,645

C

6,000,000 (US$ 2,372; €1,747)

183 (US$ 0.07; €0.05)

32,787

Henry Ssozi: Twitter Biog “Founder. Quality Enterprise FoundationUganda. Passionate about promoting poor communities development through Self Help Approach Concept (SHG), Uganda”

Not on Twitter?

Go to www.twitter.com/beesfordev and start to Tweet today

The figures in this article come from a real CBO. Their costs appear to be representative of many producer-packer organisations in Uganda. Crucially, their total fixed costs, 16,000,000 UGX (US$ 6,337; €4,681) are those in example A (Table 2 above): they must sell 111,878 tonnes of honey in this way to survive as an organisation – totally impossible for them. The result is that their honey business is unprofitable.

And you can also BEE in touch If you are on remember to ‘like’ BfD 11

Bees for Development Journal 109

TREES BEES USE Securidaca longepedunculata Reinhard Fichtl, Weissgerbergraben 5, 93047 Regensburg, Germany Keywords: Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, honey production

of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea Republic, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Apicultural value Honey bees are found frequently visiting the flowers for pollen and nectar. This tree is one of the most valuable lowland honey sources of Eritrea and Ethiopia and yields very satisfactory surpluses of honey.

Practical notes The germination of seeds is not easy and transplanting of seedlings is very difficult. Seeds should be soaked in cold water and then sown in sandy soil where the plants are to remain.

Securidaca longepedunculata can be propagated by taking cuttings of the root shoots, as it does not grow well when transplanted.

The roots are extremely poisonous and in some parts of Africa the bark, roots and seeds are used in arrow poison.

Securidaca longepedunculata is recommended for planting to increase honey production Family: Polygalaceae Names Violet Tree (English), Arbre à serpent (French) Description A much-branched semi-deciduous shrub or small tree, growing up to 5 m high, (occasionally up to 12 m) with an often flattened or slightly fluted bole, and with an open, rather straggly looking crown. The branches are slender, erect or drooping, and hairy.

The tree is resistant to bush fires and is frost sensitive.

Uses Securidaca longepedunculata is used for making poles which are reputed to be resistant to rot and termites. It is also used for firewood and charcoal. The young stems yield a very strong fibre from the inner bark of the straight, annual shoots. Widely used in western, central and southern Africa for its long, durable and tough fibres to make string and rope for fishing net and lines. The young leaves are edible.

Bark Pale brown to grey brown, rough with very small dark-coloured scales.

Leaves Alternately arranged, simple and entire, oblong to oblonglanceolate and up to 6 cm long.

This attractive tree could be more widely grown ornamentally because of its fragrant flowers.

In traditional medicine the roots are used as a remedy for rheumatism and typhoid fever.

Fruit More or less a round nut, winged, yellow green to red.

Distribution Found in Eritrea and Ethiopia 500-1,700 m and elsewhere in a broad range of vegetation, from semi-arid scrub to dense forest, including many woodland and bush habitats, in semi-arid lowland savannah and gallery forests.

In many countries outside Ethiopia the tree is of considerable medicinal importance and is sometimes called the Mother of Medicine.

Occurring in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic

Below: Flower of Securidaca PHOTOS © REINHARD FICHTL

Flowers On long slender stalks produced in beautiful profusion in terminal axillary sprays 3-5 cm long, appearing with the very young leaves; very fragrant with the scent of violets, reddish purple to pink.

Flowers in abundance at the beginning of the rainy season.

12

Bees for Development Journal 109

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD AFGHANISTAN

FIJI

The good news is that beekeeping nowadays is getting more attention and many aid organisations are promoting beekeeping by providing equipment and training courses, and women are beekeeping within the walls of their homesteads.

In November 2013 honey production to date was valued at FJ$ 935,000 (US$ 500,000; €365,000). Agriculture Ministry’s National Co-ordinator for the Honey Industry, Kamal Prasad said: “Beekeepers have harvested 93.5 tonnes of honey and expect more as the peak season approaches. Out of 487 farmers, 250 are in the north and they are the main contributors to the honey industry. We expect to produce 200 tonnes of honey this year, although we still fall short of our maximum production estimate of 300 tonnes.”

Most of the honey is not processed but exported as raw honey to Pakistan due to a lack of processing and packaging organisations in Afghanistan. The honey is then processed, labelled as from Pakistan, and re-exported at a higher cost back to Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan the bee population is declining due to factors including habitat loss, negative impacts of pesticides and herbicides, and 34 years of devastating war.

Mr Prasad said many factors affect honey production, first in line is the weather.

Source Fijitimes.com

Unfortunately most projects in the past have focused only on honey production, neglecting the more important role of bees in pollination. As a result farmers are usually unaware of the role of bees for crop and fruit tree pollination, and for maintaining the ecosystem.

JAMAICA

The European Union (EU) has allocated JMD 1.2 million (US$ 500,000; €365,000) in grant funds for the ‘Step Up 2013 Sweet Paradise Expansion’ project now under way in Greater Brown’s Town community in the Corporate Area. The project is training 16 youths in beekeeping. It is undertaken with the guidance of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Apiary Division with the money channelled through the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF). The purpose of the project is to expand beekeeping and honey production in the area to a commercially viable level, and provide a source of income for community members. The most obvious benefit of the project is self-reliance through beekeeping, but it also aims to unify the Greater Brown’s Town community through teamwork. Loy Malcolm, JSIF’s general manager said the project is part of efforts to create more jobs: “For Jamaica’s economy to be prosperous, job creation is key while providing our

Farmers grow many crops including almonds, grapes and pomegranates, with significant quantities of apricots and figs in their orchards. Bees are vital for crops such as almonds which require cross-pollination, and honey bees significantly increase yields of apricots, figs and pomegranates.

The Asian honey bee Apis cerana is kept by Afghan beekeepers.

The species is found throughout Asia and across a diverse range of climatic zones including as far north as Siberia.

Apis cerana is relatively tolerant of pests and diseases including mites and wasps and sustains itself when orchard crops are not blooming by foraging in the surrounding area on other flowering plants. The bee is known for its ability to survive and thrive in harsh, marginal conditions and at low temperatures; it can also colonise temperate or mountain areas with prolonged winters or cold temperatures up to altitudes of 3,500 m.

SUPPORT FOR TRAINING

Varroa mite is endemic to the region and co-evolved with the Asian honey bee which has developed biology and behaviour that controls the level of infestation. The growth of Varroa populations is restricted to the time when drone brood is present since the Varroa mite cannot reproduce in worker brood of Apis cerana.

BfD Training Booklets and Training Cards are for use by beekeeper trainers in Africa

PHOTO © TERRE DES HOMMES

Reinhard Fichtl on behalf of Terre des Hommes

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.

www.beesfordevelopment.org

In the bee yard 13

Bees for Development Journal 109

people with income-generating skills, and empowering Jamaicans to help themselves.”

the training I reached the following conclusions: • Good positioning of hives is important for the bees and for a good harvest.

The project is in its second phase, with eight female and eight male participants all from the Greater Brown’s Town, with focus on expansion of the apiaries. Veda Fagan, Secretary of the Greater Brown’s Town Community Development Benevolent Society said “If all the beekeepers in Jamaica united to fill one export order of honey to a country like Jordan, we still would not have enough, so there is certainly a demand for honey.” According to Fagan, the industry has endless potential and the ultimate goal of the project is export: “The decision lies in whether to focus on the Jamaican diaspora or other markets.”

• It is possible to harvest up to 25 litres of honey from one colony.

• Never harvest without a smoker.

• Dress sensibly before harvesting.

PHOTO © IDOWU ATOLOYE

• Cover your hives well before leaving.

Source: www.jamaica-gleaner.com

LATVIA

Vilis Matulis is 44 years old and lives near the village of Ludza in eastern Latvia. Vilis has been in a wheelchair since a motorbike accident when he was 19. With friends he was successful in obtaining a TeleFood Special Fund grant from FAO. His annual honey harvest is over 1,000 kg which he sells for 2.5 lati (US$5; €3.7) a kilo. The extra money from beekeeping helps Vilis with increases in the cost of living: Latvia joined the EU recently and merchants used that as an excuse to raise fuel prices.

Source: www.fao.org/getinvolved/telefood/telefood-projects See Notice Board page 18 for more information Participants of the training “Becoming Enterprisingly Employed”

MEXICO

The Sierra Norte de Puebla is a mountain chain in the north of Puebla State. The indigenous Náhuat and Totonaca people have developed a system called koujatkiloyan, or “productive forest,” that sustainably takes advantage of the region’s biodiversity. Food is harvested from the forest, which is protected instead of being chopped down. The forest offers a mosaic of diversity in which wild species are found alongside cultivated species, following the traditional way of management of natural resources. Farmers make their living by cultivating cinnamon, coffee, macadamia nuts, pepper and vanilla and gathering wild fruits. Within this system, Scaptotrigona mexicana plays a fundamental role as a pollinator and provider of a flavoursome honey, which according to Náhuat tradition also has medicinal properties.

Idowu Atoloye, Jorafarm and Associates, Osun State

RWANDA

PHOTOS © VINCENT HAKIZIMANA

Apiculture helps communities living around Ruhande Arboretum Forest and Ibisi bya Huye Forest in Huye District in the southern province of Rwanda.

Locally known as pisilnekmej, the bee is one of 46 species of Melipona (stingless bees) known in Mexico, and is endemic to the Sierra Norte. In other parts of the country, the endemic bees have been replaced by African bees, however in the Sierra Norte the bees have been protected and breed in traditional mancuernas: these hives are made up of two terracotta pots, sealed with a damp ash mixture. Honey is collected from April to June, on sunny days during the full-moon period. The producers separate the two pots using a machete, select the combs and extract the honey, then separate the hive’s other products (pollen, propolis and wax). They then reseal the mancuerna. The collected honey is left to ferment for a few months, before use as a food and medicine.

Training underway Ruhande Arboretum Forest and Ibisi bya Huye Forest’s bees are important for pollination of cultivated and wild plants. Most beekeepers in Huye District gather honey from the bees found nesting on trees, rocks and in the ground. Local honey is highly valued as a food and for many people it has high medicinal value in treating colds and chest pains, and in promoting vigorous healing of burns and wounds. We are working to establish Huye Apiculture Training and Resource Centre (Huye ATRC) to help with the following:

Unfortunately this wonderful habitat is threatened by developers: sign the petition at http://www.redtdt.org.mx/d_acciones/d_visual. php?id_accion=253 Slow Food Foundation

NIGERIA

Our trainer for two weeks was Akande Ayoade and we were Becoming Enterprisingly Employed (BEE). We therefore saw that beekeeping has not yet been fully exploited. It is a good avenue to reduce the high rate of unemployment among young people and a means to increase our income and improve our livelihoods. During

• Improving Ruhande and Ibisi bya Huye honey in both quantity and quality • Providing jobs for post-school youths in Huye District 14

Bees for Development Journal 109

FIRST APIMONDIA SYMPOSIUM ON

AFRICAN BEES AND BEEKEEPING

Vincent Hakizimana with an impressive display of honey • Training in beekeeping - methods and management

11 – 16 NOVEMBER 2014 Arusha International Conference Centre, Tanzania

• Increasing production of other bee products - beeswax, propolis, pollen • Increasing the knowledge of Ruhande and Ibisi bya Huye communities in biodiversity and conservation

African Bees for a Green and Golden Economy

• Establishing a beekeeping organisation for the associations and co-operatives • Encouraging successful businesses in honey and other bee products

More information www.apiafrica.org

• Promoting beekeeping as a revenue generating activity in Ruhande Arboretum Forest and Ibisi bya Huye Support to help us establish Huye ATRC would be most welcome.

Contact via Bees for Development

ZIMBABWE

Vincent Hakizimana, WCS Rwanda Programme, Kigali

TANZANIA

4th ApiTrade Africa Event

PHOTOS © ASTERICO LAMECK

The Beekeeping Training Institute in Tabora has many different types of apiaries. This ‘bee cage’ apiary is for demonstration purposes where the hives are placed on chest height platforms inside the specially built cage.

Beekeeping for Economic Empowerment in Africa

6-11 October 2014 Harare Further details

www.apitradeafrica.org/ apiexpo-africa-2014

Asterico Lameck, Beekeeping Training Institute, Tabora [note from Editor: this cage is necessary for hives being kept at ground level – to protect them from honey badgers, to some extent from ants and other predators, as well as human thieves.]

15

Bees for Development Journal 109

BOOK SHELF

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

Honey bee biology and beekeeping Dewey M Caron and Lawrence John Connor 2013 Hard cover £38 (US$60; €44) C800 The 368 pages of this new edition are fact and interest-filled. Written primarily for people using frame hives in North America, much of this text can be useful for students and learner beekeepers everywhere. The book contains twenty chapters – the first ten focus on honey bee biology, followed by ten chapters on all the activities involved in conventional north American beekeeping. Facts are presented in concise sections, and most pages contain interesting colour pictures or diagrams.

The authors’ wide knowledge of the sector and considerable teaching experience mean that scientifically correct information is conveyed in a clear and understandable way. This is a useful source of understandable honey bee science leading on to comprehensive beekeeping information.

Urban beekeeping and the power of the bee Lisa Jean Moore and Mary Kosut 2013 Soft cover 259 pages £15.80 (US$26; €19) M800 Another new bee book from North America, this one considers the interconnections between city-dwelling humans and bees. The authors describe for us the New York urban bee scene within which various groups have formed, delineating themselves by language, ideas and bee management programmes. Broadly these divide into the conventional beekeepers who believe themselves to be well trained and use US styles of frame hives, and the naturalist beekeepers who encompass organic, biodynamic and holistic approaches, and are happy to be termed ‘backwards beekeepers’. The authors discuss how we interact with bees, and how this reflects our changing ecological and social landscape. They finally conclude that while we humans need bees, the reverse is not true: our future relationship with bees should be one of ethical engagement.

Healthy bees are happy bees Pam Gregory 2013 Soft cover 304 pages £27.50 (US$45; €33) G800 A well written new book about honey bee diseases and other current threats to honey bees – intended primarily for beekeepers in the UK. Facts are provided in ways that are readable and understandable, and sometimes funny too – the author provides this spoof definition for ‘Cloudy thinking virus’ – ‘Symptoms are muddled thinking and going off at a tangent. Can also show as talking a lot about not much in particular’.

In addition to the usual parade of diseases and predators, an extensive range of possible hazards and problems for bees are also covered, with summaries of current knowledge, explaining, for example, how unpleasant tasting honeys arise, reasons for drone laying queens or laying workers, what pollen mites are, and even the possibility of finding that rarest of hive visitors – the pseudoscorpion. Only in the closing paragraphs of the book does the author concede that in fact ‘the biggest pest for bees is people’.

Bees and honey – myth, folklore and traditions Luke Dixon 2013 Soft cover 52 pages £11 (US$18; €13) D800 Luke Dixon’s latest book travels from the beginning of time to the current day to show the ways in which bees, beekeeping, honey and beeswax are part of culture, mythology, theology and folklore around the world.

Keep bees without fuss or chemical Joe Bleasdale 2013 54 pages £7 (US$11; €8) B30 First reviewed in BfDJ 107, this second edition has additional chapters and a table of hive losses that demonstrate the gradual evolution of honey bee populations in the UK towards Varroa tolerance.

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.

16

Bees for Development Journal 109

RECENT RESEARCH Beekeepers worry about the effect of pesticides

Bumble bee invasion The European buff-tailed bumble bee Bombus terrestris was introduced to Chile in 1998 to supplement the pollination efforts of honey bees. The move was backed by the state authorities.

The USA Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that new pesticide labels are being developed that will prohibit the use of some neonicotinoid pesticide products where bees are present. Jim Jones EPA assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention said: “Multiple factors play a role in bee colony declines, including pesticides and the EPA is taking action to protect bees from pesticide exposure.”

Ecologist Paul Schmid-Hempel has spent the last decade monitoring the spread of the bee: “This is one of the most spectacular examples of the invasion of an entire continent by an introduced species,” he said. Schmid-Hempel and his colleagues published the results of their bumble bee analysis in the Journal of Animal Ecology.

Deborah Sasser, owner of Sasserfrass Hill Bee Farms in Augusta, said the move is likely to have little impact: “There is a rapid and alarming decline of honey bees around the world. In the past two years honey bees have declined by 31%. Scientists fear that in 2014 there will not be enough bees to meet the pollination demands of crops in the USA”. Sasser explained that scientists say the new generation of pesticides, neurotoxin neonicotinoids, a family of chemicals based on nicotine, are killing honey bees and other pollinators. The neonicotinoids are applied to the seed and flow through the plant’s vascular system. The chemicals end up in the pollen and the nectar, as well as the fruit of the plants.

Their research shows that the bumblebee moved southward through Chile along the Andes Mountains at the rate of about 200 km per year, a rate faster than the ecologists expected. It took the bees only a few years before they crossed the mountain chain and were present on the Atlantic coast of Argentina.

By 2012, Schmid-Hempel and his team found the bees in the Patagonia region in the far south area of the continent. “Given that colonies and not individual insects have to become established, this migration speed is astonishingly fast,” Schmid-Hempel said, adding that it is only a matter of time before the bees will be found in the national parks on the southern tip of the continent.

Bees pollinate the plants and ingest the fatal pesticide. Honey bee decline is real and complex: pesticides, parasites, pests, genetically modified crops and destruction of flower-rich habitats are all contributing to the problem. The environmental impact will have severe repercussions for long-term food security. The negative impact on the loss of pollinators has yet to be fully grasped or understood.

The spread of Bombus terrestris is a problem for the five indigenous bumble bee species known in South America, as they are out-competed by the introduced species. One indigenous species, Bombus dahlbomii, has been documented as rapidly disappearing upon the appearance of the European bumblebees.

The ecologists hypothesise that one reason why the indigenous bumble bee populations cannot live alongside the invasive species is that the European bees carry Crithidia bombi, an intestinal parasite that affects the indigenous populations by altering their behaviour and increasing their mortality, which hinders the indigenous bees from establishing new colonies.

While the EPA continues with efforts to label pesticides with new warnings and advice Sasser said: “The best way to avoid the continued decline of the bee population is to avoid the use of pesticides altogether - natural pest control is less expensive than pesticides and safer for gardens, humans, wildlife and the environment. Homeowners use about three times the amount of pesticides as farmers - pick a pest and you can usually find a natural control for it. Individuals can help increase the bee population by planting wildflowers, gardening organically or creating a natural habitat where bees can thrive. Our pollinators are in trouble and we can all help save them and ultimately save ourselves.

“The European bumblebee could disrupt the ecological balance of southern South America to a major degree,” Schmid-Hempel said, and he does not see much that can be done to stop the bees from continuing to spread across the continent.

Source James A Foley www.natureworldnews.com

Source: www.newstimes.augusta.com

Buying from BfD ORDER through our web store Secure Payment System OR send us an e-mail, or post us a note of what you want, or we can send you an order form.

Payment is required with order.

DELIVERY: UK addresses: FREE delivery on publication orders up to 1 kg. International orders dispatched by airmail post. Add 15% for delivery to Europe; 30% for outside Europe.

Ways to pay • SECURE ORDER AND PAYMENT at www.beesfordevelopment.org/catalog • to store@beesfordevelopment.org • CREDIT/DEBIT CARD 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.

• CHEQUE/BANK DRAFT in GBP or Euros payable to Bees for Development 17

ORDER THROUGH OUR WEB STORE

Bees for Development Journal 109

LOOK AHEAD BRAZIL

20th Brazilian Beekeeping Congress 5th Brazilian Congress on Meliponiculture 5-8 November 2014, Belém Further details cba.todos@gmail.com

CUBA

5th Cuban Congress on Apiculture 14-18 July 2014, La Havana Further details congreso2014@eeapi.cu

ITALY

Apimondia Symposium 3rd World Symposium on organic beekeeping 4-7 March 2014, Castel San Pietro Terme Further details www.apibio.org

SAN MARINO

Apimondia Symposium ApiEcoFlora 16-19 October 2014 Further details apimondia@mclink.it

SOUTH KOREA

APIMONDIA: 44th International Apicultural Congress 15-20 September 2015, Deajeon Further details wooks@snu.ac.kr

TANZANIA

Apimondia Symposium 1st Symposium on African bees and beekeeping 11-16 November 2014, Arusha Further details www.apiafrica.org

TURKEY

12th Asian Apicultural Association Conference 24-27 April 2014, Antalya Further details www.aaaconference2014turkiye.org Apimondia Symposium 5th Apimedica & Apiquality 1-5 September 2014, Erzurum Further details malicakal@kudaka.org.tr APIMONDIA: 45th International Apicultural Congress 29 September – 4 October 2017, Istanbul Further details ubilgin@teamcon.com.tr

UK

Beetradex 1 March 2014, Stoneleigh Further details www.beetradex.co.uk BBKA Spring Convention 4-6 April 2014, Harper Adams College Further details www.bbka.org.uk Conwy Honey Fair 13 September 2014, North Wales Further details www.conwybeekeepers.org.uk

US VIRGIN ISLANDS

7th Caribbean Bee Congress 26-31 May 2014, St Croix Further details See page 20

ZIMBABWE

4th ApiTrade Africa Event 6-11 October 2014, Harare Further details www.apitradeafrica.org/ apiexpo-africa-2014

LEARN AHEAD IRELAND

FIBKA Beekeeping Summer Course 27 July – 1 August 2014, Gormanston Guest speaker: Professor Tom Seeley (BfD Trust Patron) Further details www.irishbeekeeping.ie

UK

Strengthening livelihoods in developing countries through beekeeping 11 April and 19 September 2014 Monmouth Further details www.beesfordevelopment.org Sustainable beekeeping 12–13 April and 20-21 September 2014 Ragman’s Lane Permaculture Farm, Gloucestershire Further details www.beesfordevelopment.org An introduction to natural beekeeping 5-6 April 2014, Over Wallop Further details cmhaverson@hotmail.co.uk

BfD Beekeepers Safaris 2014 Grenada 19–29 May Turkey 14–26 June Vietnam 10–21 November 2015 Trinidad and Tobago 26 January – Further details 5 February 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 20

NOTICE BOARD 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 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 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 18

Bees for Development Journal 109

NOTICE BOARD 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.

See www.uludagaricilik.org ADVERTISE IN BfDJ A great opportunity to reach thousands of our readers. Various size ads available. See www.beesfordevelopment.org/journal/ advertising 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.

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

SPONSORED

SUBSCRIBERS

When your sponsorship to receive this Journal is due to expire you will receive an e-mail or letter from us. Ensure to complete this survey and return it to BfD as soon as possible REMEMBER If you change your email address or any other contact details let us know so we can update our records

If we cannot contact you, we cannot sponsor you!

19

Bees for Development Journal 109

12th AAA CONFERENCE

SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE

24-27 April 2014

Sponsored subscriptions to Bees for Development Journal are available for resource-poor beekeepers, projects, schools and groups in developing countries.

Miracle Resort Hotel Antalya, Turkey

Supported with funds raised by Bees for Development Trust Name.................................................................................................

What is your involvement with bees and beekeeping? ......................................................................................................... .........................................................................................................

Organisation .....................................................................................

Postal address................................................................................... .........................................................................................................

Organised by the Asian Apicultural Association and Turkish Association of Beekeepers Early registration rate until 15 February

.........................................................................................................

Country.............................................................................................

E-mail address...................................................................................

Date of application.............................................................................

Further details www.aaaconference2014turkiye.org

Additional copies of this form are available from our website Email journalrequest@beesfordevelopment.org Post to BfD Trust at the address below

Support Bees for Development Trust

• Make a regular donation • Subscribe to BfD Journal • Sponsor a subscription • Sponsor a Resource Box VISIT

www.beesfordevelopment.org AND SEE HOW TO HELP

7th CARIBBEAN BEEKEEPING CONGRESS 2nd ANNUAL CARIBBEAN BEE COLLEGE

26-30 May 2014 University of the Virgin Islands St Croix United States Virgin Islands Further details

www.entnemdept.ufl.edu/honeybee/ extension/caribbean_bee_college.shtml

ISSN 1477-6588

Telephone +44 (0)1600 714848

Bees for Development

Printed on environmentally friendly paper

info@beesfordevelopment.org

1 Agincourt Street, Monmouth

© Bees for Development 2013

www.beesfordevelopment.org

NP25 3DZ, UK