Bees for Development Journal Edition 111 - June 2014

Bees for Development

JOURNAL

ISSUE NO 111, JUNE 2014

SMOKERS SWARMING RAHI HONEY NEWS AROUND THE WORLD WWW.BEESFORDEVELOPMENT.ORG

20 1993

YEARS 2013

COVER PHOTO © HELMY ISHAK

Bees for Development Journal 111

7th CARIBBEAN BEE CONGRESS The 7th Caribbean Bee Congress took place in St Croix in May. Organised since 1998 by ACBO, the Association of Caribbean Beekeepers Organisations, the Congress provided a unique chance for Caribbean beekeepers to meet and address their common concerns. The University of the Virgin Islands hosted the Congress, and it was given additional boost by synchronous organisation of the University of Florida 2nd Caribbean Bee College. These two events, combined with careful planning by the University’s Cooperative Extension Service, provided five days of great bee interest and learning for the 100 participants from 20 nations.

Issue No 111 In this issue

The 8th Caribbean Bee Congress will take place in St Lucia in 2016.

PHOTOS © BfD

A member of the Terengganu beekeepers Group (KOPEMAT) is climbing the Tualang Koompassia excelsar tree in Pedu Lake Forest, Malaysia to collect Tualang honey from the giant honey bee Apis dorsata. The bees’ behaviour seems to be changing. See more on page 7.

St Croix lies to the East of Puerto Rico and the island is 45 km by 11 km (28 by 7 miles).

St Croix offers excellent tropical habitat for bees. Congress participants had the opportunity throughout the week to meet with local beekeepers and visit their apiaries. Industrialisation of St Croix and a move away from agrarian society took place in the 1960s, though recent years have seen resurgence in agriculture following the 2012 shutdown of the Hovensa petroleum refinery.

JUNE 2014

page

Practical beekeeping – swarming........3 Interview with Rahi Honey..................5 First Minister visits BfD ......................7 Letters................................................7 Practical beekeeping – smokers..........8 Look Ahead......................................11 News around the World....................12 GM Resolutions ...............................13 Bookshelf.........................................14 Notice Board.....................................15 BfD Journal Produced quarterly and sent to readers in over 130 countries Editor Nicola Bradbear PhD Co-ordinator Helen Jackson BSc

The new ACBO Secretariat elected at the Congress Left to right Quasi Andrews (Grenada), Secretary; Alistair Jacob (Antigua), Assistant Secretary; David Small (Barbados), Treasurer; Aubrey Roberts (Guyana), Vice President; Gladstone Solomon (Tobago), President

Subscriptions cost £26 per year – see page 15 for ways to pay Readers in developing countries may apply for a sponsored subscription.

Apply online or use the form on page 16 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

Taking it easy in the bee yard. Caribbean Congresses offer unique opportunities for beekeepers to meet and learn from others

A honey bee apiary in St Croix. Beekeepers keep hives separated to minimise drifting and disturbance to the bees

Support: Bees for Development Trust ggratefully 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.

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Bees for Development Journal 111

PRACTICAL BEEKEEPING

GOOD BEEKEEPING PRACTICE

SWARMING IMPULSE & REPRODUCTION Wolfgang Ritter, CVUA-Freiburg, Am Moos Weihez, D 79108, Freiburg, Germany PHOTO © K NEUMANN

Keywords: colony development, nuclei, queen cell, Varroa The fifth in the series from Dr Wolfang Ritter offering advice for Good Beekeeping Practice to maintain healthy honey bees

Acting at the right time

The aim of all livings things is to reproduce and secure the continued existence of their species. Honey bee colonies multiply naturally by swarming. In the past this was used as a natural way of colony multiplication and the heathland beekeepers used to sit in front of their basket hives watching their swarming colony ready to catch the swarm in a bag fixed to the hive. Nowadays swarming is considered to be a loss of bees and honey. For good beekeeping practice it is necessary to know, understand and respect the context of swarming.

Soft control

Many small factors can influence the swarming impulse. These range from stimulating the construction impulse, cautiously extracting bees and combs, as well as drone brood rearing, through to timely honey extraction and a balanced space provision according to colony strength. Young queens have less tendency to swarm, but there is no guarantee that they will not do so. Also breeding offers chances. But this should never be exaggerated, because the swarming instinct is closely related to vitality and power of survival.

Nuclei situated to help the queen to find her way back after mating

Understanding the signs

The first visible signs of preparation for swarming are manifold. To begin with, brood rearing is usually reduced. Consequently, there are less bees gathering pollen and the bee bread (pollen) in the cells is covered with a glossy nectar coating for conservation. All construction activity is stopped, fresh drone brood is lacking, and honey is stored instead. At the entrance ‘lazy’ bees are crawling around, and food exchange does not take place there. Queen cell constructions appear on the combs, and their interior is polished by the bees. Once the cells contain eggs or if they are actually sealed, you can only care about the primary swarm – when the queen leaves the hive with a large number of workers. If you already hear some ‘tooting and croaking’ in the hive, it is too late and you can only try to avoid the after-swarm. Secondary swarms are led by several virgin female bees and as a result, these swarms are half the size of the primary swarm - and do not occur as often.

Less recommended

It is not bee-appropriate to suppress colony development early by extracting too many combs with bees or by expanding the brood space too much. Waiting and only cutting out queen cells is also not helpful to the colony and creates delay in its actual development.

Radically cutting a queen’s wings only delays swarming by a few hours, and the queen usually pays with her life lost in swarming.

An empty hive as a swarm catcher is only effective if it “smells like bees”. And used open hives are not acceptable because these bear the risk of spreading foulbrood.

Follow the swarm PHOTO © J SCHWENKEL

Immediately before swarming, usually around noon, the bees retire to their hive. A few minutes later, the swarm emerges. Now you can only hope that they settle initially nearby at a place not too high up: small fruit trees are an ideal initial location. The longer a swarm is on its way and the younger the queen, the higher it flies and settles down. When you catch a swarm from a place high up, you should first care for your health: this is more important than to lose a bee colony! The actual catching and lodging of the swarm is usually straightforward. You can handle swarms easily and without special protective clothing because bees only defend with their own life if they have built combs.

Nuclei and swarming impulse

Nowadays, it is difficult for most beekeepers to integrate multiplication by swarming into their management scheme, because of time constraints. In order to avoid swarming, the colony can be either divided into the parent colony with all the brood and a nucleus colony with all the flight bees, or create an interim nucleus. Depending on the management scheme, a controlled juvenescence and multiplication of the bee population

By extracting brood combs from colonies when forming nuclei, the parent colony at the same time loses Varroa mites 3

PHOTOS © J SCHWENKEL

Bees for Development Journal 111

Detection of a newly constructed queen cell indicates clearly that the colony’s swarming preparations have begun

A beautiful swarm in the first place it settled

can be achieved by different methods of creating nuclei.

Creating nuclei

Following Good Beekeeping Practice, nuclei should not be created at the wrong time, because swarming and forming nuclei can be compared to a birth: if it is induced too early, mother and child will suffer. This means that the parent colony should not lose too many bees and brood, and the nucleus should not be too weak.

Nuclei created from a colony in swarming mood generally develop much better and faster. If it is formed with sealed brood, the parent colony, at the same time, gets rid of numerous Varroa mites.

As soon as there are several queen cell cups with polished interiors it is time to extract bees and combs in order to create nuclei:

• 2–3 sealed brood combs with bees form the basis • Add the youngest brood to enable the creation of an

emergency queen cell or add a queen • Ensure sufficient food supply • Place the nucleus at a distance of two to three km • This will develop into a young colony after four to five weeks.

How to

Control Varroa

Anticipate swarming

Already start treating swarms or nuclei against Varroa:

Once a colony is committed to swarming, one emergency action is to pre-empt swarming by dividing the colony into parent colony and nucleus: • Leave the queen with food and combs in the original location • Put one queen cell with bees and brood combs into a new hive in the nearby vicinity • Foraging bees will return to their original queen • Control the swarming impulse again nine days later.

• Spray swarms and nuclei free of brood with 15% lactic acid • Evaporate 60% formic acid in nuclei with brood • If necessary, repeat treatment in later summer and winter.

Checklist for Good Beekeeping Practice

Yes

No

Measures to avoid swarming are taken in good time

Interim nucleus

Radical methods to avoid swarming are avoided

If swarming is to be avoided without increasing the number of colonies, you can create an interim nucleus:

Swarm catching is only undertaken if the risk of accidents is low

• Form a nucleus or a split as described above • Place it above the parent colony above a screen board with an

Nuclei and young colonies are only created from colonies committed to swarming

extra entrance • Reunite with parent colony nine days later at the earliest.

The extraction of bees with combs includes sealed brood combs

Swarm catching Swarming cannot always be avoided. Water sprayer, swarm container and queen cage should be at hand. Work quickly and prudently:

Created nuclei are not too weak Multiplication of colonies is done with young colonies

• Spray the swarm cluster with water and remove the swarm gently and put it into an adequate receptacle • When the queen is inside you have the swarm!

• Place the container on the ground to wait for flying bees to join the swarm • In the evening or after dark transfer the swarm into a hive containing division boards or comb foundation. The colony can be placed at the original location, because swarming makes bees forget about their home hive.

Swarms and nuclei are treated against Varroa BfD acknowledges www.diebiene.de as the original source of this article

See Bookshelf (p14) for our review of the new book Swarm Essentials: ecology, management, sustainability 4

Bees for Development Journal 111

INTERVIEW WITH RAHI HONEY Janet Lowore from Bees for Development interviewed Rahel Tamrat when they met in Addis Ababa in February 2014 PHOTOS © TILAHUN GEBEY

JL: How did you first become involved in honey trade?

RT: I was the Chairperson of a small organisation near Addis Ababa which helped disadvantaged women and children – especially children not going to school. We started by helping with education, health and addressing harmful traditional practices.

We then realised that women needed a source of reliable income above all else – this was important for sustainability. So we helped a group of women start small businesses which included poultry keeping, small trading and beekeeping. The women could choose which business option they preferred.

JL: Were these businesses successful?

RT: The poultry businesses did not succeed. The hens needed a lot of looking after and the feed was expensive. Small trading was moderately successful, but beekeeping was very successful. We soon realised that the beekeeping businesses needed a marketing aspect and I stepped in and bought the honey and sold it for the women. The beekeeping side of things grew until 400 women were involved. All the time I was selling their honey. So I decided I could expand further and go into the honey business full-time.

The newly made hives are easy to transport important for traceability. They have been helped with training, extraction equipment, loans – and they also share resources. We negotiate the price each year and over time we have built a good relationship. There is no need to have a formal contract with my beekeepers – after all they could simply tell me the harvest was poor and sell elsewhere and side-step the agreement. At the end of the day it is essential that we have a strong working relationship based on trust.

JL: What was your next step?

RT: I already had some land in Adama, which is 100 km from Addis Ababa. I got a business licence and built a honey processing facility. Then I went to Jimma and liaised with local government offices and with help from SNV (Netherlands Development Organisation) I identified farmers to supply me with honey. I also established my own apiary.

JL: What is your volume turnover?

JL: Where do you sell?

RT: Each year I buy and sell eight to ten tonnes.

RT: I sell in bulk to Sudan and countries in the Middle East. My next idea is to pack and sell in supermarkets in Addis Ababa. In the future I would like to export to Europe and the USA.

JL: What are your plans concerning markets?

RT: Distant exports have lower prices and yet demand high volume. Local prices are high and I can deal in smaller volumes which is why I have started with local markets. Ethiopians are not used to buying table honey packed in jars from supermarkets and they do not always trust the product. This is now changing.

Eventually I would like to expand my market reach.

JL: How many beekeepers do you work with, and how were they selected?

RT: I have 400 suppliers and they were chosen according to a number of criteria. They had to have bees already, be willing to participate in the capacity building programme, and be willing to sell to Rahi Honey. It was important that a number were women beekeepers. I know all my suppliers. This is

JL: How many of your new farmers are women?

RT: About 15%. Some of these are single women, or other women come to the training who are more interested in beekeeping than their husbands. However it is usually men who come to the training. They say that their wives have many duties at home and cannot come. However, usually both men and women take care of bees because women are at home and can take care of bees near the house.

JL: What sort of training do you provide?

RT: We offer training about harvesting and post-harvest handling.

We also teach people how to make top-bar hives using local materials and teach about the importance of beeswax and how to process it. We train how to separate honey and beeswax at home.

Safe and good honey harvesting without harming the bees is also part of the programme.

JL: What sort of hives do you promote?

RT: I buy and sell beeswax as well as honey. Beeswax is in high demand and sells for a high price. For this reason I promote local style hives and top-bar hives because beekeepers can harvest a lot of wax.

Using locally available materials to construct top-bar hives 5

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JL: Have you had problems?

honey from places where other buyers are already active. If there are other honey supply areas where honey is cheap I might be interested to buy.

RT: As a mother of three I sometimes find it hard to run my honey business and meet my family commitments. Another problem I faced was getting a loan to get started. In fact one bank I went to tried to discourage me from honey and suggested I invested in wheat-milling instead. Also beekeepers are increasing their prices instead of increasing their supply and this makes my business harder.

JL: How do you manage to maintain the quality?

RT: Firstly I use only my own containers. I give them to my farmers just before harvest and they use them to bring me their honey.

I test the moisture content of the honey and if it is ok I buy it.

After purchasing I get honey samples analysed against the honey standard and for contamination. If I ever have a problem I can trace it back to where it came from. Then I would challenge the person who sold me that honey. Actually I have never had a problem as all the honey has been good. Part of the training is about honey quality and the importance of producers to take responsibility for the quality of their honey. They understand.

JL: How do you encourage beekeepers to increase the supply?

RT: I train farmers to focus on yield and not on price per kg. If they concentrate on increasing supply they will end up by earning more income. Some understand this and have increased their number of colonies. I offered a reward to the beekeeper who made the most hives: one made six in two days and I gave a prize of protective clothing.

JL: What about the original women you worked with?

JL: What other strategies do you employ to secure adequate supply?

RT: They are still producing honey and doing well. They are semi-urban and lack a lot of space to expand their numbers of colonies; however they have become self-reliant because of their beekeeping.

RT: I have my own apiary of 70 colonies. This gives me a regular supply of honey and helps smooth my supply volumes between times when farmers are not harvesting. I have learnt that as a honey trader it is more important to have your own apiary to augment bought-in supplies than to invest in processing equipment. The scale at which I am operating means that I process honey only on a few days each year, and the rest of the time the equipment lies idle. I have learnt that I could have paid a fee to other honey processors to process my honey for me, that would have been more cost effective. In fact I was careful when I equipped my honey factory. I did not import a full-scale processing plant because I learnt that some companies did this and ended up using only a few parts of it. I bought two honey filters from China and some stainless steel tanks made to my specification in Ethiopia. That is all I need.

JL: What are your general comments about women and beekeeping?

RT: Some women lack confidence: they are not used to being encouraged to develop their own activities and their own skills.

When we encourage them they can really change and become confident. Not all men are the same, some fear that if their wives develop their own activities they will neglect them. Others are very supportive. We try and involve men and women in beekeeping.

Men need to understand that if their wives are given the chance they can become successful and help the family as a whole. Men who understand this will encourage their wives. One woman we trained has become an exceptional beekeeper and helps others.

Even though she struggles with reading and writing she is a beekeeper of high standard. If you can change the attitude of women to become confident and self-reliant – you can change the world!

JL: Are you looking elsewhere for honey?

RT: I have made some enquiries with a honey co-operative in Amhara and I may buy small volumes from them. I do not know the farmers individually so I am not so sure about the quality.

I have to trust the co-operative. I do not wish to start buying

PHOTO © BfD

(below) It is possible to harvest high volumes of beeswax from local style hives such as these in Jimma, Ethiopia

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FIRST MINISTER OF WALES VISITS BEES FOR DEVELOPMENT On 12 June the Rt Hon Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales, opened BfD’s renovated offices and celebrated the launch of the Monmouthshire Honey Hub. The First Minister said: “During my recent visit to Uganda, I saw for myself the life-changing work Bees for Development does, helping local people out of poverty by enabling them to keep bees and harvest honey safely, profitably and in a sustainable way. As a Government we are proud to be working with BfD through Wales

for Africa and on our Action Plan for Pollinators here in Wales, and I wish the team the best of luck as they go from strength to strength.”

The Monmouthshire Honey Hub is creating a special focus on local honey and bee produce, and provides a market place for a range of honey harvested by beekeepers across the county of Monmouthshire. The shop and Honey Hub support BfD’s work.

LETTERS

not available and the beekeepers could not afford to buy them if they were. The answer must have been that the bees were managing the problem themselves. What other answer could there be?

Good practice beekeeping in the UK

It all began when my parents brought us up, (five children), during the 1940s and 50s never to take any man-made medication, not even aspirin! We are all now in our late 60s and 70s and all well and healthy. So when I set up my honey farm in the early 1970s I used the same principle with my bees: never to feed them on any manmade substances, not even sugar-water as winter feed – sugar was to be used in emergencies only. The idea is simply this: if someone said to you, “It’s nearly winter now, so for the next six months you must live only on junk food, “big Macs” or “beans on toast “, how would you feel in the spring? You would certainly be below par and susceptible to diseases or ailments.

So, back in the UK with my own bees I stopped all medication for Varroa control. Initially I almost lost two colonies but they pulled through, and two years later they were all quite healthy. The Varroa problem was under their control: the bees had learnt how to keep the mites under their control without human-made medication which may have been preventing the bees from learning how to cope with the problem themselves. This was 8 to 10 years ago and my bees are all fit and healthy. To help them I space the hives out about 10 feet apart. I also put one drawn shallow frame in the centre of each hive which encourages the bees to build drone comb on the underside of that comb, and when it has capped drone brood in it I cut it out and replace the frame for the bees to do the same. This helps the bees to control the number of breeding Varroa mites.

So once more I have (as near as possible in this country) organic honey, or I like to think so anyway.

The area where I live in North Wales is ideal for running an organic honey farm as there are few commercial crops and almost no sprays or harmful chemicals used by farmers. During 25 years of running my honey farm of 200 colonies, I have lost about one colony every two years. If a colony became weak and would not gather strength even after re-queening, I would kill it, sterilise the boxes and start again. I made a good living and at very low cost.

I sold up in 1990 and retired, keeping a few colonies for my own enjoyment. Shortly after that I began to travel to developing countries promoting and teaching beekeeping.

I remember that when Varroa first arrived in the UK, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food produced a booklet advising beekeepers on how to control it. One of the recommendations was for beekeepers to destroy, kill, and eliminate all wild colonies found! Just how short sighted can people be? I also feel that the worst enemy of the bees (and the beekeepers) are the endless advertisements in beekeeping magazines for medications to control all the problems bees face.

In 1992, and at about the same time Varroa destructor was found in Britain. I panicked and for the first time in my life started treating my bees with man-made medicines. At the same time, during beekeeping work overseas, I found Varroa in colonies in several countries, yet the bees were strong and healthy. Medication for the control of Varroa was not used – usually because medicines were

It was page 14 of BfDJ 107, the article Pesticide combinations affect bees’ ability to learn and the research undertaken by Dr Connolly and other researchers that inspired me to write this article.

Alan H Morley, Conwy, Wales, UK PHOTO © MAKHDZIR MARDAN

Asian honey bees Apis dorsata change behaviour I have always understood that there is only a single nectar flow season for Asian honey bees Apis dorsata in Pedu Lake Forest.

Since 1983 it has always been that way, until this year when Nizam, Pak Teh’s* grandson, harvested the bee trees in February and March. Amazingly he is going to harvest again at the end of June for the second time on the same bee tree. Something is happening to the world’s climate so that bees are not behaving as usual. The big peak of over 100 colonies is here no more.

Strangely, fewer colonies are found during the peak season and there are two nectar flow seasons - one after another. Something is changing the way of productivity: the first nectar flow was in February and the next one will be at the end of June.

Can anyone suggest what is happening?

Dato Dr Makhdzir Mardan, Universiti Putra Malaysia *Pak Teh was the celebrated honey hunter who featured in BfD Journals 35 and 83. Pak Teh died in 2009.

A honey hunter prepares his smoker before climbing the tree to harvest honey from Apis dorsata colonies

See pages 8–10 for our article on Smokers 7

Bees for Development Journal 111

PRACTICAL BEEKEEPING

SMOKERS

Monica Barlow and Nicola Bradbear, Bees for Development, 1 Agincourt Street, Monmouth, NP25 3DZ, UK Keywords: alarm pheromone, Langermannia sp, smoker fuel, Tanzania, Zimbabwe A smoker is a container used for introducing smoke to control the bees during beekeeping operations. The fire inside is safely contained, and the smoke can be directed where needed by the beekeeper.

How does smoke quieten bees?

Smoke appears to have several, probably interrelated, effects.

The bees’ highly developed communication system depends on detecting scents. When disturbed, bees emit chemicals that alert other bees to the presence of an invader, and they launch a concerted attack. Smoke hides this alarm system. Guarding is reduced at the nest entrance, and the bees are more reluctant to fly off the comb. When bees are disturbed by smoke, their natural instinct may be to fear that fire is destroying their nest. The bees fill their stomachs with honey, and prepare to escape with sufficient supplies to find and build a new nest site. In this situation the colony needs every bee and the resources she is carrying stinging represents a waste of resource, as the bee will die. Some people believe also that in this situation, when the stomach is full it is harder for the bee to flex it, and she will be less likely to sting.

Some bees will fly out of the nest in an attempt to avoid the smoke.

The use of too much smoke, or smoke that is too hot, will make the bees angry, and may cause them to abscond and never return.

A homemade smoker Ancient Egypt. The simplest smokers may be a piece of dried cow dung on a stick, a roll of sacking, or a bunch of dry grass or sticks wrapped in green leaves. The disadvantage of these is that burning fuel can fall and burn the beekeeper, harm the bees, start a fire or

Early rock paintings in Zimbabwe show smoke being used in honey hunting, for opportunistic raiding of nests, and smoke has been used to manage bees in manmade containers since the days of

PHOTO © ELERI GRIFFITHS

(below) Bridget Mbah, secretary to the Bamendankwe Rural Development Woman Organisation in Cameroon uses green ferns to reduce the heat of smoke

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PHOTO © ELERI GRIFFITHS

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Bridget Mbah and Josephine Musongong work together to harvest honey comb from a top-bar hive in Cameroon Beekeepers have personal preferences, depending on what is locally available, but the following are all used as fuel: • Soft rotten wood or wood shavings • Dry bark • Coconut husks • Rice husks • Dry pine needles • Maize cobs • Tight packed hay • Dried cut lucerne • Dry fibres from papaya trunk • Giant puffball slices (dried) • Tobacco (in northern European pipe smokers) • Dried dung of local ruminants • Dried camel dung • Old sacking burlap from jute or natural fibres (NOT plastic) • Cotton or linen rags • Thick sisal rope • Corrugated cardboard (with no noxious fumes).

spoil the honey. Another very simple smoker can be made using a tin punched with holes, wrapped with a stiff wire handle, and filled with burning cow dung. With all these simple smokers, it is difficult to direct the smoke where it is needed.

It is more efficient to make a smoker which will direct the smoke to specific areas of the hive. Basic but effective smokers can be made from old tins, fitting a smaller tin (punched with holes on the bottom) inside a larger one, leaving an air space below. The simplest blow-type will have a blow hole on one side, into which the beekeeper blows, and a smoke hole on the other, through which the smoke escapes. Sprung bellows can be added to the blow hole, making the smoker easier to operate with one hand. A nozzle can also be added to better direct the smoke. In both types, air is pushed through the lower hole into the firebox, and the fuel is prevented from blocking the blow hole by a perforated shelf.

The lid is opened to insert fuel. When the lid is closed, enough air enters the firebox to keep the fuel burning slowly: when the bellows are operated, the additional air produces a dense stream of smoke.

The best smoker will be safe to handle, easy to operate, and will have a casing around the firebox to prevent burns.

Fuel

It is very important to avoid using any material treated with insecticide (most likely on sacking or glued cardboard). Some materials may have a high tar content and can block the nozzle of the smoker. In Tanzania, tests showed that the best materials were dried cow dung, or dry fibres from papaya trunks: these were locally available, easy to ignite, did not spark, and did not smell bad (Koisianga, 1996).

Material used for smoker fuel must fulfil certain conditions: • Easy to ignite • Open textured so that air is interspersed with fuel • Continues to burn slowly when the smoker is left to stand upright • Quickly produces a dense stream of smoke when bellows are operated • Is not toxic to bees or beekeeper • Has no smell objectionable to bees or beekeeper • Burns with a cool, even smoke.

If using a material which burns too hot, you can place a handful of green grass on top of the burning fuel. This produces extra smoke, and will cool the smoke before it reaches the bees. It should just scare them - be very careful never to burn the bees!

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In many countries certain plants and herbs are reputed to pacify bees. Smoke from the giant puffball fungus Langermannia gigantea has been used for centuries in Europe, and from the African puffball Langermannia wahlbergia in Tanzania. Experiments have demonstrated that the smoke has a narcotic effect, which wears off after about 20 minutes, and that too much is harmful to bees.

such as damp grass, until the embers are completely extinguished.

Store it in dry conditions, and empty of fuel.

To smoke or not to smoke?

Many beekeepers now prefer to avoid the use of smoke because of the stress it places on the colony. Smoke does not ‘calm’ bees, but frightens them into preparing to flee the nest. It can take many hours or days for the bees to repair damage to the structure and scent of the nest following such intrusion. A fine spray of very dilute sugar water can be used to distract the bees, but this cannot be used in cold weather, and does not have the same effect as smoke. Many beekeepers find that they can work without the use of smoke, and say their bees are calmer as a result.

Method of use

Light a small piece of dry fuel and place it in the smoker; work the bellows until it is burning well, then add more dry fuel above it. Close the lid and work the bellows until a steady stream of cool smoke emerges from the nozzle. Note the wind speed and direction, so you can direct the smoke efficiently.

In conclusion, smoke has been used for thousands of years to enable humans to manage bee colonies, and to raid their nests for their valuable honey. The smoker is a useful – and for most of us, essential – part of our beekeeping equipment. A good smoker will last a lifetime, and with the right fuel will help you to manage your bees without upsetting them.

The smoker should be lit, and should be burning well and steadily before any attempt is made to open the hive. It must produce cool smoke, without flame or fragments of burnt fuel. Blow two or three puffs of smoke gently across the hive entrance. Allow a few moments for the smoke to permeate the colony. If using a frame hive, gently remove the top cover from the hive and gently puff a little more smoke across the frames. If the cover is a rigid board, smoke can be puffed under it. The number of bees engorging honey is likely to be greatest a couple of minutes after smoke is applied, and will drop by half, ten minutes later. Work carefully, and apply more smoke when required. When not being used, stand the smoker somewhere safe where it will not burn people or bees, and where it will not set light to vegetation. If inspecting many hives, it may be necessary to refuel the smoker several times, so always have sufficient dry fuel ready. A hook screwed to the back of the smoker can be useful for safe and convenient hanging of the smoker on nearby hives or stands, during beekeeping operations.

References BECHTEL, P.; GAU, K. (1989) Practical Beekeeping: Make your own smoker. Bees for Development Journal 15 pp 6-7.

BECHTEL, P.; GAU, K. (1988) Introduction to Beekeeping. Ministry of Agriculture, Mbabane, Swaziland pp 40-48.

CONRAD, R. (2013) Natural beekeeping: organic approaches to modern apiculture. Chelsea Green Publishing, White River Junction, USA. CRANE, E. (1990) Bees and beekeeping: science, practice and world resources. Cornell University Press, New York, USA pp 154-158.

KOISIANGA, R.S.O. (1996) A bee smoker appropriate for African conditions. Bees for Development Journal 41 pp 3-5.

PHOTO © KEYSTONE FOUNDATION

Smoke can be used to encourage the bees to move in a particular direction, toward or away from an area. Do not use too much, or the bees will run around confused. They need to be able to find a smoke free area to move towards. Smoking the person handling the bees can be helpful in avoiding stings. If you do get stung, it is important to remove the sting and immediately smoke the area of the sting. The sting releases an alarm pheromone (isopentyl acetate) which alerts other bees to danger, and they will come and attack that place. Smoking the sting area hides the smell of the alarm pheromone and prevents other bees from being alerted.

Once finished, stand the smoker clear of any combustible material, and stop up the nozzle with a plug of material which will not burn,

Editor’s note Smoke free honey harvest in Ethiopia Janet Lowore of Bees for Development has been working with beekeepers in the south-west of Ethiopia where forest beekeepers have two approaches to harvesting honey. One method involves leaving the hive in situ in the tree and the beekeeper climbs the tree, removes the honey door and using a little smoke, encourages the bees to move away from the honeycombs towards the brood end of the nest. The beekeeper takes out between three and seven honeycombs, places them in a container which is then lowered out of the tree. This method sends the bees into defence mode and stings can happen.

The other method is to lower the hive out of the tree completely and open the hive to expose the entire nest. This operation sends the bees into flight mode and they do not sting. The beekeepers use no smoke at all and are never stung. The absconding colony moves off to rebuild its colony elsewhere.

A honey hunter using a smoker made from bundle of leaves and grasses in Nilgiris, India 10

Bees for Development Journal 111

LOOK AHEAD ARGENTINA

XI Congreso LatinoAmericano de Apicultura 3-5 September 2014, Puerto Iguazú Further details www.sada.org.ar

AUSTRALIA

17th International Union for the Study of Social Insects Congress 13-18 July 2014, Cairns Further details www.iussi2014.com

BRAZIL

18 Seminario Estadual de Apicultura do Rio Grande do Sul XI Encontro Estadual de Meliponicultores 24-26 July 2014, Ivoti Further details www.brasilapicola.com.br 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

MEXICO

SAUDIA ARABIA 13th Asian Apicultural Association Conference 2016 Further details will appear here

SOUTH KOREA

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

SPAIN

6th European Conference of Apidology 9-12 September 2014, Murcia Further details eventos.um.es/go/eurbee2014

TANZANIA

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

TURKEY

Apimondia Symposium 5th Apimedica & Apiquality 1-5 September 2014, Erzurum Further details malicakal@kudaka.org.tr

Foro Internacional del Pequeño Escarabajo de la Colmena 31 July – 2 August 2014, Campeche Further details www.smaas.campecho.gob.mx

UGANDA

SAN MARINO

Conwy Honey Fair 13 September 2014, North Wales Further details www.conwybeekeepers.org.uk

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

5th National Honey Week 25-30 August 2014, Kampala Further details www.tunadobees.org

UK

If you want notice of your conference, workshop or meeting to be included here and on our website send details to Bees for Development, address on page 16

BIBBA/SICAMM Combined Conference 26-28 September 2014, Llangollen Further details www.sicamm.org National Honey Show 30 October – 1 November 2014, Weybridge Further details www.honeyshow.co.uk

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 19 September 2014, Monmouth Sustainable beekeeping 20-21 September 2014 Ragman’s Lane Permaculture Farm, Gloucestershire Further details www.beesfordevelopment.org

BfD Beekeepers Safaris 2014 Vietnam 10–21 November 2015 Trinidad and Tobago 26 January – Further details 5 February www.beesfordevelopment.org

NOTICE BOARD 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. 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.

11

Bees for Development Journal 111

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD Fiji Beekeepers Association continues to face challenges including honey shortages and disease-related threats. In Fiji Crop and Livestock Council Newsletter, Association President John Lewis said: ”Last year’s production was affected by the weather with yields lower than expected and these pushed farm-gate prices up to the highest so far. It is consumers who are punished because low yields result in lack of honey on shop shelves, with stiff competition continuing from sugar and jam products.

There are disease-related threats facing the industry with American Foulbrood having a major impact on some of the Ba beekeepers in 2013. Early detection and prompt response to the danger is key to addressing the issues. Varroa is present in Tonga and Vanuatu. If the mite is found in Fiji, hive management techniques will become more expensive and complex. A Varroa response plan has been drafted”.

Source: Fiji Times Online

PHOTO © AKANDE AYOADE

NIGERIA

Jorafarm & Associates would like to thank BfD Trust for their usual support and assistance rendered to our organisation and beneficiaries. The community of Owode Ede, Osun State send their greetings for providing journals and for impacting us with knowledge to be shared.

This photograph was taken during recent training.

PHOTO © YAU S BAKI

Akande Ayoade, Osun State

SLOVENIA PHOTO © FRANC ŠIVIC

FIJI

Honey for breakfast European Honey Breakfast Every year on the third Friday of November Slovenian beekeepers organise an educational and promotional campaign for preschool and school children – The Honey Breakfast. The campaign has been carried out by regional associations and the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association (SBA) since 2007. Preschool and school children are treated to a breakfast of Slovenian honey donated by beekeepers. Each year an educational publication on the topic of beekeeping is issued to the children. The Honey Breakfast is attended also by mayors, state officials, athletes and heads of other nursery and primary schools. Presentations and workshops on beekeeping are given. The Honey Breakfast is supported by national and regional TV networks, radio stations and newspapers that report on this event to help raise public awareness of the importance of beekeeping.

Why did beekeepers unite to organise this campaign? We are aware that most habits are formed in childhood and it is therefore necessary to begin teaching children about the importance of caring for the environment and nature as early as possible. The results of the campaign indicate that we have been successful: since children, teachers and the public have shown a positive attitude to bees and nature, the number of children participating in beekeeping clubs at schools is growing, and the sales and consumption of honey and other bee products have increased.

The SBA presented the idea to the Slovenian Minister of Agriculture & Environment and to representatives of Apimondia. The next step was to inform all European Ministers of Agriculture at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels in March, and so far the European Honey Breakfast Initiative has been backed by every Minister to whom it has been presented.

It is now the turn of European Beekeeping Organisations to respond and take action. The SBA has invited representatives to attend the 3rd International Beekeeping Conference in November. During the two-day Conference we will discuss the activities of beekeeping organisations in relation to the young. We know that the best way to transfer knowledge and good practices to others is by providing them with first-hand experience. Those who attend the Conference will have the opportunity to take part in a Slovenian honey breakfast so that they can share their experience and implement similar practices in their own country.

I organise 43 local associations and we have now formed the Beekeepers Association of Sokoto State.

For the European Honey Breakfast to be successfully realised, all the above-mentioned parties will have to work together. We want the European Honey Breakfast to be supported by all beekeeping associations and we hope to see the First Pan-European Honey Breakfast take place on Friday 21 November 2015. Together we will raise people’s awareness of the importance of the conservation of nature and bees to secure good sources of food and ensure a better, healthier life for everyone.

Yau S Baki, State Secretary, Sokoto

Lidija Senič, Head: Public Extension Service on Beekeeping, Slovenia 12

Bees for Development Journal 111

THE GAMBIA

As a keen beekeeper he expects the highest standards for bees. Therefore hives from Prince Charles (first in line to the UK throne) are handcrafted from Forest Stewardship Council cedar and larch at a price of £1,250 (US$ 2,130; € 1,565).

All profits go to the Prince’s charities. Each is bespoke and takes 8-12 weeks to produce. The website says “the hives allow the bees to live in a sustainable low-impact environment similar to their natural environment”.

Derek Marin, US Peace Corps (More information about Resource Boxes on page 16)

For sale at www.highgroveshop.com

DAY OF THE HONEY BEE

Source UK press

ROYALTY HIVE

I am working with The Gambian Ministry of Parks & Wildlife to establish a burn free National Bee Reserve in my area and a large tree nursery at the local forest station. If all goes well it will be the first bee reserve in all of West Africa, hopefully just like they have in Tanzania. The Resource Box received from BfD Trust will help with great sustainable ideas.

projects through the Ministry of Agriculture’s Development Fund, two projects focused specifically on honey bees. The Ministry also collaborated with industry and producers to create DriftWatch Saskatchewan an online tool that assists in identifying drift sensitive agricultural areas such as hives, orchards and organic farms. This voluntary risk mitigation tool enables crop producers, beekeepers and pesticide applicators to work together to manage the potential effects of spraying operations.

Saskatchewan Province in Canada held the 5th Annual Day of the Honey Bee on 29 May. Saskatchewan has a well-established honey bee industry, with the highest per colony honey production in Canada: 100,000 colonies with an average production of 84 kg honey per year. In 2013 its beekeepers harvested 8,570 tonnes of honey worth US$40 (€29) million.

The provincial and federal governments have announced over US$1.0 (€0.7) million funding for three bee-related research

Angela Hall, Agriculture Regina

RESOLUTIONS OF THE XXXXIII INTERNATIONAL APIMONDIA CONGRESS SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME

de facto standard of the industry and is followed by all major laboratories serving the honey sector.

• Regulations covering the GMO status of honey must ensure

consumer choice and consumer confidence in healthy natural bee products.

• Governments choosing to permit the cultivation of GMO crops

must consider the impact on all bee species, the beekeeping sector and the pollination needs of farmers. Governments have a clear obligation to take steps to minimise these impacts.

• GMOs producing an insecticide are just another systemic

Apimondia Working Group 10: GMOs and impact on the beekeeping sector

pesticide delivery mechanism and therefore need to be regulated not only under GMO legislation but also under applicable pesticide regulations.

• Consumers have the right to know the Genetically Modified

Organism (GMO) status of the food they buy and should have freedom of choice. In some parts of the world, these rights are already enshrined in law. In other parts consumers are actively campaigning for GMO labelling.

• Herbicide tolerance is enabling a farming system which creates a green desert with no foraging opportunities for bees. When regulating GMOs it is important to look at the impact of the farming system the plant is designed to enable. While bees may not directly be impacted by herbicides, the experience in several countries shows that there can be a significant impact on the beekeeping sector from herbicide tolerant crops.

• Honey can be contaminated by genetically modified (GM)

pollen. If beekeepers are producing honey for consumers in the European Union (EU), contamination with GM pollen may cause the products to be not marketable in the EU. Where GMO cultivation takes place the honey sector has a high analysis cost to find out if the honey is contaminated and whether the event found has food authorisation or a labelling threshold has been reached. There is high demand for GMO-free honey in the EU. As a result there is a clear opportunity for the beekeeping sector to position itself to supply this market.

• If there is no help from the government, beekeepers have

to protect their products and their colonies by leaving areas with GMO cultivation. This has a negative impact on farmers requiring bees for pollination. Farmers in the vicinity of GMO cultivation may not be able to find beekeepers willing to risk contamination or may have to pay higher pollination fees, to make up for lost honey sales of the beekeepers.

• Using registers of GMO fields or regional maps of

In conclusion, it is clear, that GMO cultivation has several complex impacts on the beekeeping sector and farmers in need of pollination. It is generally understood that the economic benefit of beekeeping is approximately ten times the value of honey sales.

Every country has to decide, if the claimed benefits of genetically modified crops outweigh the clear benefits of a strong beekeeping sector.

contamination risk combined with honey analysis it is possible to produce honey which meets the specifications of different markets including the EU.

• Laboratories are able to test if honey meets the specifications for different markets including the GMO regulations of the EU.

• The honey analysis guidelines published by the Federal German Reference Laboratory and further described in Waiblinger et al (2012) Journal of Consumer Protection and Food Safety is the

Walter Haefeker, Beekeeping Economy Round Table and Symposium Conclusion 13

Bees for Development Journal 111

BOOK SHELF The bee – a natural history Noah Wilson-Rich 2014 224 pages (Hardback) £19.99 (US$45; €30) Published by Ivy Press ISBN 9781782401070 A beautifully presented book which consists of around 70 double page spreads of text and pictures summarising the fascinating topics that make the study of bees interesting. For example: two pages on bees’ life cycle, two pages on pollination, two pages on thermoregulation. The abundance of excellent graphics and illustrations enable essential facts to be conveyed readily and the brief text provided will be just enough for many readers. The book is not primarily about honey bees, but inevitably they feature more than other species. Chapter 6, A Directory of bees, provides large photographs of solitary and social bees from around the world. The book aims to provide a balanced approach, for example including discussion of recent trends for urban and natural beekeeping. Beekeepers will appreciate the beauty of this book about their favourite subject, while non-beekeepers might be encouraged to have more care for bees.

The bee book – a guide for top-bar beekeeping in southern Africa D Donald, D Marchand and J Marchand-Mayne 2013 138 pages £12 (US$21; €15) Published by Juta & Company Ltd ISBN 9780702178368 What is so refreshing about this book is that while the sub-title of the text suggests that it is about top-bar beekeeping, the first chapters tell about the importance of bees, their value for pollination and bee products, and the honey bee life cycle. Sections on profit, estimating income and expenditure, siting and safety all precede the chapters which specifically cover making and using top-bar hives, thus making this an all-round excellent text. There is emphasis on local materials and self-reliance which is good to see. The recommended width of the top-bar 35 mm might be too wide for more tropical African honey bee races.

This book is accurate, well written and fun to read. Of value to beekeepers, projects and extension workers across English-speaking Africa.

The rooftop beekeeper – a scrappy guide to keeping urban honeybees Megan Paska, Rachel Wharton and Masako Kubo 2014 176 pages £15.99 (US$20; €25) Published by Abrams & Chronicle Books ISBN 9781452107585 Written by a roof top beekeeper in Brooklyn, USA, this book covers all the basic conventional frame hive beekeeping information, yet is written, illustrated and published entirely from an urban perspective. This is an accessible text that makes urban beekeeping attractive and feasible.

Swarm essentials – ecology, management and sustainability Stephen J Repasky with Lawrence John Connor 2014 128 pages £14 (US$23; €17) Published by Wicwas Press ISBN 978187807531 This comprehensive text on swarming reminds us that it is an important element in the biology of honey bees but causes both wonder and alarm in equal measures. The management of swarming is covered in detail and the reader is urged to consider their own approach to swarming based on a thorough understanding of the causes and the advantages for bees, versus disadvantages for the beekeeper. For example, the break in the brood cycle caused by swarming can reduce high Varroa mite load. The focus of the text is North America and readers should note that the chapter on honey bees in the ecosystem applies to the honey bee in a non-native habitat. There is some discussion of the behaviour of African honey bees in tropical regions of the Americas pointing out that multiple reproductive swarming seasons are not unusual. There is useful advice on the use of bait hives.

What do you know?

Clarence Collison 2003 421 pages £15 (US$25; €19) Published by A I Root Co ISBN 0936028165 An unusual book containing around 2,500 questions and their answers, pertaining to honey bee biology, management, pollination and bee produce. A useful source book for bee quizzes and an interesting way to broaden beekeeping knowledge, this represents the author’s twenty years of careful compilation and distillation of knowledge about bees.

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Bees for Development Journal 111

NOTICE BOARD

swienty

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

Specialist for beekeeping, honeyhouse and honey processing - worldwide.

FELLOWSHIP Fellowships to African students for an MSc in International Rural Development and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security at the Royal Agricultural University Cirencester, UK. Experience in agriculture, food or natural resource exploitation and management; an interest in land reform; and a desire to make a strategic and sustainable contribution to Africa’s development. Up to 10 African fellows supported each year.

Deadline 3 January 2015.

More information african.fellowship@rau.ac.uk HONEY BEE DAY USA National Honey Bee Day 2014 takes place on 16 August with the theme Sustainable gardening begins with honey bees, selected for its message to the public.

See www.nationalhoneybeeday.com 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

Buying from BfD

• 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

Bottlingtanks Made of high quality stainless steel. All tanks come with a loose-fitting lid or with an airtight lid as an option. Capacity from 25 kg - 600 kg.

Solar Wax Melter For frames or comb.

It has a strong wooden frame, insulating double window and a small tray for collecting the melted wax / honey.

Refractometer Measures water content in honey.

Range: 12-25%.

With automatic temperature compensation.

Honey Press Easy and effective way to press your honey. Made entirely of stainless steel. Holds approx.

9.5 L.

Honey Extractors Our modern tangential manual extractors. High quality machines at a very affordable price.

Packaging Many different sizes and shapes in both PET plastic and glas.

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Bees for Development Journal 111

ZIMBABWE

4th ApiTrade Africa Event

SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE

This Journal is available for resource-poor beekeepers, projects, schools and groups in developing countries Supported with funds raised by Bees for Development Trust

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

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

FIRST APIMONDIA SYMPOSIUM ON

AFRICAN BEES AND BEEKEEPING

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.

11 – 16 NOVEMBER 2014 Arusha International Conference Centre, Tanzania

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.

African Bees for a Green and Golden Economy

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