Bookshelf

Beekeeping in Asia

by Pongthep Akratanakul

FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin, 68/4, FAO, Rome, Italy, 1987. ISBN 92-5- 102518-5, 112 pages, paperback.

Available from FAO sales agents or from IBRA, price £7.50 (excluding postage and packing)*. This new publication provides a concise introduction to beekeeping as it is practised now in Asia. The first chapter of the book describes briefly all the commonly-recognised species of honeybees found in Asia. The remainder of the book deals with the biology and management of the two hive bee species now present in Asia, Apis cerana and introduced Apis mellifera. The reader is instructed on bee forage and how to construct a floral calendar: this is useful information as data on forage availability is still lacking in much of Asia. Many would-be beekeepers are often deluded into believing that because an area appears to have plenty of flowering plants commercial beekeeping is a possibility: this new publication gives good advice on how to assess beekeeping potential more accurately.

Traditional and modern beekeeping with A. cerana are described, with useful tips on management and advice on diseases to look out for in A. cerana. Reflecting the lack of information generally available on A. cerana, little is given on designs of low-technology or movable frame hives appropriate for A. cerana in tropical countries. In comparison much more advice is provided for A. mellifera, with detailed descriptions of hives, most aspects of management including queen rearing, and equipment available for modern beekeeping, including motor-driven machinery.

The final chapters give details of pesticides, and the use of honeybees for crop pollination. This useful book (which can be read in one evening) will provide an excellent guide to the subject for the complete newcomer to Asian beekeeping as well as giving factual, current and unbiased help to practising beekeepers.

The biology of the honeybee

by Mark Winston

Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and London, England 1987. ISBN 0-674-07408-4, 281 pages, hardback.

Available from IBRA price £23.95 (excluding postage and packing)*.

A new text book giving a comprehensive account of honeybee biology. For each of the major fields of honeybee biology Winston has written an effective review which allows the reader to understand the basic concepts involved in the subject and be well informed about current research topics and findings. Starting with the evolutionary history of honeybees the reader is taken through honeybee anatomy, development and nutrition, nest architecture, activities of worker bees, pheromones, communication and orientation, food collection, colony reproduction, drones, queens and mating. The final chapter discusses the known differences in biology between temperate and tropical honeybees.

The book contains excellent illustrations, some new and some redrawn from other sources: these together with Mark Winston's skill at explaining complex concepts in a lively and interesting way, make this an enjoyable and highly informative text. It will be a useful addition to every beekeeping library.

Honeybee pollination of important entomophilous crops

by Rafiq Anmad

Directorate of Publications, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, Islamabad, Pakistan, 1987. ISBN 969-409- 034-2, 104 pages, paperback. In English.

This publication lists the main fruit, fodder seed, oilseed and vegetable crops grown in Pakistan and reviews the publications describing the pollination of these crops. The book will be of value to agriculturalists who wish to know the pollination requirements of the crops they are growing.

Manejo de la abeja africanidada

by Ricardo Gomez Rodriguez

Apicultura Venezolana, Caracas, Venezuela, 1986. ISBN 980-265-019-6, 280 pages, paperback.

A text in Spanish covering all aspects of practical beekeeping in Venezuela. Much of the book is concerned with beekeeping techniques including honey processing and these are particularly well illustrated. Much useful information is also provided on the bee flora of Venezuela,

Catalogo para una flora apicola venezolana

by Santiago Lopez-Palacios

Cosejo de Desarrollo Cientificio y Humanistico, Mérida, Venezuela, 1986. ISBN 980-221-067-6, 211 pages, Paperback. In Spanish.

This catalogue starts with a brief introduction to the bees of Venezuela and the types of honey commonly available. The main part of the catalogue is taken up by a list of 150 plant families and the names of nectar bearing species found in Venezuela. Useful appendices are Provided listing plant common names, commercial beekeepers in Venezuela and beekeeping societies.

Le point sur lapiculture en afrique tropicale

by Bruno Villieres

Dossier No 11, Groupe de Recherche et d'Echanges Technologiques (GRET), Paris, France, 1987. ISBN 2-86844- 017-7, 220pages, paperback. In French.

Available from GRET, 213 rue La Fayette, 75010, Paris.

This book consists of five parts. Part 1 rapidly reviews the history of beekeeping, the world honey trade and bee biology. Part 2 discusses beekeeping in West Africa: the African honeybee, the flora found there, the beekeepers and ‘the methods they use, with interesting Pictures and descriptions of the traditional beekeeping practised in Guinea Bissau, Senegal and Togo. Part Ill examines the benefits of beekeeping and provides examples of low-technology equipment and Part IV lists useful addresses. Part V consists of five annexes describing bee biometry, bee forage and pollination in West Africa, IBRA, Apimondia, and publications of OPIDA.

This is an attractive publication which mainly presents information assembled from elsewhere in a new format.

New leaflets from IBRA

Leaflet 1 - Information for beekeepers in tropical and subtropical countries obtainable from IBRA.

A new eight page edition of Leaflet 1 detailing publications available free of charge and to purchase from IBRA.

Leaflet 3 - Information for beekeepers in tropical and subtropical countries on Varroa jacobsoni.

A new four page leaflet describing Varroa jacobsoni, its biology, how to detect its presence and methods to control it.

Both of these leaflets are available free of charge from IBRA.

Still available: Leaflet 2 - Information for beekeepers in tropical and subtropical countries on the management of Africanized bees.

Available in English or Spanish, free of charge from IBRA.

INFORMATION CHARTS

These Information Charts are for use as teaching aids. They are available from IBRA free of charge, but only to institutes such as schools” and agricultural colleges, and to beekeeping projects in developing countries.

Chart 1 Information on Beeswax. This chart aims to persuade beekeepers not to discard beeswax, but to value it as an additional crop which can, by simple methods, be readily processed for market.

Chart 2 Information on honey. This chart describes what honey is and how it is made by bees. Simple details are given on, for example, how to prepare honey for market, what determines honey quality, and the difference between granulated and liquid honey.

Chart 3 Information on Top-bar hives. The basic features of a top-bar hive are described along with illustrations of the various types of top-bar hives that have so far been developed. Some advantages and disadvantages of beekeeping in top-bar hives are listed, and the basic principles of the construction of top-~bar hives are given.

Chart 4 Information on Pollination. This chart is primarily intended to help explain to crop-growers the value of honeybees in pollinating their crops. Brief descriptions of why pollination is important and how it takes place are given, along with lists of crop plants that benefit from honeybee pollination.