Bees for Development Journal Edition 92 - September 2009

YDSM PICTURE COLLECTION COVER PHOTO

MR. HELMI FOR

et vee

THE KING AND THE HONEY HUNTERS Makhazir Mardan, Institute of Multimedia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, 43400 Selangor, Malaysia His Majesty Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah, the King of Malaysia, joined the honey hunters of Gong Beris Village, Marang, Terangganu, Malaysia in harvesting honey from the bee trees with colonies of the Asian honey bee Apis dorsata in

July 2009.

The Honey Hunters’ Co-operative of Terengganu (KOPEMAT) demonstrated their technique for collecting honey. His Majesty Sultan Mizan has been their ardent supporter since establishing the Co-operative in May 2009 through the auspices of the Raya! Foundation Sultan Mizan, and

channelling his goodwill and assistance to promote the well-being of honey hunters Terengganu State.

in

The opportunity that we had been waiting for arrived when two adjacent bee trees with 35 huge colonies were identified. They were located 250 m from the nearest accessible road, and a

45 minute drive deep into the interior of the Mercang Forest Reserve. Tree species include Acacia mangium and Melaleuca leucadendron. Access was provided by a 200 m boardwalk, constructed to the base of the bee tree. A 9 m’ platform was built to hold 40 people and a tent covered with

Cover: A ladder built cn a towering Melaleuca feucadendron in Malaysia's rain forest. The tree

Ee

ee ee

ee

Oe no ihe King of Malaysia withessed honey hunting in this tree: see story right.

ISSUE No 92 September 2009

mosquito netting to provide safety from possible bee stings. When His Majesty Sultan Mizan decided to attend and witness the event, the bee tree was guarded around the clock by forest rangers for two weeks before the demonstration. Within that fortnight, two tigers and pigs were observed around the trees. During the event over 200 honey hunters took the opportunity to greet His Majesty and share their anecdotes about their experiences with the bees and honey bears in the

jungle.

3

The Royal Foundation Sultan Mizan is now commissioning a specially-designed honey bottle for the honey harvest from Acacia sp and Melaleuca sp. The Foundation has allocated financial assistance to provide safety harnesses, navigation (GPS) tools, and a honey processing facility for KOPEMAT. His Majesty Sultan Mizan is as concerned as the honey hunters about the diminishing

Letters

4

deforestation.

1% for Development Fund

4

Keywords: Acacia, Apis dorsata, bee tree, honey hunting, Malaysia, Melaleuca

In this

issue

page

parasitic fly Ot

hohey

bees

Plagued by ticks? Or Varroa mites?

...

improved top-bars

Melaleuca forest that directly affects the honey harvest, as well as the broader concerns of

5 5

Stingless bees as bioindicators in Brazil

7

An all-American honey bee............... 9 News around the World

10

Trees Bees Use

11

Look Ahead/Learn Ahead

12

Notice Board

12

Bookshelf

14

Monetary value of forests

14

orD Bees/« evelopment Post

PO Box 105 Monmouth NP25 9AA, UK

Phone

+44 (0)16007 13648

info@beesfordevelopment.org www.beesfordevelopment.org

His Majesty Suttan Mizan (centre) looks up into the bee tree, accompanied by Professor Makhdzir Mardan (left).

Also in the picture (partially concealed) is His Majesty's younger brother, Dato’ Tengku Temenggong, and on the far right is the Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of the State of Terengganu, YAB Mohamed Said.

SUPPORT: Bees for Development Trust acknowledge: Anglo American Group Foundation, John Lewis Council, Manuka Life Ltd, Panta Rhea Foundation, Rowse Family Trust, Simply Manuka, Synchronicity Foundation, E H Thorne (Beehives) Ltd, VITA (Europe) Ltd, Wales for Africa Fund of the Welsh Assembly Government, The Waterloo Foundation.

And the many beekeeping groups and individuals who support our work. Please encourage your friends and colleagues to help.

Bees/or Development Journal 92

NEWLY RECORDED PARASITIC FLY OF HONEY BEES IN SABAH, MALAYSIA Salim Tingek

‘ARS

',

Gudrun Koeniger ’, Nikolaus

Koeniger?

Tenom, Petit Surat 197, 8898 Tenom, Sabah, Malaysia

institut ftir Blenenkunde Karl-von-Frisch-Weg 2, 61440 Oberursel,

observed them feeding on nectar from flowers. Attacks on bees were seen only near hives, where the flies perched on nearby flowers or

branches. From time to time they swooped down to bees at the hive

Germany

Keywords: Apis cerana, Apis dorsata, Apis koschevnikovi, Apis mellifera, Asia, bee parasite, Borneo, Conopid,

Physocephala paralleliventris, thickhead flies

bee yard of the Agricultural Research Station Tenom in north-east Borneo, many colonies of the Asian hive bee Apis cerana were In a

observed to have bees crawling on the ground underneath the hives. In some cases there were hundreds of dead bees nearby. We collected crawling and dead bees. By pressing the abdomen, two blackish stigma extruded from the sting chamber (Figure 4).

entrance.

We observed these conopid flies also near Apis Koschevnikovi and Apis dorsata honey bee colonies and consequently collected and dissected crawling or dead bees of these species. These were found

also to contain the fly larvae and pupae. The emerging flies were similar to the ones from Apis cerana.

We sent adult flies that emerged from Apis cerana to the Natural History Museum London, UK for species determination. They were examined by Nigel Wyatt and identified as Physocephala paralleliventris Kréber. This species had been described in 1924 by a German

biologist from northern Borneo. According to Wyatt there do not appear species. In general, conopids parasitise a wide range of stinging Hymenoptera (wasps and bees), but there are relatively few records from Apis species, and up to now these are invariably from Apis mellifera. to be any published host records of this

Evidence of parasite : dissected these bees and saw fly larvae and pupae. In the crawling uees, we found fly larvae with narrow anterior segments (proboscis) and at their end, stigma for breathing (Figure 2). They almost filled the whole abdomen. The dead bees mostly contained fly pupae (Figure 3).

Figure 2. Larvae of a conopid fly

was always in the sting chamber so the fly

The position of their stigma could obtain oxygen even within a dead bee. These fly larvae and pupae were typical ‘thickhead flies’ (Conopiaae).

We installed dead bee traps (which were Gary traps modified for Apis cerana) and monitored the colonies for at least four weeks. We

collected more than 300 dead bees from each colony and again examined them using a Stereo microscope for fly larvae and pupae.

From the 13 tested colonies, ail in different locations, 12 were infested.

The infestation rate of the dead bees ranged from 10-90% of the colony. We could not yet evaluate the damage to the colony and the honey crop loss.

Adult fly By this time we had not observed the adult insect. Therefore we placed some dead bees on humid soil in several jars. After about two weeks an It conopid fly (Figure 4 overleaf) hatched from the abdomen of the uee. Once familiar with the appearance of the conopid flies, we

PHOTOS

NIKOLAUS KOENIGER

Figure

1.

Two stigma protruding from the sting chamber

Figure 3. Pupa of

a

conopid fly partly removed from a dead bee

Bees/o; Development Journal 92

HONEY BEE PARASITE

Discussion If the parasitic flies can infest three Apis species this may indicate a great danger for Apis mellifera. In some parts of Borneo beekeeping is practised with Apis mellifera, and if colonies are transported to other

areas, it increases the possibility of transferring the parasite to other countries with a similar climate. We think it is important that

beekeepers all over the world are made aware of this new record of a bee parasite. Further we recognised the parasitic fly only by collecting dead or crawling bees in the bee yard, but not by dissecting bees within the colony. The infection occurs when the fly deposits eggs on flying bees probably foragers. Thus it may be difficult to recognise an infested bee within the hive. All beekeepers should carefully watch not

A

only their colonies, but aiso their apiaries and bee yards for crawling or dead bees.

More information on bee parasites on the BFD Website Information Portal topic Honey bee health and welfare

LETTERS

Figure 4. Adult conopid fly

*

collected on a newspaper in the bottom of the hive. Now the bees are

CONTROLLING AMERICAN FOULBROOD WITHOUT ANTIBIOTICS AND WITHOUT KILLING THE COLONY

free of most spores, and the colony can if necessary be fed artificially.

Because the vulnerability to AFB is partly genetic,

A response to the informative article by Cliff van Eaton in BfDU 97 Ole Hertz, Apicultural Consultant, Skovshaj, Gudhjemvej 50,

3760 Gudhjem, Denmark Keywords: AFB, antibiotic, Denmark.

American foulbrood (AFB) used to be a serious problem in Denmark. For more than 30 years, this treatment without use of antibiotics and without

killing the colony has been used with great success by beekeepers and government authorities responsible for fighting the disease.

It is a pity to destroy a strong colony and it is not necessary. Only very weak colonies unable to survive the treatment have to be destroyed.

The Danish method for treatment of a strong colony with AFB is: *

Brood combs and honey combs are burned. Brood can first be killed with petrol. After four days, the bees are brushed from the combs intc cleaned hive with new wax foundation. Again, any drops of honey are

it

is recommended

to change the queen. *

Combs with honey from the box are metted and the frames cleaned by heat and fire and are disinfected. In Denmark, the biological Cleansing agent Vircon S is recommended.

AFBis detectedin an apiary, all other apiaries less than 3 km away must be inspected by a beekeeper trained in disease detection. If new AFB colonies are found, they must be treated, and all other colonies within 3 km must be investigated.

After

The Government pays for this work and a beekeeper receives a small compensation for the loss. Analyses for AFB spores in honey imported into Denmark show that 90% of all samples are contaminated, while only

30% of Danish honey carry spores.

All mature bees are brushed into a clean box or hive with top-bars or frames equipped only with strips of wax as starters. A sheet of

References

newspaper or plastic is placed under the box to collect drops of honey with AFB spores. The bees build new combs and use all the honey they

MINISTRY FOR FARMING (2009) énstructions for trained beekeepers.

Copenhagen, Denmark.

have in their honey stomachs. This must be done where the chance of

VEJSNAS,

robbery from other colonies is minimal.

FAOROME1% FOR DEVELOPMENT

FUND The FAO Rome 1% For Development Fund assigns one percent of its members’ salaries to finance small scale development projects and would be happy to receive requests for funding from community-based beekeeping projects in developing countries. The 1% Fund provides

F.; SAGAARD JORGENSEN, A. (2006) Bisygdomme, (Bee diseases). Tidskrift for Biavi 3.

small grants to enable projecis to get off the ground, but leaves the project implementation to the communities themselves. The applicants must clearly define their objectives and how they are to be attained.

They are also expected to assemble all resources available within the group such as manual labour, tools or raw materials.

Updates on project progress along with photographs are encouraged so that 1% Fund members can be informed of progress via the 1% Fund web site: www.one-percent-fund.net/. This is in addition to formal reports on progress after 12 months.

For further details please send an email to: One-PerCent-Fund@FAO0.org

PRACTICAL BEEKEEPING

Bees/o, Development Journal 92

PLAGUED BY TICKS? OR VARROA MITES? could be a vital contribution to the advancement of science for the

Bérje Svensson, Forsand Kommune, Rogaland, Norway

solution of this big global problem.

control Keywords: Norway, pesticide, Populus tremula, Varroa

Another step for Svein Atle is to try to produce frame bars and hive bodies from aspen timber. Aspen is a fast growing tree that gives a light timber that is very straight and easy to cut.

Svein Atle Jacobsen is a veterinary-surgeon from Hidrasund in Norway.

During his long life in veterinary work he has collected different examples according

treated with leaves of aspen trees Populus tremula. He decided to test it of a tick by using sticky tape to put a couple of aspen leaves on top attached to him. Immediately he realised that the cure worked: the tick let

rly

go and disappeared!

NOSSH

of how to use natural herbs for various treatments. He had noted that to folklore medicine, mites on pigs, or ticks on humans can be

A neighbouring beekeeper, Turid Laupstad, complained to Svein Atle about the Varroa problem in her bees. She was frustrated over this new invasion and had little hope for her future beekeeping because in Norway it is forbidden to use pesticides like Apistan. Together they decided to combine their experiences in a mini experiment using aspen leaves for treatment against Varroa.

2007 six hives were arranged: four with treatment, and two as the control without treatment. Bags with fresh aspen wood shavings were nlaced above and below the colony. The idea was for gas from the avings to be circulated through the colony by the bees’ ventilation. The In

results were promising from the start. The dropping of dead Varroa mites on the floor board was higher in the control colonies in 2008, and the with tendency is the same in 2009. This indicates that the infestation Varroa mites in non treated colonies is higher. The mites do not thrive in

colonies with aspen gas. Svein Atle is keen to not draw any early conclusions. He wants to continue observation of Varroa downfall for a few more years. This maybe not the ultimate cure for Varroa, however it

Varroa is a problem for Norwegian beekeepers of all ages

Have you observed any change of Varroa infestation in hives made of different woods or other materials? Please report your observations to

BfD

IMPROVED TOP-BARS *,

Paul Schweitzer

°

Keywords: Africa, Apis mellifera adansonii, Burkina Faso, honey production, top-bar.

Burkina Faso Government project in 1987, new western zone of Burkina hoakeeping practices have spread towards the :0 with the use of several types of hives. in the most well-known area there are top-bar hives, Dadant or Langstroth frame hives with supers, and a rectangular shaped hive with a horizontal extension. The two honey or by centrifuge. harvesting techniques used are filtration through sieves, the strength factors on several including is dependent Colony productivity flora and melliferous beekeeping practice. the environment, of the colony, nature the defensive and used of hive the influenced The latter is type by from the of honey production adansonil. of mellifera comparison

Since the start of

Apis

a

A

three hive types: top-bar, frame and rectangular frame hive, showed poor from the honey production from the frame hive and average production also were of use Difficulties hive of two other types (Nombré, 2003). bee of the use technology, hive high frame noted for the

concerning massive exit of bees escapes, hive tools, smoker, and also due to the

through open spaces between frames during harvesting.

The rectangular frame hive provides honey production comparable with that found by Villigres (1987) in Benin. Honeycombs supported at the four sides of the frame are solid and honey extraction can be done with a and intact centrifuge. This makes it possible to have good quality honey therefore hive can This hive. the to returned be can which empty frames be recommended for honey production for a broad scale programme. The

frames are covered by small planks of wood and when one plank is removed during harvest, it leaves four frames and five spaces from which

escaping bees rush out.

The top-bar hive is easy to work with because the bars are adjoining.

When one bar is removed, the bees leaving from the small space (3 cm) are easy to control. It is therefore practical for the highly defensive tropical bees (Villiares, 1987; Hertz, 1994). The only difficulty could be that honey extraction is done by straining, which may involve loss of honey.

Fully capped honey in a top-bar ee

wie

3SA NOMBRE

Issa Nombré ', Joseph Issaka Boussim

Bees/v; Development Journal 92

PRACTICAL BEEKEEPING

Because

it is easy to handle, with a good production of honey, our idea is to transform the top-bars into a trapezoidal frame adapted to centrifugal extraction. These top-bar hives with trapezoidal frames

called ‘improved top-bar hives’ are currently popular for a revival of beekeeping in Burkina Faso. This hive has the same dimensions as the top-bar hive (62.5 litres) with 24 trapezoidal frames of dimensions 542 cm’ each one. It is easy to use because it controls the exit of bees during honey harvest, and allows use of an extractor. The trapezoidal frame has an area slightly lower than that of the rectangular hives (680 cm}. An increase of the area of these frames is recommended for a greater effectiveness of this hive.

Author addresses "

A rectanguisr frame

the lower

porton is uncapped

*

*

Institut des sciences, 01 BP 1757 Quagadougou 01; Burkina Faso Laboratoire de Biologie et Ecologie Végétales, Université de Quagadougou, 01 BP 7021 Ouagadougou 01; Burkina Faso; Laboratoire d’Analyses et d’Ecologie Apicole, Centre d'Etudes

;

Techniques Apicole de Moselle, Lorraine, 1A, Rue Jean-Baptiste de la Salle, 57310 Guenange, France

Changing top-bar hives to bring about ‘improvements’ is not a new subject and ts regularly debated. For a good example read Bernhard Clauss’s article Queen includers. the debate continues (BID Journal 26).

These articles are available on the BfD Website Information Portal topic Bee hives Trapezoida' irame with won wire

Trapezoid.

are

inperk

Bees visiting the flower of Parkia biglobosa

STINGLESS BEES AS BIOINDICATORS

PHOTO

:€

IN BRAZIL

MARIA CPISTINA »FFONSO LORENZON

Bees/or Development Journal 92

Juliana Almeida Braga '; Rodrigo Morais Nunes ?; Maria Cristina Affonso Lorenzon

*

Keywords: Atlantic Forest Reserve, biodiversity, CCD, Mefipona quadrifasciata anthidiodes, meliponicutture, Nannotrigona

testaceicornis, stingless bees, Tetragonisca angustula

Warning

- loss

of bees

Colony collapse disorder refers to the decline in numbers of Apis mellifera honey bee colonies. This decline is occurring in the USA and there are losses in European countries too. There has been speculation concerning the possible causes for this loss of colonies, and one of the hypotheses presented by researchers is environmental contamination. The risks generated for bees by the use of pesticides

the entrance tubes were fragile, and there was little movement from the bees, making them vulnerable to predators.

have been extensively discussed by ecologists and beekeepers, and 5 will be an important topic to be addressed at the Apimondia

The jatafs and jrais colonies were stable for seven months without any honey collection. In the hives of Metipona the flux of food was so low

~-ngress

in

France in September 2009.

The use of agrochemicals is only one of the factors that can lead to death of bees. For wild bees, the loss is also increased by widespread tree felling and the destruction of natural habitats. As forests are cut down and replaced by plantations or urban areas, forest bees become

locally extinct or confined to small areas from which they may eventually disappear.

The Atlantic Forest Reserve - rich in species Brazil's Atlantic Forest Reserve is recognised as one of the planet’s 34 ‘biodiversity hot spots’ with many endemic species, but is in the process of degradation and extinction (Myers et a/, 2000).

The State of Rio de Janeiro, in south-east Brazil, hosts approximately 17% of the original forest cover in the form of forest fragments, whose bee fauna and flora are seriously threatened. Ramalho (2003) emphasised that the Forest's stingless bees represent approximately

70% of all the active bees in one area of the Reserve. The high indices of biological diversity and endemism of this biomass, subjected to the Stic reduction, make this ecosystem a priority for biodiversity conservation.

Meliponiculture The keeping of stingless bees was established in fragments of the Atlantic Forest Reserve to promote its expansion as a hotbed for sustainability. Over eight months, meliponaria (apiaries for stingless bees) were installed in four locations of the Reserve, three on the maintand and one on an island, with each location at least 20 km apart.

The species of bees were: Tetragonisca angustula (jatais), Nannotrigona testaceicornis (irais) and Melipona quadrifasciata anthidiodes

(mandagaia).

One year before research began, colonies of Melipona were fed artificially to build them up. After the hives were installed they were reviewed every 15 days to ensure maintenance and production.

The meliponaria on the island had optimal conditions for rearing the jatais bees and mirins (which are tiny bees, less than 3 mm). The Region confirmed its aptitude for the production of honey and swarms.

In the inland locations, the colonies of mandacaia, jata/s and irais did not show satisfactory production, when compared to the island ones:

Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest Reserve

that it did not permit maintenance and the honey and wax pots were

consumed.

The apparent fragility of Me/ipona was a surprise to the researchers who considered the region good for production of this bee species. After three months of endeavour with artificial feeding, the colonies of Melipona stayed weak and finally they were transferred to another

location 50 km away in a region that was more open and with less flora than the Atlantic Forest Reserve. Here the colonies of Me/ipona (see

images overleaf) were kept with artificial feeding and the population grew. This suggests the existence of negative factors in the location in the Reserve.

Significance of this failure Melipona are well adapted to the Atlantic Forest Reserve, yet their failure in an area that was apparently favourable in terms of flora, confirms the presence of negative factors such as forest fragmentation.

In this Region agricultural practices are not well understood and the loss of colonies may be due to the use of pesticides.

Melipona quadrifasciata anthidiodes (Mandacaia bee)

Bees/o/ Development Journal 92

Entrance of Melipona hive: at the beginning of the study the entrance is Strong and well made

Entrance of Melipona hive: after seven months the entrance is weak

Bees as bioindicators

Therefore

Bees are considered good biological indicators for the occurrence of unfavourable conditions, or the presence of chemical substances in the environment in which they live, both through the high mortality rate of individual bees, and the presence of residues in their bodies and their products.

Studies have demonstrated that various pesticides are absorbed by the lipids of pollen grains. This toxicity can be maintained over a long period in the food that bees store in the combs, and can cause mortality in the brood and young bees for a long time, while the actual cause is hidden.

the extinction of the bees and, eventually to the extinction of the flora ar fauna that depend directly or indirectly on these pollinating agents.

References

MYERS, N.; MITTERMEIER, R. A.; MITTERMEIER, C. G.; DA FONSECA; G. A. B. KENT, J. (2000) Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature (403) 6772: 853-858.

RAMALHO, M. (2003). Stingless bees mass flowering trees

Nature in peril The state of conservation of all the Brazilian biomass is of great concern.

Of the 1.4 million km’ of the original Atlantic Forest Reserve, only 7.3% is left. This is made worse due to the fact that about 70% of the 169 million

Brazilians live in the Region. suffered severe change.

it is necessary to make an appeal not only to governments at Federal, State and Municipal level, but to society as a whole, to start disseminating knowledge about the problems caused by deforestation, as well as the indiscriminate removal of bees from forest, that may lead to

In

the past three decades, the biomass has

The extinction of one species of bee can lead to the extinction of at least one economically-important tree. Therefore, the conservation of different habitats depends on the preservation of the bee populations. Apart from the necessity to strengthen the existing conservation areas, as well as the Creation of new ones, it is vital that sustainable use programmes, aiming

of Atlantic Forest: a tight relationship. Acta Botanica Brasil

in the canopy 18: 37-47.

-

Author addresses

‘Zoot mestranda, PPGZ-UFRRJ, Pavilhao Central, RJ, Brazil: ? Bolsista de * Inovagao Tecnoldgica, ITI-A/ CNPq; Zoot, DSc, IZ UFRRJ, Pavilhao Central, RJ, Brazil

With thanks to Filippo Jannoni-Sebastianini for translation of this article from the original Portuguese

More information on stingless bees on the Portal topic Bee species and races

at raising the ecological conscience of the local communities, are

implemented.

More illustrations top page 9

Strong colonies with a rich food store

Weak colonies were fed for six months

BfD Website

Information

Bees/or Development Journal 92

me Tetragonisca angustula (jatais)

Nannotrigona testaceicornis {irais bee)

AN ALL-AMERICAN HONEY BEE

its own species, but the horses disappeared and Europeans eventually introduced their own.

North America once had its own

Engel says he was not expecting to rewrite the continent’s history when he first heard the California Academy’s Wojciech Pulawski describe some unidentified fossils from west-central Nevada. Engel spotted a

Apis species. A 14-million-year-old

definitive pattern in a wing that confirmed Apis species. “This bee had hairy eyes,” he says. Barbs on the stinger show up too. This bee probably had to leave its stinger behind at the cost of a fatal rip in its

fossil unearthed in Nevada preserves what is clearly member of the honey bee, Apis genus, says Michael Engel of the University of Kansas a

Lawrence. “The Americas have plenty of other kinds of bees, Dut no indigenous honey bees. Apis mellifera, the honey bee that has pollinated crops and made honey across the Americas for several in

body, just as today’s honey bees must do. Apis nearctica’s honey bee ancestors may have made their way over a land bridge from Asia to traverse this great distance.

centuries, arrived with European colonialists 400 years ago. This rewrites the history of honey bee evolution”.

PHOTO «: FRANC SIVIC

The newly discovered fossil bee, found squashed and preserved in shale, no longer exists as a living species. To a specialist’s eye, it looks closest to another extinct honey bee, Apis armbrusteri, known from Germany. Engel and his colleagues have christened the new North American honey bee Apis nearctica in the May issue of Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. “It is a big find,” says David

Susan Milius, Science News (176) 4, 15 August 2009 www.Sciencenews.org/view/generic

Grimaldi of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

“Completely unexpected, considering all of the Eurasian fossils”.

Grimaldi now compares the bees with horses. North America once had

Do your bees make

propolis?

We would like to test it and possibly buy it from you...

A major research project has been started by BeeVital and we would like your help. if you are interested in finding out whether your propolis is suitable for medicinal use and learning about sustainable ways of harvesting & using propolis please send a sample (50g) to:

BeeVital, Brereton Lodge, Goathland, Whitby, North Yorkshire YO22 SJR, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1947 896037 Fax:

+44 (0)1947 896482

Email: info@beevitalpropolis.com www.beevitalpropolis.com

SEeIS

Apis mellifera, ihe honey bee that has pollinated crops and made honey across the Americas for several centuries arrived with European colonialists 400 years ago

Bees/or Development Journal 92

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD AZERBAIJAN

to parts of Nepal including Dang, Butwal,

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has Signed a decree on the application of the Law

Sindhikharka and Kathmandu. The District Agriculture Development Office provided a concession in the form of hives to the farmers. Honey production has doubled: local

on Beekeeping. According to the decree, the Cabinet of Ministers shall, within two months,

farmer Suprakash Ghimire said that he earns INR100,000 (US$2,100;€1,470) from his 20 colonies. The honey is sold at INR300

prepare proposals and submit to the Head of State to bring existing laws inline with the Law on Beekeeping. Rules will be prepared for amateur and professional beekeepers and

On average, each house in Dhanchaur has two or three hives of

(US$6.3;€4.4) per kg.

sanitary-veterinary passports issued for apiaries.

Apis cerana honey bees. Source:

Source: WWW.Wap.apa.az

www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews

BULGARIA

NEPAL

Plamen Ivanov, Chairman of the National Beekeepers’ Union said that 38,000

Honey in Nepal: approach, strategy and intervention for subsector

beekeepers are ready to mount a protest and that every Bulgarian who eats honey will support them. “Beekeepers in Bulgaria are in

beekeeping is essential for agricultural development. A major problem is retailers

published by GTZ German Technical

importing honey and selling it at a low price.

Bulgaria has had traditions in honey

Cooperation/Private Sector Promotion-Rural Finance Nepal. BfD has some copies for distribution in Resource Boxes. The book is also available in PDF format to download from the Information Portal at

www.beesfordevelopment.org

"It is looking increasingly unlikely that eradication and containment will be possible and that we have a region wide, even

countrywide, problem," said Mike Allsopp, Head of Honey Bee Research with the

a

Agricultural Research Centre (ARC) Stellenbosch.

though the majority of bee farmers were affected, it good weather conditions prevail, we can expect a good harvest for the year.”

in

The search for the disease in all of the Western Cape and part of the Eastern Cape a is being conducted by the Department of Agriculture in partnership with the ARC and the South African Bee Industry Organisation

tonnes of honey harvested from parts of Rakiraki and Ba are ready for market. Even

a!

me,

(SABIO). Chairman of SABIO, John Moodie, said: "The decision we have to make is whether to continue with the eradication

The Ministry of Primary Industries is embarking on a rehabilitation programme from which it hopes to recover 40-50% of the

a

production affected by the January floods.

Source: Fiji Daily Post

Beekeeping is popular in Dhanchaur and Dhikura village development committees

Preliminary survey results of bee colonies point to the unabated spread of American foulbrood (AFB) throughout the Western Cape and beyond. Early results showed that over

tested.

not affected by the downpour, except for areas that were prone to flooding. Prasad said: “Ten

INDIA

SOUTH AFRICA

80% of the 45 samples tested came back positive for the disease. Officials are still waiting for more than 450 samples to be

(ONAL TREE FOUNDATION

production has been good. National Co-ordinator for Apiculture, Kamal Prasad, said production from January-February was

source of fuel wood, animal fodder, increases soil fertility, and provides nectar for bees.

www. internationaltreefoundation.org

RWANDA

Fil

recover from Kwashiorkor - a disease caused by malnutrition. Calliandra sp is a good

Alice Malaiperuman, Overseas Co-ordinate International Tree Foundation, UK

Desislava Antova, Focus News Agency

Despite the recent spate of unfavourable weather in the country (see BfDJ 90), honey

The fruit of trees, such as Moringa sp (see Trees Bees Use next page), help children

20,000 saplings. The project is managed by The Rural Development Inter-Diocesan Service (RDIS).

promotion by Dr Surendra Raj Joshi has been

said.

produces tree seedlings on a large scale.

Local community members give their labour to build the tree nurseries, transport manure, transplant, water and care for seedlings.

A network of 13 nurseries has been established across four dioceses in southern Rwanda. Each nursery produces about

a difficult situation: they do not receive subsidies for hives or colonies even though

production since 1911, but now the average age for beekeepers is 66 and young people are not willing to take on beekeeping”, Ivanov

forests, and prevent encroachment of the remaining forests. The Project has set up nurseries over several districts of Rwanda and

Lemon and other fruit tree seedlings are grown in the nurseries by the community helpers

process. Burning infected hives is considered the best way to stop the spread of AFB and we estimate that 200 colonies with AFB have been destroyed so far.”

Allsopp said that eradication is only a

(VDC). Farmers have taken up beekeeping because it requires little investment and

recent years Rwanda has experienced deforestation, leading to depleted biodiversity, erosion and landslides. The Tree Seedling

provides high returns. In total the farmers earn about INR5 million (US$105,000:€73,310)

Tree Foundation distributes a mixture of

reasonable response if the infection rate is under 60%, otherwise, the economic and environmental ramifications of destroying all those colonies are too great. The rapid spread of AFB, which was found in South Africa in

each year selling honey. Pitamber Bhusal, Chief of the VDC, says the honey is exported

forestry, fruit and agro-forestry tree seedlings to people who use them on their land, replant

February 2009 (see BfDJ 97) threatens more than just the honey-producing industry.

In

Production Project funded by International

10

PHOTO ‘

Moodie said that up to ZAR 2.10 billion (US$0.27 billion; €0.19 billion) worth of production in the local deciduous fruit market could be at risk following the AFB outbreak.

This is a quarter of the ZAR 8.50 billion

HH MANDIZVIDZA

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD

ZIMBABWE Mrs Ndlovu’s family honey tasting at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair held in Bulawayo in April 2009. Mr H H Mandizvidza (wearing blue shirt) a BfD Journal reader for over 20 years, arranged the display and tasting opportunity and estimates 1.000 people attended the event.

(US$1.10 billion; €0.77 billion) worth of the top six deciduous fruits that South Africa exported last year. The ZAR 2.10 billion

(US$0.27 billion; €0.19 billion) figure is a 2007 estimate by the ARC's Plant Protection Institute on the value added by honey bees in the pollination of local deciduous fruits, or how much it would cost to pollinate the deciduous fruit crop by hand. More than 60% of a local beekeeper's income was from the money made from hiring colonies to pollinate Crops.

Chris Faure, Chairman of the Deciduous Fruit Producers Trust, said the local industry was concerned about the outbreak of the disease.

"If the

outbreak gets worse then the deciduous

fruit industry is going to be affected," he added. Plums and apricots, particularly, need

pollination. The ARC also included /alue that local bees add in pollinating berries, nuts, tropical fruit, field crops, ; for

oilseed crops, vegetables and seed production. Cherries, most deciduous fruit, nuts, onions, sunflower seeds and vegetables all relied on bees for pollination.

Source: Matthew Richmond, Cape Times, www.iol.co.za and www. busrep.co.za

TREES BEES USE

-

MORINGA OLEIFERA

Samuel Adelani Babarinde, Department of Agronomy, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria

Uses Oil from the seeds of Moringa oleifera is used in making perfume. The fruits and leaves are edible with high protein levels, vitamins, minerals and in West Africa and many parts of Asia. are carbohydrate.

Apicultural value Moringa oleifera is an excellent source of nectar for bees.

They consumed Seed coagulant is used in wastewater treatment. All parts are used extensively in Indian folk medicine. Exudates produce quality blue dyes, while the wood has potential as pulp for the paper industry.

Aaricultural value _

;

nga oleifera foliage Is used as fodder for livestock.

N ames

vag,

English Moringa, Horseradish tree, Drumstick tree, Miracle Yoruba

./

tree

gi igbale

Gujarati Saragvo

Family

Moringaceae

Origin

Moringa oleifera is indigenous to south-east Asia and is cultivated widely throughout the tropics.

Description tree up to Moringa oleifera is a fast growing deciduous shrub or small 42 m tall and 30 cm in diameter. It has an umbrella shaped open crown. It has a softwood with corky and gummy bark. Its leaves are alternate, oddly

bi- or tri-pinnate compound, triangular 20-70 cm.

in outline, and a length of

Flowers On established Moringa oleifera stands, flowering begins in December. Its

and papilionoid with five fragrant flowers are obliquely monosymmetric stamens in axillary pendulous panicles about 2 cm long from leaf corners.

Moringa oleifera 11

ape

YY. “4 7

Bees/o; Development Journal 92

LOOK AHEAD

GRENADA

ARGENTINA APIMONDIA 42nd Intemational Apicultural Congress Takes place in 2011, Buenos Aires Dates and details will appear here

7-13 November 2010

KENYA

Further delails will appear here

Baraka College Courses Further details www.sustainableag.org

BULGARIA Organic Beekeeping on the Black Sea Coast of Bulgaria 17-19 September 2010 Further details www.bio-bees-bulgaria.org

BRAZIL Congresso Brasileiro: XVIil Apicultura & IV Metiponicultura 9-22 May 2010, Cuiaba Further details. www.brasilapicola.com.br 10th Congreso Iberolatinamericano de Apicultura 2010, Rio Grande do Norte Further details will appear here

FRANCE APIMONDIA 41st Intemational Apicultural Congress 15-20 September 2009, Montpellier Further details www.apimondia2009.com If

6th Caribbean Beekeeping Congress

MALAYSIA Pacific Congress Beekeeping for Sustainable Development 8-9 December 2009, Sarawak Further details www.cenfoundindia.org.in MEXICO ICPBR Pollination Symposium 2010, Cholula (Puebla) Further details. www.uoguelph.ca/icpbr

SOUTH KOREA 10th Asian Apicultural Association Congress

2010 Further details www.bee.org.kr

LEARN AHEAD

Bees for Development

Beekeepers' Safaris 2010 TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 20 January - 4 February

UK 9th SICAMM Conference

The Dark Bee, our hope for the future 7-9 September 2009, Aviemore

TURKEY

24 July - 5 August

Further details www.sicamm.org

Further details on our website

National Honey Show 29-31 October 2009, Weybridge Further details www.honeyshow.co.uk

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

NOTICE BOARD SMALL ECO-FARM FOR SALE In good beekeeping district with modern honey plant and all equipment for approx 100 colonies. Modern 7 room house and space for expansion. Location: central Sweden

(two hours from Stockholm). Ask for details: biborje@hotmail.com

SMILE PLEASE! UNDP, in partnership with Olympus Corporation and the Agencé France-Pressé Foundation announce Picture This - Caring for the Earth eco-based photo contest. The aim is to profile

hae

ordinary people working to reduce the effects of climate change in their countries, cities and communities, and is open to anyone residing in Africa. There will be special attention for images taking into account the role women play in protecting their environment.

See www.content.undp.org/go/newsroom PROJECT FUNDING FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, supports beekeeping projects in developing countries. Beekeepers’ groups and associations may apply for small project funding of up to US$10,000 from the TeleFood Special Fund. Request documents should

include a brief description of the project's objectives, the proposed food production or income-generating activities, the work plan, the number of participants, a detailed list of inputs with cost estimates and the reporting arrangements. Submit your request to the office See www.fao.org and inform BfD of the outcome of your

of FAQ or UNOP in your country.

application.

BEE CRAFT A full colour monthly magazine for beginners and experts covering all aspects of beekeeping in the UK and Ireland. 22 for 12 issues (one year). Credit cards accepted. For free sample and overseas rates contact secretary@bee-craft.com copy ULUDAG BEE JOURNAL News, practical information and research articles. Published quarterly in Turkish with English summaries. See www.uludagaricilik.org

12

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Bees/o; Development Journal 92

ORGANISM

AVAILABLE FROM

B/D NOW AT WWW.BEESFORDEVELOPMENT.ORG

THE SUPER-ORGANISM Bert Halldobler and E 0 Wilson 2009 576 pages 33

(€48) H700

A colony of honey bees may be regarded as one single organism, in this case made up of thousands of individuals. Each individual bee is a part of the super-organism that depends upon altruistic co-operation, sophisticated communication and division of labour. Social insects give us the possibility to study individuals, as well as the colony as a whole, and this enables us to understand much about the evolution of social behaviour.

Bert Hélldobler

E.O. Wilson

- ants, bees, wasps and termites account for the majority of insect biomass, and recent years have seen much progress in our understanding of how their societies function. The famous Pulitzer-prize winning authors of this new book provide a comprehensive review of the last quarter century of research, providing great The social insects

insight. Clearly written and beautifully illustrated, this important new book offers accessible knowledge for a broad readership.

~

AND THE

~

Vi CTORIANS J.PFLM. Clark

BUGS AND THE VICTORIANS JF M Clark

2009 322 pages

25

(€37) C700

The super-organisms book described above shows how far we have reached in our understanding of the complex social lives of insects. Today’s research builds up on the legacy of previous generations, and none were more enthusiastic in these studies than the Victorians, who realised that systematic study of insects could provide

insight into many questions concerning the natural world. This new book covers areas not reached by others: insects within Victorian politics, religions, science and economics. An excellent, quirky and enjoyable accour* ~f the major players in 19th Century entomology. Plenty of interesting cartoons and illustrations such as George Cruickshank's engraving of the hive as a model social organism, and Prince Albert’s bee hives.

PARASITES OF THE HONEY BEE Mary F Coffey 2007 81 pages

A concise guide to all the main problems: pests (including the mites, small hive beetle, rodents, wasps), adult bee diseases (Nosema), brood diseases, viral diseases, and other colony disorders such as dysentery, drone laying queens, pesticides and others. Primarily intended for readers in Ireland, this contains plenty of useful information for all beekeepers. A very useful and comprehensive introduction especially since it can be downloaded free of charge from www.agriculture.gov.ie

BEES AND THEIR ROLE Nicola Bradbear 2009 204 pages 28

IN

FOREST LIVELIHOODS

(€42) B800

We are very pleased that FAO has published this text explaining many aspects of beekeeping and its role within forest livelihoods. It includes descriptions of the various bee species, their importance within ecology, agriculture and rural livelihoods. It covers beekeeping, honey hunting and meliponiculture. The various products and

services utilised from bees are described, as well as value added products, marketing, trade and constraints to development. The text is interspersed with many fact boxes and case studies, and together with appendices, \ hope that people working in this field will find this a usefu! reference and source of reliable information.

Copies of this publication can be purchased from our website store. An electronic version is available from FAO's NWFP home page at www.fao.org/docrep/012/108426/10842e00.htm

MONETARY VALUE OF FORESTS NON-WO0D FOREST PRODUCTS,

19 Bees and

their role in forest livelihoods A guide to the services provided by bees and the sustainable harvesting, Processing and marketing of their products

A report by WWF Netherlands values avoided emissions from deforestation or degradation over large areas of the Amazon at €55-78 per hectare per year. These include erosion protection

(€185/ha/year), pollination services by rainforest insects in Ecuadorian coffee plantations (€38/ha/year), NTFPs such as honey, fruits and mushrooms (€40-80/ha/year) and ecotourism (€2.5-5.5/ha/year). This compares to the returns

€230-470/ha/year and breeding cattle €40-115/ha/year. The report shows that the revenue currently received from economic activities in which the natural environment remains intact is not high enough to offset the non-sustainable activities.

Finding mechanisms to secure global payments for the forest's ecological services would be a major impetus to both preserving the forest and paying for. and providing proper management.

from the production of commodities such as beef and soya which are the main Amazonian products

Source

imported by Europe. Soya production generates

€1

14

=

www. internationalforestindustries.com

US$1.42

-

Bees/or Development Journal 92

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