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Discussion of Bee Biology <BEE-L@ALBNYVM1>
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Fri, 22 Sep 89 23:39:00 N
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Dear Bee-L folks.
 
Going to Hamburg Germany October 1.  Any suggestions on who to see concerning
beekeeping matters in the area?
 
 
 
                  SATELLITE TELEVIDEO CONFERENCE
 
Dr. Jim Tew of The Ohio State University will host a satellite video broadcast
on beekeeping, October 10, 1989 at 7:00 p.m. eastern time.  Latest information
is that it will be beamed via Westar 4, Channel 24 and will emphasize problems
concerning Varroa bee mites.   Jim indicates it is a program of
international scope with Canadians and Mexicans cooperating.  More information
is available directly from Jim through his INTERNET address
"[log in to unmask]".  He is a subscriber to the BEE-L
network.
 
 
FILENAME: SEPAPIS.T9X
 
 
                   Apis--Apicultural Information and Issues
                    Florida Extension Beekeeping Newsletter
                      Volume 7, Number 9, September 1989
 
                                 MORE ON ITALY
 
Things were quiet during the month of August here.  This is the traditional
time when almost all Italians head for the mountains or the sea.  During the
true dog days of August, Bologna was practically a ghost town with most of its
shops closed for "ferie."  If one contemplates a summer sojourn in Italy, the
best advice is never come in August.  In some respects, like many university
towns, it was pleasant with all the students absent.  Gone were the numerous
mopeds using the porticos as private streets.  The pollution also diminished
noticeably as did the general racket along the main drags.  A counterpoint was
the closure of restaurants and other places of business.  One had to know
where to go for the neccesities of life.  Even the computer here had a few
days off and I temporarily lost electronic contact with the rest of the world.
 
The deadest day was Ferraugusto (August 15) a general holiday dating all the
way back a to Augustus Caesar.  European vacaction time is over by September
first.  Bologna has bustled back to its normal self, and I am on the road
again.  Last week I travelled to northeast Italy to visit the town of Udine.
There in the foothills of the mountains separating Italy from Austria,
"Varroa" was first detected in Italy in 1981.  It is not known how the mite got
there, but most believe it was brought in on the backs of bees from
Yugoslavia.  The year after its first detection, the mite was found in places
as far away as central Italy.  Thus, before any control measures could be
mounted, it was too late to stem the invasion.  The pest now inhabits the
entire country as well as the islands of Sicily and Sardinia.
 
Since introduction of "Varroa" in its backyard, the Istituto di Difesa delle
Piante, Udine University has been at the forefront of the battle to contain
and control the mite.  The current rector of the University, Prof. F. Frilli,
a beekeeper and researcher, recently published on the situation in Italy.  His
conclusion was that "cohabitation" with "Varroa" has finally been achieved; it
is no longer unknown and beekeepers are interested in the problem.  A type of
natural selection has also occurred in beekeeping.  Uninformed and unmotivated
beekeepers have been put out of business.
 
Dr. Norberto Milani, an eminent entomologist who came to Udine from the
University of Padova at Prof. Frilli's invitation,  now directs much of the
bee research in Udine as Dr. Frilli is busy administrating the affairs of the
University.  He has compiled an extensive bibliography of publications about
"Varroa", and along with colleagues, hosted an international convention on the
mite in collaboration with Austria, Germany and Yugoslavia in Trent, Italy in
1987 and also an experts meeting in Udine in 1988.
 
Dr. Bill Bruce, now on the staff at the bee lab Beltsville, Md., stayed in
Udine (1988) for several months collaborating with scientists there to raise
mites on artificial diets.  These efforts have failed so far.  A big problem,
according to Dr. Milani, is the high temperature of the brood nest where
"Varroa" develops.  Any diet at that temperature tends to deteriorate very
quickly.
 
Studies continue in Udine and the group is one of the most prolific in
publishing its research.  Current projects include developing control
measures and studying basic mite biology.  Soon the entomology section will
move into a new building which will provide much more space than the current
facility.   The group also does some extension related work.  In May, 1989 it
published a magnificent booklet entitled "L'Ape" which contains 38 pages of
full color illustrations, including scanning electron micrographs, on the
anatomy of the honey bee.
 
                       HONEY-LE ITALIANE LO FANNO MEGLIO
 
The ninth annual "Giulio Piana" honey contest is history.  The Piana Prize is
perhaps the most prestigous award currently given in Italy.  It is named after
one of the country's pioneer beekeepers, who died over a decade ago.  The
winners were announced September 10 near the residence of the Piana family,
who still carry on the bee business near Bologna, in the community of Castel
San Pietro Terme.  Terme refers to the fact that a thermal spring is found
here.  On the grounds of the terme in conjunction with the judging, there
was a honey fair and exhibit area for beekeeping products.  Inside the nearby
convention center, a national meeting was held on maintaining the quality of
Italian honey.
 
This year's competition included 350 samples of honey from all over Italy.
Each entry was first run through a preliminary laboratory screening for
moisture and pollen analyis.  The samples were then judged by a prestigous
group of "honey sommelliers" for their organoleptic qualities.  This latter
term refers to the sensorial, necessarily subjective, qualities of honey; its
taste, color, and odor.  The coordinating judge was Prof. Michel Gonnet,
Institute of Agronomic Research, Avignon, France, who is reputed to have
invented the judging system using organoleptics as an important honey
marketing tool.  In the end, 58 prizes were awarded.
 
The energy expended in judging the Piana Prize greatly surpasses that for any
similar contest in the U.S. to my knowledge.   It points to an interesting
difference between the philosophies of producing/marketing honey in the U.S.
versus Italy and all of Europe for that matter.  The rules are much stricter
and more highly defined on the continent than in the U.S.  In Italy, there is
a strong tradition of controlling/regulating all kinds of activity.  This
presumably arose through the centuries as conquering political entities tried
to govern territories they subjected.  The current effort to control honey has
as its base a great deal of research on the qualities of the sweet that are
for the most part ignored in the U.S.
 
For example, three articles in the 1988 edition of "Apicoltura", the major
Italian research publication, are concerned with identifying variables that
can be used to determine Italian unifloral honeys.  It was found that color,
light rotation (polarization), electric conductivity, HMF and diastase
content, total acidity and pH, sugar content (total fructose, total glucose
and total fructose plus glucose) were important measurements in the process.
In a followup paper, statistical "cluster analysis" of 392 samples was run to
determine the effectiveness of this method.
 
Besides the above effort,  a large amount of previous research has gone into
determining the characteristics of various pollens found in honey.  Again, the
aim has been to characterize Italian honey as much as is humanly possible.
One result of this is the classic volume, "Flora Apistica Italiana", written by
G. Ricciardelli d'Albore and L. Persano Oddo.  This book contains microscopic
photos of 299 pollens found in Italian honeys.  While some attention has been
paid to characterizing the plants important to beekeeping in the U.S., very
little effort has been devoted to the issue of pollen study in determining
unifloral nectar sources.
 
As I mentioned in a previous newsletter, the Federazione Apicoltori Italiani
(FAI) provides a seal of quality to its members.  Its presence guarantees the
honey in the container to be Italian in origin.  In it's volume, "L'Apicoltura "
"Italiana", the FAI says that honey sealed in this manner is controlled through
a joint effort of the National Consumer's Union and the FAI by inspections of
extracting facilities and insistence on analysis of honey samples.  This was
underscored in an article in the March, 1989 issue of "Mondo Agricolo", a
magazine dedicated to agricultural affairs. The title of the article was, "Le
Italiane lo Fanno Meglio," roughly translated, "Italian honey does it better."
The gist of the article is that honey is a good product, responsible for
helping conserve human health.  It goes on to say that scientific evidence
confirms honey helps cure respiratory, kidney and gastro-intestinal problems
and that the sweet is used in many cosmetic products.  Finally, the article
takes its agrument one step farther saying that honey is good, yes, but
Italian honey is better.
 
Although the amount of effort may be different in characterizing honey, the
Italians have similar concerns as U.S. beekeepers when it comes to imported
honey.  The article noted above is one response to the large amount of the
sweet currently arriving from China, Mexico and Argentina.  Another is a
national honey convention, held for the first time this year in conjunction
with Piana prize.  The purpose of the meeting was to propose a designation,
"Miele Vergine Integrale," translated as whole virgin honey.  The effort
results from three factors which are considered grave threats to honey
marketing in Italy:  (1) domestic marketing problems because of imports, (2)
large bee loss due to "Varroa", and (3) a fragmented domestic honey marketing
structure.
 
Specifically, the requirements for the denomination "whole virgin honey"
include a maximum water content of 18%, various diastase and HMF levels
depending on kind of honey being marketed, and that no product containing the
honey be heated above 45 degrees C (113 degrees F).  Finally, it is proposed
that the label show where the honey was bottled, that it should be consumed by
a certain date and any from outside the country should be called "imported."
 
The drafters of whole virgin honey rule believe that such a denomination would
be the best way to maintain the quality and value of Italian honey.  It was
also suggested at the convention that this designation be proposed for all of
Europe, when the European Economic Community (EEC) becomes a reality in 1992.
 
                        THE EEC--A FORCE TO RECKON WITH
 
Much of Europe is excited about 1992.  That's the official date the European
Economic Community (EEC) becomes a reality.  At that time, twelve western
European nations will voluntarily remove trade restrictions among each other.
Many economists believe this will create a strong economic force that will
affect trade worldwide.  Only time will tell to what extent commercial
activity will be dictated by the EEC, however, those who currently are
exporting honey or plan to in the future should be closely watching events as
they unfold in Europe.  It is after all the major world honey consuming
entity.
 
Italy will be a big part of the EEC.  Those who are currently working in
regulating honey through the auspices of the Italian National Apicultural
Institute in Bologna have had several meetings with counterparts to iron out
rules concerning honey.  It will not be easy.  There appear to be a great
number of variables and persons involved, and in the past, the extreme
regionalism that characterizes Europe has prevented many accords.
 
An important meeting occurred in April 1989 of EEC professionals and marketers
in bee products.  Billed as ApinFiera, the event's theme was the honey market
of European countries bordering the Mediterranean--collabration or
competition.   According to a report of the meeting in "Il Produttore",
information bulletin of the Professional Italian Apiculturalists Association,
the meeting was opened by Mr. Lucio Cavazzoni, Italian representative to the
EEC.  Mr. Cavazzoni communicated to the delegates the importance of unified
effort over southern Europe, proposed creation of a promotional campaign at
the European level and suggested the possibility of developing new products
based on honey.
 
The French representative, Mr. Hornecker, lamented the fact that organization
was still insufficient to regulate products at the European level.  One reason
is that only 7 or 8 of the 12 countries involved have agreed to proposals
deregulating importation.  Dr. Raymond Bornek, president of Apimondia, also
proposed institutions of research at the European level which would provide a
base for a variety of activities from new bee products to controlling "Varroa".
 
Representatives from Spain and Portugal underlined the fact that their
countries were still on the fringes of the EEC.  Although much remains to be
done concerning standardizing bee products, the meeting closed on a high note;
all recognized the ecological value of the honey bee and its importance in the
pollination of crops.
 
                       FLORIDA STATE BEEKEEPERS TO MEET
 
The Florida State Beekeepers Association will hold its annual meeting November
2,3 and 4 at Silver Lake Lodge in Ocala, Florida.  The program will be
published in the next issue of the Association's newsletter.  For further
information, contact the Executive Secretary, Ms. Eloise Cutts, 2237 NW 16th
Ave., Gainesville, FL 32605, ph 904/378-7719.
 
 
Sincerely,
 
 
Malcolm T. Sanford
0312 IFAS
202 Newell Hall
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-0312
Phone (904) 392-1801
BITNET Address: MTS@IFASGNV
Italian BITNET Address: [log in to unmask] (until October 1, 1989)
INTERNET Address: [log in to unmask]
DIALCOM Address: AGS559

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