Dear Folks,
I have returned from Anatolia, usually identified with Turkey
< http://www.turkishnews.com/DiscoverTurkey/anatolia/history.html>,
but also where the borders of Syria, Turkey, Iraq and not too far
away, Iran, come fairly close together. My flight from Istanbul,
via Charles De Gaul airport (Paris) was uneventful except that my
luggage didn't make it. I flew on to the ancient city of
Diyarbakir, Turkey
<http://www.anatolia.com/anatolia/destinations/diyarbakir/default.asp>
via the very modern Turkish Airlines, staying overnight in the
Dedeman Hotel. Two days later with luggage in hand it was a wild
cab ride to the Iraq border crossing at Zakho. From then it was
another 2.5 hours by SUV to Erbil via back roads avoiding the main
route, which leads to one of the current hot spots, the Iraqi city
of Mosul.
My stay was confined to the northern region, where security concerns
are minimal but by no means eliminated. Check points are everywhere
manned by Kurdistan Nationalist Forces. Quickly, I was to realize
that I was really not in Iraq proper, but in the semi-autonomous
greater Kurdistan region
<http://home.cogeco.ca/~kurdistan3/26-6-04-opinion-ardishir-who-
decide-for-kurdistan.html>,
Note on long urls as above. To use this url, select all the text between
the brackets <> and then copy (CTRL c) and paste (CTRL v) it into
the browser's navigation box.
which has a colorful history of its own,
encompassed by three great cities I was to visit, Diyarbakir in
Turkey and Erbil
<http://reference.allrefer.com/encyclopedia/E/Erbil.html> and
Suliamania (spelled many ways) <http://home.cogeco.ca/~kurdistan1/27
-1-04-kurds-await-iraq-embrace.htm> in Iraq.
Beekeeping began in this region of the world over 5,000 years ago
and continues to this day. The events of the recent past, however,
characterized by many conflicts
<http://www.infoplease.com/spot/kurds3.html> have destroyed much of
this mostly rural activity. Thus, I was informed by more than one
official that Kurdish beekeeping was literally starting from "zero."
As I bumped over kilometers of roads visiting towns like Shaqlaqwa
and Dahuk <http://www.iraqwho.com/Tourism_North_natural.asp> I
realized that this provided a unique opportunity for the region to
begin from scratch via "survivor" bees that are found mostly in the
mountains like many of the people refugees of the region. Thus,
from the ashes of Kurdistan beekeeping could arise a Phoenix of an
industry based on untreated "survivor" honey bees, and not dependent
on chemicals for treatment of Varroa as found in much of the rest of
the world. Is this just an academic dream or a real possibility?
Only time will tell, but in the meantime I ask you, the Apis
readership, to send me your reflections on the following questions:
1. If you were to counsel those beginning from "scratch," in a
region where the bees and people have been devastated by conflict,
how much would you suggest relying on local "survivor" bees? How
long could or would you recommend waiting for an industry based on
such a stock to develop?
2. If you needed new genetic material quickly, how would you go
about importing queens from the rest of the world with minimal
risk? (Note: so far Acarapis woodi has not been found in Iraq and
AFB and EFB are present, but apparently not at epidemic levels;
small hive beetle has yet to make an appearance).
3. In rural villages with established populations of bees in
traditional hives made of narrow woven baskets covered with wood ash
as a wattle, would you recommend immediate transfer to Langstroth
moveable-frame hives and elimination of the traditional hives as is
currently proposed? If not, what would you recommend with reference
to developing sustainable and appropriate beekeeping in this setting?
Read more at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Apis_Newsletter/
Malcolm T. Sanford
Executive Secretary Florida State Beekeepers Association
http://floridabeekeepers.org
Subscribe to the Association's electronic mailing list at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/F_S_B_A/
and Doc Bullard's all about Florida beekeeping at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FloridaBeekeepers/
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