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B-MAIL
A monthly newsletter on issues and events in the bee world, provided
by IBRA, the world information service for bee science and beekeeping.
**March 1995**
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APIS CERANA AS AN ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT BEE FOR ASIA
Probably the hottest subject of debate in Asian apiculture is the choice
of species for beekeeping: the native Apis cerana or the introduced
Apis mellifera. The argument is not simple, and is not yet settled, but it
revolves on the choice between a greater honey producer which is an
introduced species or a local bee which is said to support a sustainable
beekeeping industry.
In general A. cerana beekeeping is regarded as a low-input, low-return
enterprise, with A. mellifera beekeeping in Asia generating much higher
production, but requiring greater inputs (especially in mite control
measures and queens which usually must be imported).
How do the economics of the two forms of beekeeping in Asia
compare? Unfortunately there is little in the way of rigorous analysis.
The straightforward answer was given by a Thai beekeeper who once
said to me: "When I kept cerana I owned a push bike; now that I keep
mellifera I drive a Toyota". Of course as true as that might be for an
individual, the greater picture isn't as simple as that. At last August's
Asian apiculture conference in Indonesia a very interesting study from
Vietnam was presented on this subject, which appeared to show that
beekeeping with A. cerana was more profitable than that with A.
mellifera. Unfortunately the study was flawed: comparing cerana in one
year with mellifera the next, using different honey prices and including
interest on capital in the mellifera analysis but not the other. However,
the study shows promise if these deficiencies are corrected before it is
published. More investigation along these lines is needed to help
answer the question of which bee species is more economically
successful for Asian beekeeping.
Of course A. mellifera is an established part of Asian beekeeping, and it
is not possible to turn the clock back and remove it from that part of
the world. It may be that the two types of beekeeping can be
complementary, with one a high input, high return enterprise and the
other more suited to subsistence or smallholder lifestyles.
The other part of the argument is ecological, with some people claiming
that A. mellifera is out-competing A. cerana, and as a result the latter
is endangered or that some races of A. cerana have been made extinct.
These assertions are being made with little supporting evidence, and
the fact that the number of managed A. cerana colonies is declining in
some areas is likely to be more an expression of economic forces than
ecological ones. The impact of introducing A. mellifera to areas where
A. cerana is autochthonous is largely unknown (and in any case is likely
not to be the same throughout Asia). Bald assertions that 'the situation
(with cerana) is approaching a crisis', and that this species is
endangered, contribute little to the scientific debate.
A further part of the equation is that management of A. cerana has not
been progressed as far or as fast as that of A. mellifera, meaning that
colony management techniques and bee breeding for cerana is
generally less advanced and comparisons of the two types of
beekeeping is in fact unfair.
At the Indonesian conference an exciting advance in management of A.
cerana was reported; a practically-based trial to predict and reduce
swarming behaviour in cerana. As excessive swarming is one
characteristic that really reduces its manageability, these results have
considerable potential for enhancing the practical importance of the
eastern hive bee. The studies on natural mating, including the discovery
of A. cerana drone congregation areas, also have management
possibilities in allowing controlled mating in the open.
So, for more informed debate on the mellifera/cerana debate for Asian
beekeeping, we need:
more thorough economic analysis of the two forms of beekeeping
research on the effects of mellifera on feral populations of cerana
development of better management techniques for cerana.
THAILAND AS AN EXAMPLE
In the latest issue of Bee World, currently being mailed to IBRA
members and subscribers, Siriwat Wongsiri and Ping-Ping Chen look at
the effect of agricultural development on honey bees in Thailand.
After a few unsuccessful starts, beekeeping with mellifera in that
country has undergone exponential growth over the past two decades.
In the last ten years the number of managed cerana colonies has
declined, though the authors are careful to point out that 'no research
has been done on the decrease of A. cerana in natural habitats'.
Another interesting point they make is that while cerana has the
advantage of greater mite resistance, the colonies suffer more from
poisoning by agricultural chemicals than mellifera ones because cerana
beekeepers generally do not have the logistical or financial means to
shift colonies away from danger.
EXCITING NEW BOOK ON APIS CERANA
I said that finding better management techniques for cerana was an
important step in allowing a fair comparison between that species and
mellifera. A new book will go a long way towards improving cerana
management in Asia.
Many previous books about beekeeping with cerana have been founded
on adaptations of techniques for temperate-zone apiculture using
mellifera, but at last we have a comprehensive manual for beekeeping
with Apis cerana, based soundly on research and practical beekeeping
experience with that species.
'Beekeeping for honey production: management of Asiatic hive
honeybee Apis cerana in its natural and tropical monsoonal
environment', by R W K Punchihewa, first reviews honey bee biology,
concentrating on A. cerana but considering the other two species found
in Sri Lanka (A. florea and A. dorsata).
The majority of the book is directly practical, with chapters on the
principles of beekeeping, the relationships between animal husbandry
and beekeeping, hive design for A. cerana, colony population increase
and management, swarming management and making increase,
supplementary feeding, preventing absconding, pest incidence, use of
the smoker, extracting honey, the economics of beekeeping. There is
also a glossary, a short reference section, an appendix of historical
documents on beekeeping in Sri Lanka, and a subject index. The book
is well illustrated by 116 colour photographs, 42 diagrams and a map
of Sri Lanka's natural resource zones.
Though this book is written for Sri Lankan conditions much of it will be
directly applicable to A. cerana beekeeping in coconut- and rubber-
growing zones elsewhere in Asia, and will be of use to anyone
interested in the management of A. cerana.
The book will be available for purchase from IBRA (contacts at the end
of the newsletter).
LOTS OF MEETINGS THIS MONTH
BUMBLE BEES IN THE NEWS
The widespread interest in bumble bees will be focused on a unique
symposium being held in September.
Some bumble bee species are endangered, disappearing from Europe's
changing countryside at an alarming rate. Some are bursting to
prominence as 'technobees' - at the heart of sophisticated pollination
systems for crops.
There's huge interest in bumble bees at the moment, so IBRA has put
together a programme that will appeal to crop growers, farmers,
entomologists, teachers, beekeepers - in fact anyone interested in
nature or the countryside.
'Bumble bees for pleasure and profit' covers why bumble bees are
special, what part they play in the environment and how they are being
threatened. It also deals with rearing and using them: on covered crops,
field crops, and even at home and in schools.
The excellent line-up of speakers all have wide scientific or practical
experience with bumble bees, and are drawn from across UK and
Europe. 'Bumble bees for pleasure and profit' will be held in London on
Saturday 23 September 1995.
Further details from: IBRA at the address given at the end of this
newsletter.
INVERTEBRATE PATHOLOGY MEETING
The Society for Invertebrate Pathology will be holding its 28th annual
meeting at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA, on 16-21 July
1995.
For information contact John D Vandenberg, USDA ARS US Plant, Soil
& Nutrition Lab, Tower Road, Ithaca, NY 14853 ([log in to unmask];
phone: 607-255-2456; fax: 607-255-2459) or H Alan Wood, Boyce
Thompson Institute, Tower Road, Ithaca, NY 14853
([log in to unmask]; phone: 607-254-1200; fax: 607-254-1242).
IBRA DAY 1995
This year we have an exciting programme for IBRA Day. Set aside
Saturday 27 May for a good day out: details in next month's B.mail.
WORLD TRADE IN BEES AND BEE PRODUCTS
IBRA is organizing a symposium on this subject to provide a forum for
discussion of important issues in trade of bee products and bees. It
will be held as part of the international beekeeping congress in
Lausanne, Switzerland, and through the congress proceedings will give
people worldwide access to current information on this subject (which
is generally hard to come by).
The meeting is for a wide range of people interested in this subject,
including commercial beekeepers, traders in bee products and bees,
government officials, representatives of intergovernmental agencies
and hobby beekeepers.
It won't be a direct 'how-to-do' programme, giving information about
setting up a trading business. Rather it will analyse and discuss current
and future trends in the commercial production and trading of major
bee products (and bees). First there will be a keynote address by an
invited speaker, looking at changing patterns in the world honey trade:
the immediate past, current trends in the main producing and trading
nations, and a look at the future.
This will be followed by papers from invited speakers on:
The effects of the latest Gatt agreement and European regulations.
Niche marketing of honey from developing countries.
Using quality assurance in bee product trade.
Beeswax production and trade.
The international trade in live bees.
Developing markets for other hive products (such as propolis, pollen,
royal jelly, venom).
The European regulations for bee products (including a discussion of
'organic' honey).
There will be opportunities for submitted papers to be presented as
posters, as an important part of this half-day symposium.
People wishing to take part in this symposium, or present posters,
should register with the Apimondia congress organizers in the normal
way.
MEET US IN THE TROPICS
Lastly in the meetings, but by no means least, here is the first
announcement for the Sixth IBRA conference on tropical bees:
management and diversity.
It will be held in San Josi, Costa Rica, from 12-17 August 1996, and
is being organized by the International Bee Research Association and
hosted by the Universidad Nacional Costa Rica and Programa Regional
de Apicultura y Meliponicultura.
This conference is for anyone interested in the scientific or applied
aspects of these themes:
Ecology of native bees and native flora
Pollination of crops
Biology and management of stingless bees
Parasites, pests and diseases of tropical bees
Bees and sustainable forest management
Conserving biodiversity of tropical bees
Developing markets for bee products
Information networks on tropical bees and beekeeping
Management and selection of Africanized honey bees.
Conference sessions will include presentations of oral and poster
papers, workshop discussions, and technical visits to places of interest.
The venue is ideal for looking at beekeeping with Africanized honey
bees and stingless bees, as well as the interactions between introduced
honey bees and native bees. Costa Rica provides a superb opportunity
for private tours to look at a variety of unspoilt tropical habitats.
This meeting continues the well-known series of conferences on bees
and beekeeping in the tropics, held by IBRA every four years since
1976. Delegates at previous meetings have included scientists
working in many different fields, commercial and hobbyist beekeepers,
development workers, people from government and intergovernmental
agencies, agriculturalists, foresters and extension agents.
The proceedings of these conferences have become valued references
for people working in subjects related to bees and beekeeping in the
tropics.
The International Bee Research Association is a non-profit making
scientific foundation, and not an organization which can fund the
attendance of delegates. If you will need funding to participate in this
conference you should apply to appropriate agencies well in advance of
the conference.
If you wish to receive the second circular and registration form when
they become available in August 1995 send your name and address to
the appropriate contact:
If you live in Costa Rica reply to:
Sixth IBRA Conference on Tropical Bees
C/ Dr Johan Van Veen
Apartado 475-3000
Heredia
Costa Rica
If you live anywhere else contact:
Sixth IBRA Conference on Tropical Bees
International Bee Research Association
18 North Road
Cardiff CF1 3DY
United Kingdom
([log in to unmask])
TIME FOR REFRESHMENT
If you've made it this far you deserve some refreshments. We all know
that the waggle dance is the name given to one of the most important
parts of the honey bee dance language (taken from von Frisch's term
'tail-wagging dance'), but did you know it's also the name of a beer
made with honey in addition to barley malt? (I assume the name
comes from the honey connection, and not only from the behaviour of
heavy consumers).
This honey beer uses 500 kg of honey in every 100-barrel batch, so it's
definitely not a token effort. The resulting brew is (I'm told) golden in
colour, with a notably firm and smooth body, a touch of sweetness
with suggestions of orange and lemon, and a flowery dryness in its long
finish. It has 5 percent alcohol and is a cask-conditioned draught.
Waggle Dance is available in around 200 pubs, mainly those owned by
the brewers Vaux in the north of England, at around 1.45-1.65 pounds
per pint (an ancient British measurement, still used by drinkers, of just
over 0.5 litre).
Cheers!
Andrew Matheson
Director
Return address:
E.mail: [log in to unmask]
Fax: (+44) 1222-665522
Telephone: (+44) 1222-372409
Snailmail: 18 North Road, Cardiff CF1 3DY, UK
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