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Welcome to the second IBRA newsletter giving you
the latest information about IBRA's activities.
<<<< Beeswax & Propolis >>>>
The usual way beekeepers add profit to the pleasure
they get from their bees is by selling honey - but bees
don't just make honey - beeswax and propolis are
valuable bee products, if you know what to do with them.
IBRA's latest publication 'Beeswax & Propolis for Pleasure
and Profit' edited by Pamela Munn, a follow up to an IBRA
conference held in October last year, tells you just this.
Often beekeepers just throw away beeswax cappings and
scrapings because they don't know what to do with them.
What a waste! Beeswax is a valuable commodity in the
world marketplace and is in short supply. Brain Reynolds,
a commercial wax refiner, tells about refining beeswax from
all over the world. Morna Stoakley is well known by British
beekeepers for her skill in candlemaking takes you through
the process from 'Mess to Money'.
For centuries propolis has been used for its healing properties,
but what is the fact behind the myth? Peter Houghton of the
Pharmacognasy department at Kings College London, gives
the facts. Propolis is widely available in healthfood shops
and James Fearnley, formerly of Bee Health, UK, tells
his own story about developing a multimillion pound
commercial product. Rainer Krell, author of 'Value-added
Products from Beekeeping' gives practical information and
advice on producing your own propolis products.
Beeswax & Propolis for Pleasure and Profit is available
now from the IBRA BookShop. E-mail credit-card orders
(Visa/Mastercard/Eurocard) are welcome. The price for
delivery to a UK address is GB Pounds 5.70. Delivery
to anywhere else: add 10% for surface mail or 15% for
airmail.
Contact Sue (please put BookShop in the subject line of
your e-mail) at IBRA: [log in to unmask]
<<<< Bee World >>>>
The May issue of Bee World contains some very good
articles, and topical news and views. Here are a few
snippets:
Peter Molan of Waikato University, New Zealand, has written
an excellent review on the limitations of the methods currently
used to identify floral sources of honeys. The pollen grains in
honey reveal the types of plants that were around when the bees
produced the honey, and so it is valid to use melissopalynology
(pollen analysis) to determine the geographical origin of honeys, but
Peter explains why it is less valid for determining the botanical
origin of honeys.
Science Round-up includes a summary by Brian Dancer (Cardiff
University) of some of the work presented at the German Bee
Research Institutes seminar held in Jena. He reports on research
into Paenibacillus larvae, the causative agent of American foulbood.
Apparently, these bacteria produce several antibiotics, including a
new one called apidiothricin. These antibiotics are of interest
because over years there has been a scientific debate about the
possible role these antibiotics play in allowing P. larvae to
establish itself in monoculture in AFB scales and ropes.
An approach for improved honey bee cross-pollination of crops involves
the use of hive-entrance fittings (pollen dispensers and hive-entrance
pollen transfer devices)for enhancing pollen transfer between self-
incompatible cultivars of fruit or nut trees, or seed crops. Fani
Hatjina of the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Greece, reviews
these devices and compares their effectiveness.
This is just a taste of what Bee World holds in store for you. If you
don't already, subscribe now by joining IBRA and get Bee World free
four times a year.
Contact Maxine (please put Membership in the subject line of your
e-mail) for details at: [log in to unmask]
<<<< Dates for Your Diary >>>>
** Saturday 3 October 1998 -- IBRA Autumn Conference
Morning session: 'Social smells and communication:
pheromones in the hive'
Afternoon session: 'Controlling pests in the colony'
Will include the 1998 IBRA Annual General Meeting.
** 26-28 November 1998 -- UK National Honey Show
Meet the IBRA staff at the IBRA stand.
** 13-18 September 1999 -- Apimondia '99
Meet the Director, Richard Jones and IBRA staff at the IBRA stand.
** 19-25 March 2000 - 7th IBRA Conference on Tropical Bees
The first announcement is available now for this important meeting
on bees and beekeeping in the tropics. Contact us at: E-mail:
[log in to unmask] WWW: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/ibra/
<<<< Please copy this newsletter to anyone you think would
find it interesting and let us have their e-mail address for future
issues >>>>
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***Important****
**Please state in the subject line to whom your message is intended**
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International Bee Research Association
18 North Road, Cardiff CF1 3DY, UK
Tel: (+44) 1222 372409
Fax: (+44) 1222 665522
E.mail: [log in to unmask]
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