====================================================== 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** ====================================================== 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