Apis-UK March 2003

EDITORIAL

BEE-AID
The topic of interest and discussion for most people this month will probably be the commencement of another war in the Middle East and whether one is 'for it' or 'against it', those beekeepers in certainly the Western democracies will find their beekeeping little affected by it. This will not necessarily be the case however for beekeepers in the war zone. All wars, just or unjust, can and usually do adversely affect the lives and livelihoods of the average person caught up in them and post war reconstruction is important in helping these unfortunate and usually innocent people to return to normality. The beekeeping charities in the UK and elsewhere (and we all know them) will no doubt need our financial help when this time comes. Do remember them. (The web site of one of these charities is reviewed below).

THIS ISSUE
In this March 2003 issue of APIS UK we bring you our usual mix of news items, articles and events that will be of interest to most beekeepers and I hope you will enjoy reading about them. In this issue I pay some attention to the importance of solitary bees. If any of our readers know about this subject in detail, do share your knowledge with us.

THE GENOME PROJECT
Genome: "The complete complement of genetic material in a cell, or carried by an individual". In a previous edition we reported that bee scientists were attempting to persuade government agencies in the US to include the honey bee in the genome project following the research carried out by British and American scientists on the human genome. Well success is at hand and below is a report from the US on this exciting development. We will certainly be keeping an eye on this research and will be reporting any significant developments.

HOW INSECTS BREATHE. Do you really know how? See below for a new technique being developed to study live insects at work.

DO HONEYBEES 'DANCE FOR THEIR SUPPER'? The HoneyBee Dance Language is accepted lore in most beekeeping circles, but there are some scientists who are 'not so sure about this'. Can this most cherished of beekeeping beliefs be shown to be nonsense? In this month's Fact or Fiction article, we look at this comparatively little known controversy in the light of recent research and offer direction for further research on your part. Or, has history explained it all already? See the Historical Note below.

AN INTERESTING BUT 'DIFFERENT' WEB SITE
In our monthly look at interesting web sites, there is one that I can especially recommend as being of interest to most beekeepers. If you are interested in pollination, which is of far greater importance to world agriculture than honey production, then the subject of solitary bees may interest you. An excellent introduction to this type of bee can be found on: www.uidaho.edu/pses/Strickler/SolitaryBees/solitary.htm Intensive industrial farming reduces native bee populations as well as other pollinating insects because of destruction of their natural habitats and poisoning. Thus farmers become totally dependent upon imported honeybee colonies rented from beekeepers. In other words they are becoming dependent upon one species which is itself in decline as the number of beekeepers drops. A study reported on late last year by Princeton University scientists in the USA (see news item below), argues the need to maintain diversity and not be so reliant upon a single species. Other bees are used in some countries to pollinate certain crops (notably in Japan for cherries and the USA for alfalfa) and indeed Mathew Allen in the UK who has often written for this newsletter is involved in research upon this subject.

IS THE LOCAL BEE THE BEST BEE FOR YOUR AREA?
The latest edition of the Bee Keepers Quarterly contains another article by Ashleigh Milner of BIBBA which first appeared in the BIBBA magazine and on their website; www.bibba.com. If you subscribe to the view that the best bee is the local bee then this organisation and its web site will provide you with some very useful information. Here in Spain, there is a push amongst the beekeeping authorities to encourage beekeepers to use and improve their own local strain of A.m iberica rather than use imports for several reasons:

a. Preservation of the autochthonous subspecies and its gene pool.
b. Beekeepers can requeen from their own resources.
c. It is ultimately cheaper (for the beekeeper).
d. An improved iberica bee is a very good bee for honey production and disease resistance in these (Spanish conditions).

Perhaps Dr L. Bailey wrote the most telling argument I have read on this last point, in Bee World 2/99. IBRA:www.ibra.org.uk argued that, ultimately, the local bee may well be the best bee to have, especially in relation to the many enzootic pathogens at large in the environment. He states that..."it could be more profitable to accept established local strains and maintain these by regularly selecting new queens from colonies that do best". He also suggests that...."there is still little evidence that strains of honey bees with productivity greatly above the average have been artificially selected and maintained." It is an article well worth reading. Let us know what you think on this subject.

BEEKEEPING JOBS
The NBU in the UK is looking for seasonal bee inspectors again for the summer season and from the look of the notices they are having trouble finding sufficient for the SE area. It is well recognised that these jobs are of great importance, and I can imagine most enjoyable, so let us hope that the many experienced beekeepers in that area will apply.

Finally two interesting items we have received on a revolutionary clearing device and news of a 'new style' honey show. I'm very much looking forward to seeing how the clearer works and wonder whether it will be effective in warm climates; and the news of the West Sussex Honey festival in September is good. I read an article once in the BKQ by Raff who maintained that honey shows were boring, so why should anyone bother to go. Well here is an example of clear thinking and direction. Let's hope it works. I wish them well in the venture.
With these items and the rest of our usual points of information, I hope that you enjoy reading this issue, and I trust that many of you will let us know your feelings on any of the subjects discussed.

David Cramp. Editor.

NEWS

BBKA SPRING CONVENTION LATE NEWS - See dates for your diary
Due to changes within the Arthur Rank Centre, it has been necessary to move Anne Reney-Smith's and David Derrick's demonstrations to a new venue in the main Warwick Conference Complex. Same subjects, same times, but now at the Eastwood Centre. Essentially this is at the far end of the Warwick Complex, above the Governors' Restaurant; NO LIFT.

An evening meal has been arranged especially for advance ticket holders. Visit the lecture by Dr Rose Cooper, "Honey and Healing: A Sticky Subject" 6.30pm Friday April 25th Wolfson Theatre. Then go on to the meal, 8.15pm Royal Oak, Station Road, Brandon Village, near Coventry, CV8 3HR. Cost £9.00 - 2 course meal, choose on the night from beef, chicken or vegetarian with plenty of accompaniments and a choice of 3 cold desserts. Tea, coffee and other drinks extra. Cheques payable to BBKA, with 9"x4" SAE to M.Dartnall, 2 Harlyn Road, Millbrook, Southampton, Hampshire, SO16 4NF. Phone/Fax: 023 80775445. Time-limited, BOOK NOW.

MORPHOMETRY
There is a new morphometry computer program http://www.hockerley.plus.com This is free to use for 30 days and if you wish to use it after then registration costs £25.

I am impressed with its ease of use, for one clicks on 7 points on each wing, when the whole sample of 30 wings has been done just clicking on a graph icon results in a spreadsheet being produced that contains all the data plus two graphs, one is an histogram of cubital index and the other a scattergram of discoidal shift/cubital index.

Before using the program one scans the wings either in a film scanner or a flat bed scanner. If using a film scanner then two files are produced with 15 wings in each file. If a flat bed scanner is used all 30 wings can be scanned into one file. With a flat bed scanner the wings are mounted on a sheet of acetate such as used for Overhead projectors, the wings mounted using double sided selotape. The flat bed scanner must be capable of scanning at 1200 DPI.

In use there are four panels on the monitor screen, the largest of these is the wing being worked on, the other three panels are a spreadsheet with a tool bar at the top, a navigation panel that shows which wing out of the sample is the one currently being worked on, the other panel is the guide that indicates which point is to be clicked on next. Moving from one wing to the next is by using the scroll bars on the panel of the wing being worked on.

If on opening the program one finds that the spreadsheet fills the whole screen this must be shrunk down to about a quarter of the screen by pulling in the sides of the spreadsheet. This allows room for the other panels to come on the screen as these are essential in using the program. Clicking on the wing icon on the extreme left hand side of the tool bar opens the file, clicking on other icons brings the other panels on to the screen.

I have written an article for the next issue of the Bee Improvement magazine showing how to use the program. I am doing a workshop to demonstrate this program at Stoneleigh on the 27th of April, the day after the Spring Convention. The BIBBA AGM being held in the afternoon. The workshop will be in the BBKA Headquarters starting at 10.30 am. The author of the program Russell Talbot, will also be there to answer any questions. This program is very easy and quick to use. Albert Knight BIBBA Groups Secretary

INTENSIVE FARMING PRACTICES AND POLLINATION
Most beekeepers will know that modern farming practices on an intensive scale will cause a decline in the number of natural pollinators in the area. The use of pesticides and destruction of natural habitats cause most of the problems. Farmers may not notice this decline in numbers because historically they have achieved their harvests using imported honey bee colonies.
A study published in December in the online version of the 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the USA found that the hitherto neglected native bees are capable of doing a lot more of the real work of pollination than previously thought, but that in many areas, the current high density, high pesticide dependant agriculture cannot support these native bee populations.

Researchers from Princeton University, and California-Davis believe that suppressing the native bee populations and relying soley on the use of trucked in honeybee colonies may be an unnecessarily risky strategy. They state that most commercial farmers rely on fewer than 11 species of bee out of a total number in excess of 20,000 species worldwide. Researchers have also pointed out that in the US between 5 and 14 billion dollars worth of agricultural crops depend upon a single bee; Apis mellifera. They add that in view of this, if something happened to that species and other avenues hadn't been developed, then there would be great difficulties ahead.

In order to carry out the research, the scientists examined pollination at water melon farms located near to natural vegetation in the Sacremento valley. (Melons require a lot of pollination and multiple visits by pollinating insect's andwere thus chosen for the study). By studying the action of pollinating insects they found that visits to the plants by native bees fell off dramatically in the farms that were more distant from local areas of natural vegetation, but that where this vegetation flourished, local native bees were able to provide the pollination service demanded by the pollination hungry melons. One interesting finding was that in one year only a few native bee species would contribute but in another year there were many species.
A Stanford University ecologist Gretchen daily who is an authority on ecosystem services said that this study "....shows how risky many current farming practices are and how conservation investment in habitats for pollinators could help insure farmers and society against economic loss".
Research is now looking at which parts of the natural landscapes are critical for the various bee species and which parts of the man made agricultural landscape can also support them. Ultimately, they say, they should be able to come up with a plan for restoring this natural service across the agro-natural landscape. Princeton University in the USA was the original source of this story.

(As a postscript to that item, the area in which I live in Spain has now been denominated by the United Nations as a 'biosphere' owing to its current and historical pastural-natural landscape, where man has farmed for centuries with nature rather than against it. Fortunatel modern agricultural thought arrived here after the arrival of environment and conservation agencies, though whether making it a biosphere will work to preserve the area I'm not sure. The very name suggests that they may put a huge glass dome over us. I hope not. Ed).

INSECTS SQUEEZE TO BREATHE
A New Technique to Study the Insides of Insects, is reported in the journal Science.
In an interesting series of investigations, scientists have used X-ray video to study how insects breathe.

As beekeepers and therefore 'insect enthusiasts' we all know that unlike humans, which have lungs and blood to push oxygen to vital organs, an insect sends air directly around its body via a set of internal pipes running from holes in its exoskeleton. Now, in this recent study, the X-ray pictures have revealed impressive new details of their workings. The researchers saw for the first time, how the trachea can be squeezed by the insect to maintain a constant and high throughput of air. This is the first time anyone has applied this technology to study living insects. While resting, an insect can exchange up to half the air inside its main tubes every second. This is equivalent to how hard a person would breathe while doing moderate exercise.
The scientists, led by Mark Westneat, from The Field Museum in Chicago, said that not all insect species they studied where able to use tracheal compression - those that were included some beetles, crickets, ants, butterflies, cockroaches, and dragonflies.

Up until now, it has not been possible to see movement inside living insects, but by using a synchrotron - (a circular, particle accelerator), they were able to generate X-rays that are more than one billion times as intense as a conventional X-ray source. With this radiation, structures that once baffled researchers can now be probed in detail and living insects can be studied in far more detail than before.
The researchers, who report their work in the journal Science, say they also plan to investigate how insects eat using the new technique.

NEW LIQUID HONEY BEE DIET NEAR
This is the new liquid honey bee diet mentioned in the Feb issue of Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping. More on honey bee nutrition is on the plate for this summer from those in Tucson who did this exciting work. Stay tuned to Bee Culture for the latest in honey bee news.

A new, improved honey bee diet developed by Agricultural Research Service scientists could provide bees with an early spring jump start as they prepare to pollinate the annual $1-billion California almond crop.

Each year, California almond growers rely on tens of thousands of out-of-state bee colonies that are trucked into the state to pollinate almonds. But during winter in many parts of the United States, honey bees are in a near-hibernating state, because of the cold temperatures and the lack of pollen and nectar, their main sources of food.

To stimulate colonies and prepare them for almond pollination, beekeepers now use patties made of corn syrup, soy flour and brewer's yeast. But placement of the patties is labor intensive and costly, and bees consuming them eventually stop producing worker jelly, a substance vital for feeding the developing bees, called brood.

Entomologist Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman, a specialist in honey bee research, and Allen C. Cohen, a pioneer in developing artificial diets for insects, worked with California orchardists last year to develop an improved honey bee diet. DeGrandi-Hoffman leads research at ARS' Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson, Ariz., while Cohen recently retired from ARS' Biological Control and Mass-Rearing Research Unit in Mississippi State, Miss.

The two scientists developed a recipe for an artificial diet that would give honey bees the whole package of nutrients that they need in an easy-to-feed liquid. The recipe took five months to complete and went through nearly 80 formulations before the right mix was found. It combines the sweetness of nectar and the nutritional punch of pollen in a formula that the domesticated honey bee, Apis mellifera, readily digests and enjoys. Nectar is rich in carbohydrates, and pollen is packed with protein, vitamins, minerals and fats--all essential for bees' development and survival. A machine already used by beekeepers could easily pump the bee food into the hives. Kim Flottum Editor, Bee Culture Magazine http://www.beeculture.com/beeculture/

HONEYBEE GENOME BEING SEQUENCED
The department of entomology at Texas A&M University is abuzz with the news the honey bee genome is being sequenced by the Baylor College of Medicine Human Genome Sequencing Center, especially since Texas A&M helped that project take flight. "This is a huge deal," said Dr. Spencer Johnston, professor of entomology with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. The honey bee was one of five species recently selected by the National Institutes of Health to have its genome sequenced. The NIH funds much of that type of work in the United States.

Texas A&M and the state's beekeeping industry contributed the money to buy the large bacterial artificial chromosomal libraries needed for the project, and Baylor began the data collection recently, Johnston said. "When you take an animal and clone him out, you have a choice on how big a piece you clone," he said. "We just went crazy and made the biggest possible pieces, the biggest number we could afford. We have a tremendous bank of all the chunks of DNA of the honey bee.

Twenty-five times over we have the honey bee genome, and all of these assembled chunks are called libraries." Each living cell contains long strands of DNA, or the genetic code that contains all the information to create and control each cell in an organism, according to the UniSci international science news website.

DNA resembles a long, spiralling ladder, and the rungs of the ladder are made up of chemical units called bases. The clusters of bases make up genes, which determine inherited physical traits and much of behaviour. Sequencing all of this genetic information, or the genome, requires identifying and determining the order of billions of bases that make up DNA and individual genes, the website reported. "The honey bee is the first agricultural species to be sequenced. For that reason, it's important," said Dan Weaver, co-owner of B Weaver Apiaries in Navasota.

The strength of the Honey Bee Genome Project proposal to the NIH lay in several factors, Weaver said. It pointed out the honey bee:

In fact, honeybees are being studied by the U.S Department of Defense as sentinel species that could detect and locate agents of harm, such as chemical or biological threats. "It would appear their olfactory capabilities are at least on par with a dog, if not more sensitive." According to Johnston, the honey bee also is "haplo-diploid." In a sense, each bee chromosome is a X-chromosome, with one copy in the male and two copies in the female, he said. Mutations on the X-chromosome in humans are responsible for many serious conditions, including Turner's syndrome, Trisomy-X, Kleinfelter's syndrome, hemophilia, colorblindness and fragile-X syndrome. Sequencing the honey bee genome would enable comparative analyses to address questions about gene expression, sexual development and X-chromosome-related diseases, he said.

Such factors are important to the NIH, Weaver said. "NIH is more interested in the relevance to human health," he said. Also, the proposal also pointed out the role honey bees play as pollinators of agricultural crops; the economic value of pollination, about billion annually. "Another way to think of it is that one out of every three bites of food was produced or qualitatively enhanced by insect pollination," Weaver said. Baylor will do all the sequencing seven to eight times over. "To our best guess, that's 270 million bases done at least seven times over," Johnston said and added that. the data collection is expected to be completed in about six weeks.

Then Baylor will generate an assembly of that sequence, using sophisticated software to put the billions of pieces of information back together again. Weaver likened it to someone taking seven catalogues, tearing them into tiny pieces, scattering them all over the floor and telling someone else to piece them back together again. "We don't know when that particular aspect will be completed," Weaver said.

The Africanized honey bee genome also will be sequenced. Annotation of the honey bee genome sequence will follow. "Once you have an assembled sequence, then you have to make sense of it. You have to identify which are genes, where are they located, what are the regulatory elements that control the genes, how are these genes are turned on and off, what are the genes they lie adjacent to, how they compare to similar organization of common functionality in the mouse or human or fruit fly."

The genome annotation will be a collaborative effort, led by Baylor, and include the National Center for Biotechnology Information, honey bee and insect researchers, and Texas A&M "bioinformatics," or computer resources.

The information available through NIH is generally displayed in comparison to the human, Weaver said. "It's a lot more difficult to compare other species among themselves. We hope the bioinformatics at Texas A&M will allow direct comparisons of genomic information of agricultural species." Also, "as an agricultural school, Texas A&M will find the information useful in producing bees that are less defensive, pollinate more efficiently and produce more honey," he said. "Ultimately, it's about more and better food on your table, easier and better ways to control Africanized honey bees, improving human health and providing new tools for medicine" he said.

The initial call for sequencing the honey bee came from Weaver, whose contact with Richard Gibbs and George Weinstock, Baylor HGSC co-directors, led to a meeting in December 2001 of honey bee scientists and experts in insect genomics from across the nation, as well as genomics experts from Baylor and the U.S.

Department of Agriculture
Organized by Weaver and hosted by Baylor, the meeting was called to begin developing a "white paper" in response to a call from the NHGRI for the research community to suggest the most important and interesting organisms for sequencing upon the conclusion of the human genome project.

The Honey Bee Genome Sequencing Consortium was formed at the December meeting, and members, which included Weaver and Johnston, drafted and submitted the HBGP proposal.
The original source of this interesting article is Texas A&M University - Agricultural Communications

New Bee Escape Invention Clears the Hive Super Chamber in Hours! For 80 year-old Stan Kowalewski it's better late than never. The Polish-born inventor has come up with a new bee escape device which dramatically reduces the time to clear the honey super chambers normally taking 24 - 48 hours to about two hours. This innovation will be of great interest to garden beekeepers and commercial producers looking for higher efficiency and greater output.
"From a young age, on my parents' farm in Poland, I was always glad to be working on the family beehives, as it was traditional activity for my family for many generations. On moving to Wales, UK in the early 'fifties, I was quick to build new hives and carry on the tradition." said Mr Kowalewski. His natural love of beekeeping allied to an inquisitive and inventive mind meant he was always disappointed at the performance of bee escapes on the market and decided to create a more efficient one of his own design.

Mr Kowalewski's Bee Escape is designed to allow the bees safe and swift exit in much greater numbers than ever before and has a unique method of barring them from re-entering the super. Apart from the time-saving advantage, the Bee Escape cuts down the bee wastage associated with existing bee escape procedures and with less disruption to the bees, it encourages greater honey production.

IBE Partnership would be interested in enquiries from manufacturers wishing to explore licensing and partnering opportunities relating to this product. Ends... Photograph available by email. Please state file preference Contact: Jim Daly, Partner, International Beehive Enterprises Telephone: +44 (0) 1446 775 590 Email: jimdaly@corporateid.co.uk IBE Bee Escape Patent Applied for.

Unfortunately we are unable at this time to disclose a picture or drawing of the device, due to international Patent restrictions, but I hope this photograph of the inventor may be of some use for your publication.

The National Honey Show 2003
Greetings to county organisers,secretaries, editors/publications, contacts at BKA's, others. You are all probably busy with various aspects of work and beekeeping and maybe preparing further superlative entries for the 2003 show(s)? To this end, I will very much appreciate your help in circulating, publishing the enclosures, content details and the following information.

Additional NHS Membership Benefits: A further benefit for family members, (not family membership), is available for an additional £5 per adult. No registration fee for exhibiting. The right to exhibit in the special classes for members. Free admission to the show at all times. Free admission to the popular Convention Lectures held in conjuction with the show. The right to speak and vote at the Annual Meeting held during the show. Download PDF 15KB NHS 2003

Your membership is important toward innovation and maintaining excellence at the finest honey show in the Country.

Special offer - 30+ group @ £5 p.p. entry to Show, (ie. £150 payable in advance)

London BKA's - please register member interest as hosts, (providing basic B+B to paying beekeepers), with me - mojane4@onetel.net.uk Tel: 020 8940 6070. Want affordable B+B? Try Cleveland Hotel 0207 706 2244 Clevelandhotel@hotmail.com or special offers at www.hostelfind.com or contact me. Thankyou for your interest, valued time and support. Sincerely, Mo Davies NHS Publicity.

Bees for Development
www.beesfordevelopment.org
It is always more difficult to write up a web site review than a book because you can constantly look at a book whilst writing it. Similarly, looking at a web site is free and easy and so all one need do is direct people to the web site and ask them to judge for themselves. This in effect is what this review suggests. Many are put off by web sites that make it difficult for the viewer to navigate around, but the new Bees for Development site makes navigating easy. The home page is clear and concise and a top bar directs readers to other parts of the site, easily and efficiently. This is my type of site. I have enough difficulty with keyboards as it is without fighting them. Part of the information given is an ongoing slide show showing the work of the organisation and this in itself is a pleasant innovation seen more and more in the better beekeeping sites. As a charity, the site needs to attract donations and the site makes this easy whether by subscribing to the charity's journal or by direct donation by credit card. Similarly the bookstore makes purchasing easy and efficient. Essentially, the mark of a good site for me is one where information is displayed accurately, clearly and briefly and if you click onto something, the screen changes immediately and you are not left hanging around. This is a well designed site which in my opinion displays Bees for Development in a very favourable light. Well worth a visit.

The latest issue of Bee Craft offers a wealth of information, advice and items of interest for all beekeepers in its monthly columns. http://www.bee-craft.com/ The following is its contents list: Editorial, Winter losses - Adrian Waring, NDB; Sniffer bees at Rothamsted - Peter W Tomkins; Treating your bees in winter - Franc Sivic; Getting started: the new season Margaret Thomas, NDB; Ramblings at Shaw's Corner - Anne Wingate; Beetour 2002 - David J Abson; Heather and heath - Celia Davis, NDB; In the Apiary: children's bee books (1799-1839) - Karl Showier; Beekeeping in Ireland - Eddie O'Sullivan; Book reviews - Mike Todd; Video reviews - Alison Mouser; Ask Dr Drone; Letters to the Editor; Around the colony; The 'B' Kids; Classified advertisements; Calendar and situations vacant

Contents: Producing Quality Honey from Bark Hives, David Wainwright. The Extraordinary Honey Bee Mating Strategy and a Simple Field Dissection of the Spermatheca, Susan Cobey. A Guide to the Small Hive Beetle, Aethina tumida , Keith S Delaplane.
EDITORIAL LETTERS African bees, Peter Taylor; Schley II apparatus, Dr Alexander Komissar - with responses from Susan Cobey to this and John Atkinson's points raised in the last issue. NEWS Products:XIIIth Convention of Innovators and International Beekeeping Exhibition in Prague, October 2002, Dr Vitezslav Vydra; What's new at Thornes? Mitey-Victor - clears bees of varroa; Endoglukin, a preparation for use against viral diseases; New Turkish Journal. Conferences/Symposia: Apitherapy Symposium, Cuba, 14 -18th October 2002; Conclusions & recommendations of the 6th Asian Apicultural Association Conference, Bangalore, India 25th February - 1st March 2002; European Professional Beekeepers Association, 6th General Assembly, Athens, 1-3rd February, 2003; Selected Abstracts of the First Scientific Congress Hellenic Scientific Society of Apiculture-Sericulture, Athens, October 2002; Forthcoming Conferences. Honey market: Producing Quality Honey from Bark Hives. A successful co-operative venture between Zambian honey-producers and a UK beekeeper/packer, David Wainright. Extra Multiple Mating Hives at Large Scale mating Apiary Improved hive design leads to less problems with drifting and greater success with mating, Dr Alexander Komissar. Tricks for Increasing Royal Jelly Production Revising your system for producing royal jelly can give greater profitability, Dr Prof Li Jianke. The Extraordinary Honey Bee Mating Strategy and a Simple Field Dissection of the Spermatheca - Susan Cobey. Conduct Your Own Trials for Using Smaller Quantities of Apiguard. Under certain conditions just 50% of the normal dosage of Apiguard can be used effectively in the fight against varroa, Dr Max Watkins.The Honey Market in the USA - Who buys honey and where from? Ann Harman investigates. A Guide to the Small Hive Beetle, Aethina tumida Keith S. Delaplane. The small hive beetle, already a threat to American beekeepers, is a potential danger for apiaries anywhere. General Status of Apiculture in Iraq Dr V Sivaram, who visited Iraq last winter, presents the results of his survey of beekeeping in a country now ravished by war. Aid for Rural Beekeepers in Africa - Peter Taylor. Visitors to the Hive David Cramp - praying mantis, bee-eaters, potter wasps and death's head hawk moths - are amongst some of the creatures lured to Spanish hives. Book Review - Beekeeping A practical guide for southern Africa D Marchand & J Marchand-Mayne. Subscribe online from the URL: http://www.beedata.com/beebiz

BEE CULTURE
Siftings from April, 2003 Bee Culture: In the letters to the editor, Richard Adee provides his take on the effect of the antidumping campaign and the fact that it will be up for review through the efforts of both Chinese and Argentinians. The lawyer fees for taking on the reviews and the possible consequences are laid out by Mr. Adee in his letter. Editor Kim Flottum asks why the use of liquid formic acid appears to have garnered such opposition by regulators, whereas food grade mineral oil has not. He also provides an analysis as to why the oft used phrase “per capita honey consumption” number hasn’t changed much in the last decade. He urges beekeepers to consider raising some queens this year and promises an article by Bee Culture’s Jim Tew on this very subject in May. Bill Mares provides his take on developing a specialty honey association rather like exists for coffee. Turns out there will be a discussion of this at the 2004 meeting of Eastern Apicultural Society in Pennsylvania. Tom Theobald discusses the fallout of the article concerning spraying poplars in Minnesota; that pesticides will not go away and beekeepers must organize now. He concludes, “ Now may be the last chance beekeepers have to drive a stake in these pesticide problems. Honey prices are high and economic conditions are good. If you don’t, in a few years it isn’t going to matter how big your crop is, what the wholesale price is or how much you aregetting for pollination, because pesticide problems like those going on in Minnesota will do you in. They’ve already had that effect on a lot of your friends, and there aren’t many of you left as it is.” Kim Flottum Editor, Bee Culture Magazine http://www.beeculture.com/beeculture/

The products of the hive are honey, beeswax, propolis, pollen and bee venom all well known to every beekeeper. However, apart from pollen being a health food and bee venom used for desensitising against stings in the case of severe allergic reactions, there are not many beekeepers to my knowledge that use honey, beeswax and propolis medicinally. It might be of interest to examine one or two examples of their use and, perhaps, prompt others to relate their experiences and recipes; this is a facet of beekeeping that has not been very exhaustively addressed.

Honey
The inhibine effect of honey has been well understood for many years whereby honey has antibacterial qualities inhibiting the growth of many bacteria. The inhibine or inhibiter is due to small amounts of hydrogen peroxide in dynamic equilibrium in honey solutions. The hydrogen peroxide is due to the interaction between an acid and an enzyme namely, gluconic acid and glucose oxidase respectively. As far back as the Crimean War honey was successfully used for dressing and treating wounds. Much work has been undertaken in recent years in New Zealand with Manuka honey, which has developed a reputation as a great healer, but whether it is better than other honies remains to be seen as research continues in this country and other parts of the world. Personally I have known two cases of leg ulcers that responded well to dressing with liquid honey when other treatments failed. Certainly it would seem that anyone could use it, to advantage, on a septic wound without medical advice irrespective of the level of antibacterial activity in the honey concerned.

Beeswax
The main use of beeswax to the beekeeper is for making foundation at home by using a press or a Herring die. A pleasant and rewarding winter occupation but, sadly, not much practiced by most beekeepers these days. By far the best method, in my opinion, is the Herring die method and its demise is probably due to the demise of its inventor by the same name. It has disappeared from the market because of the patent, which, I understand, Mrs. Herring refused to sell to a major UK equipment supplier who approached her while she was grieving the death of her husband. Had it not been for this bit of appalling behaviour, beekeeping in the UK would most likely have had a die at a reasonable price. I think I paid a fiver for mine in the 1970s.

My wife, Dawn, has for over 20 years, made an ointment called "Bee Balm" using beeswax. The late Gordon Daws, who at that time was Chairman of the Worthing Branch of BBKA, gave the recipe to her. This balm has help to heal small sores particularly on the mouth, open wounds and patches of dry skin. Daily use of the balm on her hands and feet has kept her skin in good condition. I use it too for minor cuts and scratches. Over the years many people have been supplied with a pot and keep coming back for more. For those who may be interested the recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:
1oz- clean beeswax, broken into small pieces
1oz-distilled water
1.4 grams-boracic acid crystals
5oz-liquid paraffin oil (almond oil or castor oil or a mixture of both may also be used)
1oz-unbleached Vaseline
Sufficient clean 2/4oz pots

Method:
Use a 'bain-marie' to dissolve the boracic acid crystals and distilled water (sprinkle the boracic acid crystals on top of the water).
Melt the beeswax, Vaseline and oil in a double saucepan.
When melted add the boracic crystals dissolved in the distilled water at approximately the same temperature as the wax, Vaseline and paraffin.
Now use an electric beater to vigorously mix all the ingredients until the mixture cools and thickening commences. Placing the pan in cold water can accelerate the cooling.
Pour into pots while still molten.

Propolis
Propolis also has antibacterial properties. These properties are put to good use by the bees primarily to varnish the brood cells before they are re-occupied. Just before the cell is sealed the larva defecates in the cell before spinning a cocoon and then changing into a pupa. When the cells are cleaned after use, the varnishing is part of the disinfecting process thereby keeping the brood nest clean and wholesome. Propolis is harvested commercially, refined and used medicinally for a whole variety of ailments. Propolis was first used seriously in Russia by veterinary surgeons for the treatment of animal complaints; it is now being investigated throughout the world for the treatment of human complaints. A paper in the Lancet some years ago described the treatment of stomach ulcers at a London teaching hospital. A group of patients were treated with ½ pint of milk morning and evening with 2 or 3 drops of tincture of propolis added to the milk. After 3 months a high percentage of the group were completely cured while the rest showed a marked improvement. Tincture of propolis is an alcohol solution saturated with propolis. I make my own tincture of propolis by taking a piece of propolis about the size of a garden pea putting it into a pill bottle, extensively used by chemists, and filling it up with alcohol. The easiest source of alcohol is from a bottle of vodka or gin. Give it a good shake and leave it for a couple of weeks and it is ready for use (a saturated solution of propolis). Excellent for gumboils, drying up cuts, cold sores on the lips, sore throats, you name it; the uses are legion either internally or externally.

Have you any favourite uses for the products of the hive that you would like to share with other readers of Apis-UK? JDY.

FACT OR FICTION (or neither)

In this month's Fact or Fiction article, we take a look at that most complex of subjects, the dance language. I don't think that at the moment, it is at all fully understood, but whether fact or fiction or somewhere in between, it is a most important and interesting subject.

THE HONEYBEE DANCE LANGUAGE QUESTIONED
The dance language of the honey bee has come to be an accepted 'fact' in our beekeeping thoughts. The bees certainly dance; there is some sort of relationship between dance direction and food sources, yet there is persuasive evidence that there is a lot more to it than this and that the dance language may not necessarily play a major part (if any) in recruitment to food sources. In a series of 3 excellent articles in the Oct, Nov and Dec 1998 edition of the American Bee Journal Dr Adrian M Wenner contends that odour and wind direction are critical factors which have been overlooked for almost completely for half a century. He starts his first article with a quote:

"One of my beekeeper friends wrote to me that he obtained four unquestionable [bits of evidence for a 'language amongst bees]. But I am convinced that my friend was misled by his desire, a very natural one, to see the experiment succeed." Maurice Maeterlinck - 1901

Some of Dr Wenners theories and evidence can be reviewed by looking at Barry Biker's www.beesource.com (mentioned in last month's issue of Apis UK). And these articles by Dr Wenner are extremely illuminating, and well worth reading. Of course though there are those who unquestionably rely upon the dance language theory to explain all, but is there any more recent research on the subject? Yes there is. The University of California, Riverside provides us with more in a report written 4 months ago which indicates that although odour has a major role to play, over a certain distance, the dance language is important.

UCR Entomologists Report Bee-Dancing Brings More Food To Honeybee Colonies
Honeybees communicate by dancing. The dances tell worker bees where to find nectar. A UC Riverside study reports that under natural foraging conditions the communication of distance and direction in the dance language can increase the food collection of honeybee colonies. The study also confirms that bees use this directional information in locating the food sources advertised in the dance. Based on work done in 2001 in the Agricultural Experiment Station at UC Riverside, P. Kirk Visscher, professor of entomology, and Gavin Sherman, former graduate student in the department of entomology, report their findings in a paper entitled "Honeybee colonies achieve fitness through dancing" in the journal Nature. The honey bee "dance language," first described in the 1940s, reflects the distance and direction to the food source visited by the forager.

"The dance language is the most complex example of symbolic communication in any animal other than primates," said Visscher. "Our study is the first test of the adaptive value of the dance language. It provides insights that may be of use in manipulating foraging behaviour of honeybees for pollination of crops." There has been a long-simmering controversy over whether the direction and distance information in the dance is actually decoded by the recruits which follow the dances, or whether recruitment is based on the recruits learning only the odor food source from the dancer, and subsequently searching out the food based on odor alone. Several experiments have been published that have convinced most scientists that the bees can decode the direction and distance information, but the relative role of odor and location information has remained in question.
To test the effect of the information in the dance, Sherman and Visscher turned the normally vertical beehive on its side. With the combs horizontal, there was no upward reference for the dancer to use in orienting her waggle runs, and it performed disoriented dances, in which the waggle runs pointed in all directions. To experimentally restore dance information, the experimenters provided a directional light source, which the bees interpreted as the sun. The bees proceeded to do well-oriented dances at the angle relative to the light.

Using these treatments, Sherman and Visscher compared the weight gained by colonies which had oriented dances with that gained by colonies with disoriented dances. To control for colony-to-colony differences, the researchers exchanged treatments periodically. Overall, colonies with oriented dances collected more food. However, this effect was strong only during the winter season. During the summer there was a weak difference, during autumn no difference in food collection. "In the ecology of honeybee colony, though, even short periods of intense food collection can make the difference between survival and death by starvation," Visscher said.

The UC Riverside study also addresses the issues of the dance language controversy. Bees were recruited to syrup feeders in greater numbers when they followed dances which contained distance and direction information as well as odor than when they followed disoriented dances which could only communicate odor. However, at feeders 250 meters from the colony, about one quarter of the recruits did arrive with only odor information. As the distance increased, though, the bees from hives with oriented dances comprised an increasing proportion of the recruits.

(What always puzzles me is that whenever I watch the dance language, the watching (dance following bees) always return to what they were doing before after they stop following the dance. I have never seen even one of them move to the hive entrance and rush off to forage for food as I would expect. If anyone else scientist or beekeeper or both has anything to offer on this subject, do write in. Ed.)

On the subject of scientific reports, the following link offers much in the way of scientific reports on a wide variety of subjects including honey bees. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/12/021216071100.htm

The dance illustrations are taken from the book "The Dance of the Honey Bee" by Robert B.Park, F.L.S. Published by Northern Bee Books at £5.50 inc PP. On special offer during April 2003 from the URL: http://www.beedata.com/nbb/dance.htm

Dear Mr. Cramp,
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We can assure you of the large quantities, highest quality and lowest price makes our Bee Venom powder the best product on the market. This is why most pharmaceutical companies all over the world are interested in our products. Certificates, analyses results and the samples of our bee venom can be sent to you as required by your needs. The price of the Bee Venom powder ranges from $45.00 to $55.00 USD per gram. The minimum order is 500 grams. We currently have at least 15 kilograms of whole dried bee venom Powder in stock. For more information please see our website: http://floretlab.gol.ge or http://www.floretlab.ge Please, feel free to contact us any time. Yours Sincerely Kate Gurasashvili Director of Floret Ltd and Deputy Director of the New Techniques Laboratory Ltd. Our address: 8,Baratashvili str., 380005, Tbilisi,

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Dear Editor,
As always, I have enjoyed reading the latest Apis-UK. In particular, John Yates article on Feeding was thought provoking! I have difficulty doing the arithmetic to obtain sugar concentrations, but I assume his figures are correct. However, surely thin syrup is made from 1 lb. sugar to 1 pint of water (rather than 2 lb. sugar to 1 pint of water for thick syrup). Regards, Brian P. Dennis.

Dear Editor,
As you can see from the attached document West Sussex BKA are trying to address the declining interest in Honey Shows. We are trying to create an event that will be fun and interesting rather than a few jars of honey with no explanation of what they are. Please make use of the attached in whatever form is appropriate as we are appealing to beekeepers far and wide. Yes, even Ireland and the Continent if they are interested. There is some urgency as some classes may need several weeks preparation. In order to have a successful event we need all the publicity we can get and I ask you to help us. Thank you. Roger Patterson, President, West Sussex Beekeepers Association. Email: r.patterson@pattersonpressings.co.uk Download document http://www.beedata.com/apis-uk/newsletters/files/westsussexhoneyfestival2003.pdf (25KB needs acrobat v4.0 and above)

Dear Editor,
It appears that my email address is already in your database. I signed up at last years Spring Convention, but have never heard anything, so had assumed that it had not been entered. I shall look forward to seeing what you have to offer. Sincerely Mike Gaze mikenann@freeola.com (Sometimes ISP's wrongly ban mail from domain and IP addresses. Contact your ISP and ask them why you are NOT getting messages from beedata.com. E.d.)

MORE BEEKEEPING COURSES 2003 UK
Saturday 17th May 2003 - One day beekeeping course for beginners. Mid-Kent Beekeepers Association. Full protective clothing and lunch provided. We can accommodate 12 persons. Priority will be given to people from the Maidstone and Swale areas but all can apply. For details and entry form please phone Richard Worden, Secretary 01622 880226

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Event organisers are welcome to forward dates and details of their events to the editor (by e-mail) for incorporation on this page.

Friday 4th April 2003 - Ashford Branch of the Kent Beekeepers Association Special lecture: Why plants talk to insects by Dr Mike Copland from the Imperial College London. Venue: Wye Campus, Kent on April the 4th 2003 at 7.30pm in the Carr Lecture theatre. Wye is easy to find. Just follow the signs to Canterbury from Ashford along the A28. The junction for Wye is a mile or so outside of Ashford. Once in Wye, just follow the signs for Imperial College. The main security lodge at the college will be happy to direct people to the Carr Lecture theatre on the night. Contact: Mr Robert Fear Secretary Ashford Branch Tel : 01233 639302 Mobile : 0794 120 5368 Email apis-mellifera@boxley28.freeserve.co.uk

Friday 4th - Saturday 5th April 2003 - ULSTER BEEKEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. 59TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE, GREENMOUNT COLLEGE, ANTRIM.
Friday, 4th April:
7.30 PM Opening ceremony
7.45 PM "Beekeepers' back, Margaret Thomas (guest lecturer).
8.30 PM "An evening with Drew Coid"
Saturday, 5th April:
9.00 AM Registration, coffee etc.
9.30 AM Welcome from Ethel Irvine, president UBKA.
Opening announcements.
9.45 AM "Varroa, its detection and spread in Ireland" Paul Moore (DARD)
10.15 AM "Living with Varroa" Margaret Thomas.
11.30 AM "Apimondia 2005" Philip McCabe, (President, FIBKA)
12.00 "New Products" Paul Smith (Thornes)
12.15.PM "Update on New Disease Control Methods" Jeremy Owen (Vita Europe)
12.30 PM LUNCH.
2.00 PM "Making a Varroa floor" Tom Canning.
2.30 PM "Spring Management" Margaret Thomas.
3.15 PM Presentation of Certificates and Awards.
3.45 PM COFFEE BREAK.
4.15 PM AGM, UBKA.

Exhibitors: E.H. Thorne (Beehives), Northern Bee Books, An Beachaire, DARD, Vita Europe Ltd., FIBKA Examination Board.
Admission, including coffee/tea for entire Conference £15 per person, £25 per family. Friday only, £10 per person, £15 per family.
For On-site accommodation contact Jim Fletcher, 028 9187 2163. For other accommodation contact Walter McNeill 028 9446 4648.

Saturday 5th April 2003 - North of England beekeepers' ANNUAL BEEKEEPERS' CONFERENCE. Venue: Northumberland College at, Kirkley Hall, Ponteland.
Programme:
Bryan Hateley: Stocking and maintenance of observation beehives.
Christer Seltorp: Principles of successful over-wintering of bees.
Mike Brown: NBU working for you. Tricks of the trade. Christer Seltorp: Rearing good queens on a small scale.
Bryan Hateley: Building an observation beehive. (The hive will be auctioned afterwards with the proceeds going to conference funds).

Trade stands & Bee Plant sales Total cost including meals on the day: £28-00; but £23-00 for those who have not attended the last two conferences. Persons under the age of 18 years and those in their first year of beekeeping £18-00 total. For details and a booking form contact: Stuart Johnson, Conference Secretary, 7, Shaftoe Close, Ryton, Tyne & Wear. NE40 4UT Telephone: 0191 413 2672 Email: Stu@rtJohnson.fsnet.co.uk

12th April 2003 (Saturday) - The Yorkshire Beekeepers Association Conference. "Something Old and Something New in the Practice of Beekeeping", In conjunction with Bishop Burton College, Beverley East Riding of Yorkshire. Guest Lecturers Glyn Davis - Chairman - British Beekeepers' Association Bob Ogden - Devon Beekeepers' Association Ian Molyneux - Regional Bees Inspector - Northern Region. Conference organisers are Dudley Gue and Ivor Flatman. http://www.bbka.org.uk/bbkafiles/yorkshire-bka-12april2003.pdf [42KB PDF]

12th April 2003 (Saturday) - The West Sussex beekeepers Association 'Practical Beekeeping' Convention at Brinsbury College (on A29 between Pulborough and Billingshurst) from 9.30am Speakers include: John Furzey (over 50 years of Commercial Beekeeping) Norman Hughes (former BBKA Chairman) Richard Ball (Southwestern Regional Bee Inspector who discovered resistant mites) Trade stands. Lunch available in the College Restaurant. A superb day of Beekeeping. Tickest £6 in advance or £8 on the day from Andrew Shelley, Oakfield, Cox Green, Rudgewick, Horsham RH12 3DD (sae appreciated) Further details, if required, on 01903 815655 or email john_bateman_hunt@hotmail.com Email John Bateman

19th April (Saturday) - WORCESTERSHIRE BEEKEEPERS HAGLEY & STOURBRIDGE BRANCH - AUCTION OF BEEKEEPING EQUIPMENT AT BLAKEDOWN PARISH ROOMS Viewing from 9.00 a.m. Auction commences promptly at midday. Details from http://www.busy.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

26th April 2003 (Saturday) The BBKA Spring Convention. Trade Exhibitors and Educational stands galore (about 50 - 60 in three large halls). Lectures and Demonstrations in abundance. Download the full programme in PDF format (1.1MB) from: http://www.beedata.com/files/bbka-spring-conv-programme2003.pdf
Programmes and Advanced Tickets available from John V Hayward, 19 Kings Road, LEISTON, IP16 4DA on receipt of £9 per ticket and a SAE, size C5 with a 33p stamp. (Those without membership cards £13 on the day). John V Hayward john@hayward2.fsnet.co.uk Trade Stands Manager, BBKA Spring Convention.

3rd May (Saturday) - The Meon Valley Beekeepers Association. 24th Annual Auction sale of Beekeeping equipment. Stocks of bees and Beekeeping books and Plants on Saturday, May 3rd 2003 At 1.00 pm. prompt at The Village Hall, Greatham, Nr Liss. (Off A3). Viewing from 11.30 a.m. on the day of the sale only. It is expected that the usual large quantity of equipment and stocks of bees will be on sale. Items for the inclusion in the sale are now welcome. The first 300 lots accepted. Deliveries of lots for sale to be made to the hall on the morning of the sale only between 8.30 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. Catalogues, printed 11th April, will be available at the sale ground or can be ordered by sending 40p and an A4 S.A.E. Commission on sales - 10% plus 50 pence per lot entered. Information and Catalogues from Francis Farnsworth, 2 Malcolm Road, Chandlers Ford, S053 5BG Tel/Fax 023 8027 0622. E-mail mintybees@hotmail.com

10th May 2003 - West Sussex Beekeepers' Association Annual Bee Market and Auction at Brinsbury College, Pulborough. Details of items for inclusion are welcome now. Information and entry forms from David Staples, 14, Northfield Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN13 1QW (sae please) Tel 01903 539205. Viewing from 11am. Auction at 1pm. All bees to have disease free inspection certificate. No used or drawn comb. John Bateman-Hunt E-mail: john_bateman_hunt@hotmail.com

May 17th 2003 - Nottinghamshire Beekeepers Annual auction of beekeeping equipment will be held at the Newark & Nottinghamshire Showground Newark at 2pm sharp. Contact Graham Hardingham 01636 821724

7–8 June 2003 - Sutton Coldfield (Warwickshire) Beekeepers Biennial Meeting. Speakers Adam Hart, David Charles, Bob Ogden, David Kelly and Pam Gregory. Demonstration of Dartington Long Hive. Saturday – Lecture, Demonstration and evening meal. Sunday Demonstration and Lectures with lunch available. Information from Ruby Smith on 0121 354 7548 or e-mail routh.family@lineone.net

July 10 - July 13 - 2003 CMAC 2003. The American Apitherapy Society's Charles Mraz Apitherapy Course - Los Angeles, California. A hands-on course in apitherapy for beginners and experienced apitherapists wishing to keep up to date. Starting with a reception the evening of Thursday, July 10 the AAS is offering their annual course in apitherapy.

This course is designed for people new to apitherapy and for experienced apitherapists who are interested in learning the latest in apitherapy treatments. You will have the opportunity to
experience apitherapy - hands-on. Your instructors will be interesting, enthusiastic people devoted to healing with natural products as well as an experienced team of apitherapists. The classes will be small; the atmosphere conducive to questions and dialogue. The course will cover the use of bee venom therapy, pollen, propolis and royal jelly. The course will culminate in an exam Sunday morning for those who are interested in receiving the Certificate of Knowledge.
FACULTY: Faculty members will include people known in apitherapy circles and experts in their areas including:

Dr. Cherbuliez, who has been practicing apitherapy for 17 years and practicing medicine for 50 years, will be leading the course. He is on the faculty of Cornell Medical School. Dr Cherbuliez serves as President of the Apitherapy Commission for Apimondia, the International Federation of Beekeepers Associations.

Dr. Cherbuliez is currently setting up a country-wide apitherapy program in Burkina Faso, Africa for the United Nations. Dr. Cherbuliez is a Master Beekeeper and has kept bees for over 35 years.

Pat Wagner, an MS patient who has written the book on treating MS with apitherapy, How Well Are You Willing To Bee.

Pat has practiced apitherapy for 11 years and worked with Charles Mraz. She has been interviewed by Connie Chung on TV, and has appeared on the Discovery Channel and Discovery Health Channel.

Dr. Andrew Kochan, Vice President of the AAS, will also be teaching at CMAC 2003. Dr. Kochan has been involved in pain management for 18 years and using bee venom therapy for the past 10 years. Dr. Kochan is a graduate of Washington University Medical School and is on the teaching faculty of University of Southern California Medical School.

Registration for the course and materials: $275 for AAS members and $300 for non-members (includes a one year membership.) NOTE: Registration fees do not include hotel and meals.
If you are an attendee of CMAC 2003 you may purchase at a reduced price the Apimondia Apitherapy CD ROM - $30.00 plus shipping and handling.
To register, mail (or fax) the registration form to the AAS office along with the appropriate payment. (Address is below) You can access a registration form from our website, www.apitherapy.org or by completing the registration form attached to this email. You can use www.PayPal.com to pay your registration fee.

The hotel is the Four Points Sheraton at Los Angeles (LAX) International Airport. The Special AAS Room Rate is $75.00 per night, single or double occupancy so be certain to use the AAS name when reserving and reserve before June 10th. The Four Points has a fitness center, restaurants and offers a free airport shuttle. Please remember, July is tourism season in LA so reserve your room before June 6th. To reserve rooms at the hotel: Website: http://www.fourpointslax.com Telephone toll-free within the US: 800-529-4685 Telephone: 310-645-4600 Fax: 310-649-7047. We hope to see you in Los Angeles! Sara Cornwall Executive Director American Apitherapy Society 1209 Post Road, Scarsdale, NY 10583-2023 USA Tel: 914-725-7944 Fax: 914-723-0920 E-mail: aasoffice@apitherapy.org http://www.apitherapy.org

24-29 August 2003 - 8th International Congress of Apimondia. Ljubljiana, Slovenia. Slovenia is to host the 38th Apimondia beekeeping Congress. The congress will be held in the City of Ljubljiana and the congress invites the submission of papers. Details of subjects and more information can be found on : www.apimondia2003.com

20-21 September 2003 - WEST SUSSEX HONEY FESTIVAL. It is felt by some that honey shows in their current form are in terminal decline and West Sussex Beekeepers Association are attempting to address the situation. A sub-committee was formed and a brainstorming session was held, but before trying to change anything we looked at the current situation. We made comparisons with, say, 40 years ago. This was not to look back at the "Good old days" but to try and tailor our approach in order to make honey shows much more appealing to both exhibitors and visitors. We found that little had changed and came to the following conclusions.

The classes are largely the same
Apart from the decline of sections and addition of soft set classes this is largely true. Why do we have to confine classes to hive products anyway?

The average beekeeper has less colonies
At one time there were many beekeepers with 20+ colonies. It was obviously easier for them to find a frame for extraction or be able to enter in all colour classes. Perhaps a move towards classes that don't rely on colour would be possible.

The average age of beekeepers is much older
Their children have grown up and will not get involved. There is little support for junior classes as a result.

Beekeepers now do more with their hive products
Honey is used in the kitchen much more and wax is used creatively.

Communication is much better
Can we attract entries and visitors from other counties?

There are less beekeepers
This does mean we may have less entrants but by diversifying we may reduce the number of classes they can't enter. We will also need to attract the non beekeeping family members and friends.

People expect to be entertained more
Those who do things would rather do it for fun than with a purely competetive attitude.

We have created a radical schedule that includes most of the traditional classes and many others that we hope will not only get beekeepers to exhibit but non beekeepers as well, whether they be family, friends or members of the general public. Amongst these are :-

The event will be called the "West Sussex Honey Festival" and will be held at Manor Nurseries, Runcton, Chichester on Saturday and Sunday 20-21 September this year. As well as the competetive classes the Festival will include observation and demonstration hives, demonstrations of honey extraction, a presentation of beekeeping equipment "through the ages" (and if any reader has historic equipment they are able to loan, please contact one of the addresses below), photographic displays on honeybees, bumblebees and wasps and, of course, honey tasting and sales.

To generate a closer social link between beekeepers, a Festival Awards Dinner will be held at the venue on the Saturday evening of the event.

For those wishing to make a day or even a weekend there are many attractions in the area including Arundel Castle, Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, Uppark, Fishbourne Roman Palace and the city of Chichester.

If any reader would like more information or a schedule of classes, please contact me, Roger Patterson at r.patterson@pattersonpressings.co.uk 01403 790637, John Stevens at ieem@compuserve.com. 01243 533559, or Entries Secretary Mrs Sue Cooper, Malthouse, Lower Street, Pulborough, Sussex, RH20 2BH. Woodbugs@pgen.net 01798 874061

22-25 February 2004 - Apimondia Symposium on Tropical Beekeeping: Research and Development for Pollination and Conservation. Heredia Costa Rica More detail is available from: Isanchez@una.ac.cr

23-27 February 2004 - 7th Asian Apicultural Association Conference Los Banos College, Lagunas, Philippines. More information from: cleofas.cervancia@up.edu.ph

24th April 2004 BBKA Spring Convention and Exhibition

6-10 September 2004 - 8th IBRA Conference on tropical Bees: management and diversity. Ribeiro Preto, Brazil.

16th April 2005 BBKA Spring Convention and Exhibition

Editor: David Cramp Submissions contact the Editor
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