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COVER
PICTURE: David Cramp the editor of Apis-UK grafting
in the field
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FUTURE ISSUES In
order to give you an indication of what is to come in future issues,
here is a list of headings which should define most issues of the
newsletter.
EDITORIAL.
This will obviously be from me and will vary in length from issue
to issue.
DATES FOR
YOUR DIARY. A list of events, their dates and contact details.
Anyone wanting to add to this list is welcome to do so by sending
their details to me.
NEWS.
Noteworthy news from the beekeeping associated world.
ARTICLES
AND NOTES. Both original and taken from the wider beekeeping
press. Again, contributors are welcome, and I have secured promises
from several potential contributors for future issues.
BOOK AND
VIDEO REVIEWS.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS.
Details of what is being written about in other beekeeping publications
so that readers can follow up their own areas of interest. Again,
if editors of other publications want their contents lists published,
just let me know.
USEFUL ORGANISATIONS.
In each issue I want to provide details of an organisation of use
to beekeepers starting off in this issue with IBRA. Any organisations
wanting to be included in this part of the newsletter are welcome
to send details to me.
HANDY HINTS
FOR BEEKEEPERS. Many will welcome sage advice from experienced
beekeepers on apiary manipulations.
HISTORICAL
NOTE. An item from beekeeping history.
APITALK.
Your chance to send in your views on any aspect of the beekeeping
world.
Obviously,
as the newsletter grows, changes can and probably will be made but
essentially the above will feature in most issues.
Something New
It's always a daunting task starting something from scratch, or
it seems so to me anyway, especially if you want to create something
just a bit different, and something that can evolve as time goes
on and experience increases. Apis UK is essentially a WEB newsletter
on beekeeping aimed a bringing together in one location on the
web information for beekeepers: research, current events, relevant
issues such as varroa control, and so on. The 'so on' is important
and will depend on how the newsletter develops, subscriber input
and a host of other variables. So feedback on the contents will
always be welcome and if there is sufficient demand, direct reader
input could be generated in a letters page. Certainly if individuals
or associations/ organisations/ editors wish to advertise events
and shows then don't hesitate to write in from any corner of the
globe.
The initial output will be small but I hope that this small launch
issue will give you a taste of things to come. I am sure that it
will grow into a truly useful beekeeping web tool for beekeepers
everywhere. I am gathering a good band of contributors who are experts
on their subjects and their input will be seen in future issues.
Of course, readers are also welcome to let me know what they want,
be it more science, more about apitherapy, where to find relevant
information, or more about any other subject of interest to beekeepers.
And if you have something to contribute, don't hesitate to let me
know.
Having been asked to start the project I will do my best to ensure
a regular output, so if you've read this, let others know about
it.
DATES FOR
YOUR DIARY.
Event organisers
are welcome to forward dates and details of their events to the
editor (by email) for incorporation on this page.
10-14 Jun:
National Diploma in Beekeeping Course at the National Bee Unit,
York. Details from the Course Director, K Basterfield NBD, Old rectory,
Gulworthy, Tavistock, Devon, PL19 8JA.
Email: ken@basterfield.com
1-5 July:
6th European Bee Conference. Bees without frontiers. Cardiff, UK.
Details of this conference can be obtained from Sandra Phillips
at IBRA.
Email: conference@ibra.org.uk www.ibra.org.uk
2 July:
The Annual General Meeting of IBRA will be held during the above
conference. www.ibra.org.uk.
12-14
July:Seale Hayne Conference at Newton Abbot. Speakers include
Mark Winston and Francis Ratnieks. Details from: Jane Ducker, 01647221225.
4-6 September:
8th International Symposium on Hazards of Pesticides to Bees. Bologna,
Italy. Contact Dr Claudio Porrini. eprrini@entom.agrsci.unibo.it
or Dr Gavin Lewis. Email: gavin.lewis@jsci.co.uk
6-9 September:
BIBBA conference 2002, at Sheffield University.
11-15 September:
INTERMIOD 2002. Moscow, Russia. 3rd International Exhibition and
Conference. For more information contact: AV Cherekaev. Email: expostroy@expostroy.ru
14-16 Nov:
The National Honey Show. www.honeyshow.co.uk
Change of date:
The German Apitherapy Congress due to have been held this Spring
has been postponed. More information can be found at: www.apitherapy.com
BRIEF NEWS
UPDATE.
WORKING
VICTORIAN APIARY
A new feature in the form of a working Victorian Apiary has been
added to the gardens at Hodsock Priory at Blyth. Hodsock is renowned
for its winter gardens and snowdrop displays.
For details of visiting times contact Kate Garton; Email: kategarton@cwcom.net
[ The Snowdrop Gardens are now closed and will re-open in early
February 2003. Please check later in the year for actual opening
dates.] http://www.snowdrops.f9.co.uk/
NEW IBRA
PRESIDENT
Professor Octaaf Van laere began his term of office as IBRA's president
in January of this year taking over from Dr Hachiro Shimanuki. Details
of the new president's life and work can be found in Bee World Vol
83/1/2002.
ARTICLE
FROM BEEDATA.COM
Organic Honey in the UK
Organic Honey is regulated by strict set of guidelines, which covers
not only the origin of bees, but also the siting of the apiaries.
The standards indicate that the apiaries must be on land that is
certified as organic and be such that within a radius of 4 miles
from the apiary site, nectar and pollen sources consist essentially
of organic crops or uncultivated areas. Also enough distance must
be maintained from non agricultural production sources that may
lead to contamination, for example from urban centres, motorways,
industrial areas, waste dumps, waste incinerators. The 4 miles guideline
originates from research done by The National Pollen Research Institute,
which is the maximum distance bee's travel from their hives. These
strict guidelines mean that is almost impossible for any UK producer
to be certified as organic. Therefore as you pointed out most organic
honey is unfortunately imported. Helen Ireland (Information and
Supporter Services Officer) Soil Association. More information on
the campaign for organic food http://www.beedata.com/news/organichoney.htm
Our thanks to Peter Edwards for bringing this to our attention.
NEW VIDEO FOR BEGINNER BEEKEEPERS
Believed by many who have seen it to be the best video on the market
for beginner beekeepers, 'An Introduction to beekeepers' with Paul
Metcalf is now on sale. Paul Metcalf has been beekeeping for almost
50 years. For 12 of those years he was the beekeeping advisor for
Norfolk and he currently lectures on beekeeping at Easton College.
In this video,
he takes us through the beekeeping year, from April to the onset
of winter. The management of the hive is carefully explained and
demonstrated, including swarm control, disease control, honey extraction
and feeding. The video is paced to allow the viewer time to study
in detail correct handling procedures at all stages of the hive's
summer cycle.
The video has
a running time of 100 minutes and is available at 21.50 post
paid from Northern bee Books. http://www.beedata.com/nbb/videos&slides.html
A LOOK AROUND
THE BEEKEEPING PRESS. WHO'S TALKING ABOUT WHAT?
This part of
the newsletter looks at what some of the other beekeeping periodicals
are mentioning with the aim of directing readers of Apis UK towards
articles of interest. Any editors are welcome to send me their contents
lists and any extracts of articles in their productions that they
wish Apis UK readers to know about.
The latest
edition of Bee World from IBRA (Vol 83 No 1, 2002), contains a series
of interesting articles, all of which make very interesting reading.
Beehives of
the Aegean Islands. A description of many of the traditional hives
that the authors have found in the Aegean Islands. One type currently
used on Paros is very similar to hives excavated in Attica on the
nearby Greek mainland dated to 400BC and later. Written by Thanassis
Bikos and Ekaterini Rammou.
Honeybee winter
mortality in France in 1999 and 2000. This is a study of 41 apiaries
in France that suffered severe bee mortality. The authors assess
the presence of several severe diseases present in many of the colonies
and conclude that whether these diseases were the primary causes
of the winter losses, the application of classical management methods
in preventing diseases and treating well known pathogens remains
necessary and beneficial.
The EU regulatory
framework for GM crops in relation to bees. GM crops and their products
have been grown and commercialised in Europe and this may be a prelude
to more widespread cultivation and use. Written by Ingrid Williams
of IACR Rothamsted, this in depth report is the first of a series
of articles that explore the interactions of bees with GM crops.
Some crops, particularly GM oilseed rape and GM maize are or will
be visited by bees. This will have implications for beekeepers harvesting
and marketing honey and other bee products from these crops, for
the bees themselves as they feed on nectar and pollen from the crops
and for other crops or wild plants that the bees may spread GM pollen
to. The article, the first of a series, is essential reading for
all beekeepers interested in the regulatory framework that aims
to ensure the safety of the crops for human health and the environment.
If you are serious about knowing about GM crops and bees, then read
this.
Further details from www.ibra.org.uk
On this vexed
subject of GM crops, several of the beekeeping magazines include
articles discussing them. The Scottish Beekeeper in its January
and February 2002 issues provide some serious information on the
problems of GM technology. The January issue asks 'What are the
problems to which we should be concerned?' and gives a comment on
the amount of GM material in honey.
For more information, visit: http://www.scottishbeekeepers.org.uk/
Continuing with the GMO theme, the beedata.com newsletter offers
an article on the AFB/GMO link showing that in 1966 resistance to
tetracycline appeared in bee bacteria in Argentina, the US and shortly
afterwards in Canada, the three countries which show 98% of the
worlds GM crops.
The Essex Beekeeper
in its February 2002 edition also brings us a series of short articles
and comments on GM crops under the heading 'Genetically Modified
Crops' - Still a worrying issue'. One particular article by Dr Mae
Wan Ho. Institute of Science in Society at the Open University is
an authoritative note asking can biotechnology help fight world
hunger?.Gives an insight into current thinking on the issues and
concludes that they are not safe.
The latest
edition of the Journal of Apicultural Research from IBRA is now
available and as usual provides a series of authoritative articles
of scientific research. In this latest issue the topics covered
include;
Evaluation of honeybee miticides.
The molecular characterisation of Nosema bombi and a note on its
sites of infection.
Morphometrics of honeybees of the Balearic islands.
Effects of powdered sugar used to control varroa on colony development.
Laboratory rearing of small hive beetles.
Observations on the pollinating activity of the solitary bee, Anthophora
plumipes in the UK.
For more information visit: www.ibra.org.uk
The welcome
return of BEE BIZ to the beekeeping world under the editorship
of John Phipps brings with it much of interest to both the professional
and non professional beekeeper. The relaunch issue covers the following
topics:
NEWS: The honey
Market-Professional Beekeepers Associations-Shows-Conferences and
exhibitions-Bee Research-New Equipment-Bees in the media.
Instrumental Insemination. Innovations and a description of new
equipment.
Working Smarter, Not harder: Apicultural Productivity in the 21st
Century.
The Varroa Mite: a cure in sight.
Nepal: A promising future for apiculture.
China's Apiculture.
The use of food grade mineral oil and integrated beekeeping practices.
Advertising: new and different ideas.
Niche marketing of honey.
The development of Kiwifruit pollination.
And finally some book reviews.
Bee Biz website: http://www.beedata.com/beebiz/index.htm
Most of the magazines and newsletters contain at least some information
on the fight against varroa and in its January 2002 edition of Beekeeping,
the Devon beekeepers Association provide a very interesting article
on the effects of Neem Oil on varroa mites and bees. The article,
written by Peter Schenk, Anton Imdorf and Peter Fluri of the Swiss
Bee Research centre at Liebefeld, Bern, used bees in laboratory
conditions infested with varroa. The bees were brought into contact
with neem oil which showed a damaging effect on the mites. The effect
was dose dependant however, the optimum dose had not yet been sufficiently
researched. The research showed that a 75% solution of neem oil
showed a mite death rate of 100% with a 10% bee mortality rate.
The researchers concluded that the oil did have a dose dependant
effect on the mites but it was not discovered which component(s)
of the oil are responsible for this.
Keeping it
clean. Residues in hive products.
Residues in honey and other hive products are very much in the news
at the moment and the recent ban on Chinese honey because of this
problem is something very much on the minds of many beekeepers.
The facts of this story can be found in a very good article by James
Morton at http://www.beedata.com/news/antibiotic-res-imported-honey-feb02.htm
But of course, honey is only one of the hive products that can be
contaminated. An interesting article in the JAR describes the use
of gas chromatography to determine coumaphos (perizin) and tau-fluvalinate
(apistan) residues in royal jelly produced under commercial conditions.
The research carried out by Panos G Balayannis of the Peticide Science
Laboratory, Agricultural University of Athens found that no residues
were found in samples of royal jelly from colonies treated with
tau-fluvalinate, (impregnated wooden laths) but the samples taken
from colonies treated with coumaphos emulsion (spray) were contaminated
with amounts varying from trace amounts in samples taken 42 days
after application to 92ng/g in samples taken 7 days after application.
The results can be explained considering the fundamental differences
in application. A spray that covers the frames and wax and brood
which causes the workers to be in contact with the chemical for
long periods, and the application of tau-fluvalinate on wooden laths
where the workers come into contact with only a small surface area
of contamination. As a result, the end product, the royal jelly,
is without contamination.
JAR Vol 40 no.2 2001.
So that
was a quick look around the beekeeping press and I hope to expand
this section in future issues, to give readers an idea of current
concerns and current research patterns in the apicultural world.
FEATURED
ORGANISATION.
This part of
the newsletter is dedicated to providing information about organisations
of interest to, and of use to beekeepers. Our featured organisation
for this issue is IBRA.
Do let me know if you want YOUR organisation featured, and do provide
me with the necessary information to help me show you at your best.
THE INTERNATIONAL
BEE RESEARCH ASSOCIATION. (IBRA).
The results
of the bee smoker competition held at Shelbyville, Illinois in 1928
may not be of overwhelming interest to many readers of a UK beekeeping
newsletter and it is true, that on a global scale it would probably
be regarded as of little importance. But, if you did need to find
out this information, where on earth would you go to find it?
Or if you were conducting research into the roles of honeybee workers
and drones in colonial thermogenesis, where would you look to further
your investigations?
The answer to these questions of course, as you may have guessed
from the title of the article, is from The International Bee Research
Association, (IBRA), the headquarters of which is based in Cardiff,
Wales. If an answer to a question on bees and beekeeping exists,
IBRA claim to have it. Currently presided over by its new Chairman,
Professor Octaaf Van Laere and directed by Mr Richard Jones, this
comparitively small organisation spans the globe in the extent of
its knowledge and influence, and prides itself on being 'the world
information service on bees', yet is comparatively little known
about by the average beekeeper.
IBRA was established in 1949 as the Bee Research Association at
the instigation of several members of the research committee of
the British Beekeepers' Association. Its primary aim then was to
bring together bee scientists, who after the end of the second world
war, had an urgent need for information about new research and developments.
The BRA became the IBRA in 1975 to reflect the international nature
of the membership, and this new version of the association came
into being at a meeting held in the lecture room of the Linnean
Society in London. The same room in which Charles Darwin and Alfred
Russell Wallace had, 'made the first communication on their views
on the origin of the species of natural selection' - an appropriate
location!
So what does IBRA do now? How is it helping apiculture on a global
scale?
Firstly, it maintains and allows access to the 'Eva Crane Library'-
a unique treasure house of information on bees. Not just honeybees,-
all bees. The oldest records in the library date from the early
17th Century, with an original of 'The feminine monarchie or The
history of the bees' by Charles Butler (1634) and a copy of the
first English version of the works of Virgil containing amongst
other writings, his Georgics with a wealth of Roman bee lore. (1697).
New, up to the minute information is added continuously. Currently
the library holds over 4000 books, scientific papers and theses,
together with nearly 300 journals, most of them in bound form. If
a journal exists, or used to exist, IBRA will probably hold it.
These journals are from all over the world and underline the international
nature of the Association.
The library also contains thousands of research articles from all
of the worlds' bee press and research journals. Under its 'BeeSearch'
programme, the IBRA staff are able to conduct computer searches
for information covering all aspects of honeybees (Apis species),
and other species of Apoidea, developments in beekeeping equipment
and techniques, bee forage, pollination, and just about any other
aspect of 'bees' you care to think about.
In order to
further its aims, IBRA published three respected journals. Firstly
'Bee World', edited by Dr Pamela Munn of IBRA's staff is a quarterly
journal of topical news, reviews and articles, designed to bridge
the gap between beekeeping science and practice. All members of
IBRA receive this journal. Secondly, IBRA publishes 'The Journal
of Apicultural Research, (JAR). This is the leading English language
journal for original research, and its high standards were recognised
at the 33rd International Apicultural Congress held in Beijing,
where it was awarded the Gold Medal in the journals competition.
It contains only peer reviewed articles of the highest standard
and is edited by Dr Thomas Rinderer at Baton Rouge, USA. The third
journal published by IBRA is 'Apicultural Abstracts'. This is available
on disk or in hard copy, and improved methods of electronic transmission
are constantly being developed and introduced. And remember that
over 60% of what is found in Apicultural Abstracts are only found
in Apicultural Abstracts. The Director Richard Jones comments in
his recent editorial in Bee World, 'Surely no serious work in any
bee related field can begin without checking out this data base
first. But it is!
Most beekeepers
will know that book publication is also a feature of IBRA's work,
and again Apimondia awards have been made on several occasions in
the recent past. Books such as 'The pollen loads of the honeybee'
by Dorothy Hodges and its successor 'A colour guide to the pollen
loads of the honey bee' by William Kirk; 'Anatomy and Dissection
of the Honeybee' by H Dade, have become classics amongst beekeeping
publications, whilst the published results of IBRA organised conferences
are extremely popular. These latter publications include such titles
as 'Varroa: fight the mite', 'Beeswax and propolis for pleasure
and profit', 'Bumblebees for pleasure and profit', 'Habitat management
for for wild bees and wasps', and 'Honey and Healing', this last,
an important addition to our knowledge of apitherapy. Possibly the
most visible way in which IBRA carries out its tasks is the organisation
of conferences notably the 4 yearly conference on tropical apiculture.
This has become the unsurpassed forum on the science and practicalities
of beekeeping in the tropics. The proceedings of these conferences
have become much valued references for people working in subjects
related to bees in the tropics, and help to further IBRA's aim of
promoting bees as wealth creators.
This of course brings me back to my original question to which you've
no doubt been dying to know the answers. Well, Mr Brown of Monticello
won the bee smoker competition held in Shelbyville Illinoise in
1928. It was judged on the volume of smoke, coolness and odour.
Each competitor was allowed two matches and two minutes to start.
After the start, three puffs were allowed followed by the judging.
There were four contestants, but the fourth ran out of matches through
over eagerness and nervousness. Mr AF Berry came second and Mr W
Ruelecke came third, both of Assumption,- Mr 'Nervous' was not named.
Explosives were barred from the competition. (Illinois State Beekeepers
Association Bulletin Aug 1928). (Anything here for the BBKA?).
IBRA can be
contacted as follows:
Tel. +44 (0) 1222 372409. (24 Hours).
Fax. +44 (0) 1222 665522.
Email: mail@ibra.org.uk
WWW. www.ibra.org.uk
Address: 18 North Road, Cardiff. CF1 3DY, UK.
An Information leaflet is available in both English and Spanish.
PROFILE
of the Editor David Cramp.
About the editor. For those of you who have never heard
of me (and that might be quite a few of you), here is a bit about
myself and my beekeeping credentials.
I started
beekeeping about 12 years ago whilst still serving in the RAF at
Waddington in Lincolnshire, with two WBC hives in the married quarter
garden. Membership of the Lincoln branch of the BBKA provided
me with my essential basic instruction and I then went on that excellent
beekeeping course then run by Alan Campion at the local agricultural
college. (He is the author of 'Bees at the bottom of your Garden'
which was my beekeeping bible. I'm glad to see that it has now been
republished). After finishing my service I undertook a years post
graduate diploma in beekeeping at the Bee Research Unit,
University of Wales in Cardiff, under Professor Robert Pickard and
Dr Robert Paxton and ended it with a thesis on Drone Congregation
Areas. (A most interesting and mysterious subject).
The course gave me a great interest in the science of beekeeping
which I still retain today. I then left the UK for remote Spain
and began a small beekeeping business; selling honey; giving courses
to groups and individuals and vastly increasing my knowledge of
the practical side of apiculture. I was also fortunate enough to
be able to write for the UK, US and Spanish bee press and various
smallholding magazines, and in 1999 wrote 'The Beekeepers Field
Guide'.
I now live with my wife and two young daughters (the 7 year old
being adept at identifying and following swarms) on a finca in the
province of Huelva in Andalucia where we keep bees, and attempt
to produce olives, cork and honey. For several years now I have
been the representative for Spain of that most worthy organisation,
IBRA, and now have the pleasurable but daunting task of editing
this new venture on the web.
Editor:
David Cramp Submissions
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