Apis-UK April 2003

EDITORIAL
LOOKING BACK ON IT ALL. A FIRST ANNIVERSARY
For our 1st anniversary issue we have a quiet month. There is much going on in the world of bees and not all of it is reported upon, but over the past year Apis UK has attempted to bring to the attention of readers all the main news together with items of interest that few of us hear about in the normal bee press. This takes a lot of research and web combing to find these little pieces of information that interest readers and much of this is carried out by our indomitable web master Steve Turner. I sign my name to everything but truth to tell, he does most of the work.
Even from as far away as Spain I can hear him grit his teeth when yet again the editor piles a load of last minute stuff onto his screen for incorporation into the news letter. My technology here is limited and fairly steam driven and so he has the unenviable task of rearranging it all and putting into readable form. He does all this in a last minute rush because of me, but unfortunately for him, I know he can do this so despite my promises, I fear that little will change in this respect. So thanks for the work Steve and for the future I'll try and get my act together more promptly.

LOOKING FORWARD
As Apis UK enters its second year, the form of the newsletter seems to be set, but this is not really so. We are open to any suggestions as to how to improve it and make it more relevant to the electronic beekeeper. To this end, we really do need your inputs. Inputs from abroad are welcome as much as from the UK.

Beekeeping isn't an isolated UK affair, and what happens in France, Germany, Spain or Guinea Bissau for that matter is as relevant as news from Stoke Poges. We can all learn from each other's experiences. Science too plays an important part in our lives and I hope to increase the (practical) scientific content of the newsletter. This won't be an immediate process, but it is the direction in which I hope to take Apis UK. So if you receive an email from me pleading for an input, do respond positively and allow us to learn from your knowledge.

The war in Iraq has now effectively finished (at least the military campaign) and the difficult process of establishing Iraq as a safe and functioning nation has begun. For me, this means trying to re-establish communications with the Iraq Natural History Museaum (if it still exists) and re-engaging in their research on bee eaters. We'll see how it goes. I think that it will be a long process.

AND NOW FOR THE PRESENT. THIS ISSUE
A very wet Spring is well underway here in Spain and I've included some photographs of our first new queen laying well, our first swarm, our first festival and our first important Spring flowers (Retama). Beekeeping is certainly a colourful world.

Spanish festival local Romeria

Retama Spring flowering in Spain

David Cramp's first new queen

David Cramp's first swarm of the season

Stoneleigh has been and gone and a report on this important event in the UK beekeeping scene has been compiled below. I wasn't able to be there but do hope to visit the Honeyshow in London in November.

In this issue we again bring important news on the world of insects. If you think that you knew where they evolved from, see below and think again.

IBRA appoints a new Senior Editor for its acclaimed science journal 'The Journal of Apicultural Research' and it's a name that most of us are familiar with.

The importance of preserving insect pollinators is now being recognised at the highest levels internationally. This is excellent news for all of us and is reported by IBRA. With these items and others, I hope that you enjoy reading this quiet anniversary issue of Apis UK.

David Cramp. Editor.

NEWS

NEW IBRA EDITOR APPOINTED
The latest Edition of the IBRA journal 'Bee News' anounced the appointment of Professor Keith Delaplane as the new senior editor of the prestigious and highly aclaimed 'Journal of Apicultural Research' (JAR). The JAR is one of the most important of the scientific journals on bee science and its peer reviewed articles are regarded as being at the cutting edge of science. Prof Delaplane takes over the post of Senior Editor from Dr Thomas Rinderer.
In his guest editorial, Prof Delaplane describes his delight at being asked to publish his first Post Grad thesis in the JAR by the then Senior Editor, Eva Crane. "As a young person, that was heady stuff" he explained. He went on to say that he together with the IBRA staff were intent upon maintaining the high standards of the JAR and ensuring that the journal became increasingly electronic friendly for the benefit of author, reviewer and reader.

(I have long admired Professor Delaplane's writing, especially in the American Bee Journal and other magazines where his down to earth approach to bees and bee science are always of a practical nature and very much in tune with beekeeping and beekeepers today. I'm sure that with a bee scientist of his calibre as senior editor, the JAR will be in good hands.Ed).

INSECT EVOLUTION. THINK AGAIN
If you thought you knew where bees evolved from then think again.
Ever heard of the order Collembola? Well these are the insects (a basal group of arthropods from which all insects are believed to have evolved). They exist today and are more commonly called springtails. This name derives from the tuningfork shaped device held in place beneath their bodies. When disturbed, this device which is hinged to one end of the body, is released and springs the insect forward through the air.
It has always been accepted that based on their morphological characteristics Insects evolved from this group. A new study however carried out by the US Dept of Energy's Joint Genome Institute working with a team of Italian researchers has found that this group evolved separately from insects and independantly adapted to life on land. They are now regarded as constituting an independant evolutionary line which branched off the line leading to insects at a much earlier stage than previously thought. The research is based on the study of mitochondrial DNA and the results were first published in the March 21 issue of the journal Science. For a full report on this interesting development click onto: www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/JGI-tree-of-life.html

CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY ADOPTS THE INTERNATIONAL POLLINATOR INITIATIVE
In the last edition of Apis UK (Mar 03), an article on the use of honey bee colonies as pollinators highlighted the decline of non apis pollinators and the risks of relying upon just one species, Apis mellifera. And this concern has been recognised at the highest levels internationally. Now, the Convention on Biological Diversity has recognised pollination as a key driver in the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem function, and at its recent meeting the International Pollinator Initiative (IPI) was approved.
Dr Ingrid Williams writing in Bee World 1/2003 (IBRA) explains that the IPI brings pollinators (Bees etc) to the forefront of agricultural policy internationally, recognising that pollination is an essential ecosystem service upon which diversity amongst species, including agricultural crops and our own food supply.
She goes on to say that this initiative also recognises that we can no longer assume that pollination is a free ecological service, but that it must be nurtured by providing our pollinators with suitable habitats and environmental support within agro ecosystems so that they can continue to provide this service. She hopes that this initiative will at least begin to reverse the alarming decline in pollinator diversity witnessed over recent decades. For more information on this, see www.ibra.org.uk (See also Apis UK Mar 03).

HYGENIC BEHAVIOUR AMONGST HONEYBEES IN THE UK
For many years now, research has taken place in many countries (especially in the USA) to determine the presence of hygienic behaviour in honeybees and to determine whether this propensity can be propogated in honeybee breeding programmes. Research has also tried to determine whether 'hygienic' colonies are more resistant to diseases such as AFB or more able to deal with varroa. Now a UK study carried out by the NBU over two years "2001 and 2002 has shown that 10% of colonies demonstrated this trait. Although the study was small, (37 colonies in 2001 and 41 in 2002), they believe that with a wider study it may well be possible to correlate the presence of hygienic behaviour with disease occurrence. For a full report on this study and what it means for the beekeeper, see Bee World 1/2003 IBRA. www.ibra.org.uk

(This type of ongoing research carried out by the NBU is I believe just the sort of practical science that produces practical results for beekeepers. I hope that the NBU are able to continue this work on a wider scale. Ed).

US BEE SCIENTIST HONOURED
Molecular geneticist Jay D. Evan's studies of genes that influence honey bee development, pest resistance, and other traits have led to him receiving a prestigious award from the Agricultural Research Service, the chief scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. ARS honoured Evans and other award-winning scientists recently at a ceremony at the agency's Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center.

Evans joined ARS' Bee Research Laboratory at Beltsville in September 1998, and promptly assembled a state-of-the-art molecular research facility to study his subject, Apis mellifera, whose crop pollination activity is considered a $14 billion asset to U.S. agriculture. Within his first three years at the ARS lab, Evans authored or co-authored 12 manuscripts, including a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that examined the interplay of the hive environment and genes in determining whether honey bee larvae become queens or workers.
Evans genomics research also extends to honey bee parasites, insect pests, and pathogens. Using an approach called molecular phylogenetics, for example, Evans and colleagues established South Africa as the original source of U.S. introductions of the small hive beetle, a pest that infiltrates bee hives. (See report in Apis UK Feb 03) to feed on pollen and honey. His development of genetic markers for specific regions of beetle DNA that distinguish it from other insects-has given federal and state regulatory agencies an important surveying tool for tracking the pests in their U.S. migration.
Evans also devised new DNA sequencing techniques to identify markers tied to antibiotic resistance in the bacterium Paenibaccillus larvae, which causes American foulbrood disease. Use of such markers suggests the bee pathogens antibiotic resistance didn't happen at one geographic location, but independently at different apiaries across the country.
Evan's lab also is finishing up work to sequence DNA in the mitochondria, or cellular "power plants," of Varroa mites, parasites that feed on honey bee blood. One aim is to study genetic variation in the DNA so that the Varroa's taxonomic status can be clarified. Another goal is to develop genetic markers that could be used to track the Varroas migration patterns, check for re-introductions of the parasite, or screen mite populations for pesticide resistance. (Quite a bee scientist. Ed).

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, Swarming David Aston, PhD, NDB; My first swarm collection David Wardell; The problematic small hive beetle James Ellis; Getting started:the full inspection Margaret Thomas, NDB; Give me air! Celia Davis, NDB; Herbs for bees and beekeepers:sage Alison Mouser; In the Apiary:children's bee books(1840-1880) Karl Showler; Beekeeping in Ireland Eddie O'Sullivan; Beehive trailers Ian Stiby; Letters to the Editor; Obituaries:Alan Hawes,John Pearce,Lillian Hender; The 'B' Kids; Classified advertisements; Calendar.

BEE CULTURE
The May issue of Bee Culture magazine is loaded with basic and advanced how-to for beekeepers everywhere. Queen production for the backyard beekeeper, pesticides in hives, producting nucs...it's all here if you want it. Check out the May issue, or subscribe today.

Steve Sheppard reports recent results showing how fluvalinate and coumaphos impact queen honey bees. Steve's is an important article to distinguish how subtle the effects of pesticides can be on honey bees; this adds fuel to the fire that has been brewing for some time on this subject. He concludes, "To me, these findings strongly support the common sense wisdom that beekeepers should strive for prudent and minimal use of pesticides inside honey bee colonies." Canadian beekeeper Terry Fehr writes about the value of making nucs (nuclei: small colonies) in Manitoba. He emphasizes that these smaller colonies (nucs) make for a stronger operation and also can take advantage of younger queens. Colonies are wintered both indoors and out depending on size and age. The effects of tracheal mites are discussed, a problem that affects northern beekeepers more than those in the south. Mr. Fehr says it takes about a year and a half before colonies show detectable mite levels; thus, in his system using nucs and young queens no treatment is necessary. His technique has stood him in good stead for over 12 years with surprisingly few changes implemented during that period for his 1000 or so colony operation. In a related article, Jeff Ott describes making splits on the prairies of Colorado in May, a challenging time as the weather is extremely variable. Making splits gives the beekeeper more colonies and reduces the population level so that swarming becomes minimal. Mr. Ott monitors closely his splits for queens and food. He concludes, "The best we can do for established colonies is keep out of their way and give them the space to grow. They'll do the rest. It is a different story for the splits. They've been stressed by the operation and need our attention and care if they are to grow and provide a first year's crop of honey." Kim Flottum Editor, Bee Culture Magazine http://www.beeculture.com/beeculture/index.html

BEE WORLD (IBRA)
Guest Editorial. Keith S Delaplane. The Amazing mini brain: Lessons from a honey bee. Martin Giurfa. (A brilliant article in colour on the bee brain Ed.). Hygeinic behaviour in honey bees in the UK. A preliminary Study. Ruth Waite, Michael Brown and Helen Thompson. The Convention on Biological Diversity adopts the International Polinator Initiative. Ingrid H Williams. Plants for Bees. Acacia ataxacantha. Usman Dukka. Carpet Grass. Patricia Vit. Bladimiro Sliva and Pablo Meléndez. IBRA News. World news. Library news. Science Roundup (Hazards of Pesticides To bees. John Stevenson).

ARTICLES

Will beekeeping in UK die a natural death during this century?
By John Yates

I had occasion to review the BBKA membership figures when I was preparing the manuscript of my recently published monograph on "Beekeeping Equipment". It showed that a steady decline has taken place from 1982 to the present day from circa 19,000 to circa 8,000 and if the trend is extrapolated the BBKA will cease to exist in circa 2017. It should also be noted that the peak membership figures occurred in the late 1940s when membership was of the order of 80,000. These figures apply only to the BBKA and ignore the Scottish, Welsh and Irish Associations that presumably have suffered the same fate. There are many beekeepers that do not belong to any of the associations and these have been variously estimated as about the same number of association members to 50% of the association members. DEFRA (NBU) is probably the only organisation that could supply the best estimate derived from inspections for foul brood. They have always been, in my opinion, unnecessarily secretive about such figures so it unlikely that we will ever have an accurate number.

During the last 20 years, to my knowledge, the BBKA have been trying to halt this downward trend in membership with no success and I must assume that the other associations have been similarly concerned with the same or a similar situation. So what is the problem and what is the answer?

Since we all pay our subscription, could it be that the Associations are not providing value for money? I must admit that I now only pay my subs to get the third party insurance, any other benefits are of little interest to me. Years ago I valued the association lectures but I come away these days with the feeling that I didn't learn very much from that talk. Where speakers of international class are concerned I have to pay extra for the pleasure of attending. I receive the magazine Beekeeping each month supplied as a mandatory part of my subscription that is, in my opinion, superior to Bee Craft. I have ceased to subscribe to Bee Craft because it is filled with too much tosh. BKQ continues to maintain a good standard but this is an extra, over and above the subscription. So yes, in my opinion, value for money could influence membership.

Fragmentation of beekeeping organisations could also be an influencing factor. In 1996 1 listed most of the important organisations in the UK as follows:

These organisations remain much the same after 7 years; little fish in a big pool. Many could be amalgamated and a bigger fish in the same pool would result in an organisation carrying more clout and influence to the advantage of the membership. I belong to the BBKA and the CA and have interests in 5 others but I am not prepared to pay another 5 subscriptions. I would prefer to pay a little more and have access to the lot. Petty jealousies, squabbles and personalities are likely to prevent a rationalisation in this area, visualize, for example, the NHS/BBKA and BBKA News/Bee Craft Ltd. Geoff Hopkinson summed it up very eloquently in the latest issue of BBKA News (No. 139) when he said "Beekeeping however has always had the undercurrent of acrimonious polemics that have clouded the real issues that affect all claiming to be beekeepers".

A national organisation (what happened to the Royal Charter?) needs a president who is known throughout the land in his own right not a Mr. Nobody no matter how well intentioned he may be. The working Chairman is another matter and needs someone who has come up through the ranks and is close to the 'coal face'. To persuade the right man would, in my opinion, require a bigger and more robust organisation for him to lead. I know that this suggestion is an anathema to quite a few of the beekeeping hierarchy.

Education, education, education! The BBKA examination system has been tinkered with extensively and it has been made easier to gain the Master Beekeeper qualification; I must take my full share of the blame for failing to stop this rot. The numbers taking the examinations is a very low percentage of the membership. Generally, out of 100 who pass the Basic. 15 manage to get to Intermediate level and only one of those 15 will attain the Senior level. Not very good but not surprising when the BBKA do little to encourage the member associations to promote the educational system. The Husbandry Examination was set up by the Examination Board in recent years to accommodate those not inclined to take written examinations; to date it does not appear to be very popular. I believe that passing the Basic examination within 3 years of joining the association should be a condition of membership; to my mind it is unacceptable to have members who do not understand the basics of beekeeping. Similarly, I believe that holding the Basic Certificate after 3 years should be a condition for continuing with the benefit of participating in the bulk 3rd party insurance scheme. New recruits to the craft join the association when structured lectures dealing with the Basic syllabus are held regularly every winter. Yes. I am of the opinion that the lack of formal courses is a contributing factor to decreasing membership. A well-known publisher of bee books said to me "The trouble with beekeepers is that they can keep bees without reading books!"

Finally, perhaps the reason for declining membership is our affluent society. There is no need for the average household to keep bees for honey or money; there are many other activities less painful for the more articulate population compared with days of yore. This prompts the question whether we should bother about trying to increase the membership numbers'? What do you think?

Thick and thin
I refer to Brian Dennis's letter (March 03 issue) in respect of thick and thin syrup. It does illustrate how misleading some of the bee literature can be, taken for granted by many beekeepers. What is thin syrup? 1lb sugar to 2 pints water as I said in my article or 1lb sugar to 1 pint water as suggested by Brian? Or perhaps, some other brew?

Let's look at the arithmetic first because if Brian is having a bit if difficulty, then there are likely to be others. The percentage strength of a sugar solution is the weight of sugar divided by the total weight of the sugar plus the water expressed as a percentage. A gallon of water weighs 10 lbs, therefore a pint of water weighs 1.25 lbs. Consider thick syrup (so called) of 2lbs sugar to a pint of water then the concentration is 2 lbs divided by (2 + 1.25) which equals 0.615 or 61.5%.

My thin syrup in the article was defined as 1lb sugar to 2 pints water. That is 1 divided by (1 + 2.5) which equals 0.28 or 28%.

Brian's thin syrup in his letter to the Editor was defined as 1 lb sugar to 1 pint water. That is 1 divided by (1 + 1.25) which equals 0.44 or 44%.

I hope that clears up the arithmetic. However, it does show what a nonsense the thick and thin is, depending entirely which book one reads. Forget thick and thin and just use syrup for bees defined as 1 kg sugar to 1 litre water that weighs 1 kg giving the 50% ratio, just what the bee requires. Thank you Brian for bringing emphasis to this interesting point. JDY.

Photograph refers: Swarm collectors will know that upon emptying the swarm collecting box, when hiving the bees, a small section of comb will sometimes have already been constructed. This section of comb gives an indication of the natural cell size and cell orientation that a feral colony would produce for its initial brood nest.

An example of this may be found in Herrod-Hempsall's book "Beekeeping New and Old" page 1038 which incidently shows vertical comb.

One link in this chain of reasoning regarding possible feral colony survival is the verification of the presence of vertical comb and the size of cells this type of comb contains.

I would be pleased therefore if swarm collectors would be kind enough to comment upon their observations during 2003. Ian Rumsey ianrumsey@hotmail.com

There were an impressive number of lectures and demonstrations going on throughout the day, I only managed to walk in on a few in the seminar rooms which were buzzing with demonstrations about practical hints and tips for beekeepers.

I spent most of the day walking round the stands and displays talking to a number of the traders getting information and catalogues, all the leading manufactures were there with a full range of equipment from the humble hive tool to the biggest honey extractors and de-capping equipment.

On the Vita stand I was able to see the new field diagnostic kit for early detection of American foulbrood (AFB) which takes 3 minutes to give a result and have been validated with 98% accuracy, the price of the kit will be around £5.00. I was told by a Vita spokesperson that a European foulbrood (EFB) diagnostic kit was also being developed.

The Bayer Crop Science stand looked busy handing out a lots of pro GM literature. I took some away for later reading. The GM crops straw poll survey of visiting beekeepers at the 2002 spring conventions results were nicely presented on heavy paper with colour graphs, showing only 40% of beekeepers were broadly pro GM.

The environment and conservation hall is always a favourite of mine, a good place to spend some money on gift items. The Warwickshire Bat group and the Butterfly Conservation had interesting displays. Sarah Weaver who has written a series of articles in Bee Craft Bee on the subject of Bee Kind to Your Back was giving good advice to beekeepers during the day.

The convention was incredibly well organised and a credit to the BBKA and its volunteers, see you next year. Steven Turner

Dr Cooper identified that honey has been used for its healing properties for centuries in many cultures. Dr Cooper is especially interested in the healing properties of honey when it is applied to wounds.

Dr Cooper explained that she had used specially manufactured honey dressings to wounds that had failed to heal with conventional treatment including antibiotics and skins grafts. The first of these patients, a young woman with a wound in her axilla, had reportedly asked for honey to be used at the suggestion of her grandmother, testament that UK folklore recognised its healing properties.

Dr Cooper was able to illustrate with the use of some very impressive but graphic photographs (we were warned) that the honey dressing gave excellent results. Dr Cooper was later contacted by another practitioner, a nurse, who had heard of her work in Cardiff and was keen to try honey on the wounds of a seriously ill patient in her care. Again excellent results were achieved.

Dr Cooper has been investigating the science that underpins honey's abilities to heal wounds. She has looked at what needs to happen at the surface of the wound for healing to take place and then sought to find out what properties honey showed when it was applied to a wound. She discovered that honey can both facilitate the destruction of harmful bacteria such as MRSA (the bug that is resistant to most antibiotics and causes many problems for hospitals) and encourages new cells to be generated within the wound.

Dr Cooper acknowledged that she is one of many scientists and practitioners across the world who are conducting similar research. Much of the work has been done on New Zealand where manuka honey has been found to have particular healing properties. Studies have also been conducted in Indian, Africa and other parts of Europe.

Dr Cooper discussed how modern medicine requires proof that a treatment is effective before it is adopted. The type of proof preferred by the medical establishment is the sought that uses large scale trials, preferably double blind trials where both the patients and the scientists don't know if they are using the substance being tested or a placebo. Dr Cooper explained that she and many others are endeavouring to provide the right type of research evidence to convince doctors to take the healing properties of honey seriously.

Dr Cooper explained how she has become involved with testing Welsh honey against other types of honey. Welsh beekeepers had supplied her with samples from their colonies and although some did have mild antibacterial properties they could not match manuka honey. Interestingly some samples proved to be very effective at helping new cells to be generated. Dr Cooper told the group how the next stage in all the research was to test if the flower source of the honey influenced its healing properties.

Dr Cooper ended her lecture with a cautionary note. All the honey used in the research studies and in clinical practice has been prepared for the purpose by ensuring that it is sterilised before use. The application of non-sterile honey straight from the jar could introduce bacterial and spores into a wound, this could have serious consequences such as gangrene.

The lecture that Dr Cooper gave was both informative and entertaining, it was received warmly by the audience and I heard many conversations on the subject taking place in the restaurant later that day. Julie Bowden

The first question prompted this article. The second two were (for me) interesting additions to the research.

Many professional beekeepers routinely use synthetic queen pheromone (marketed under the name of 'Bee Boost') for several management purposes including: holding worker bees in mating nuclei; queen substitution in bulk bee shipments and queen substitution in disposable pollination units. The use of this synthetic pheromone appears to be successful in these tasks and has been a boon to many beekeepers. Recently several professional beekeepers that I know have tried using Bee Boost to help in queen introduction to help improve acceptance success rates. This they say appears to have been successful. I have never tried this but obviously if it is successful then it could be a profitable move especially for bee farmers. High queen introduction success rates would cut down costs and reduce the amount of time spent on this frequent and time consuming manipulation. But does it work, or would those queens have been accepted anyway? It is rare when researching, to find a scientific paper that not only addresses the exact question asked, but comes up with a definitive result, but there is just such a piece of research contained in a paper by several well known and respected bee scientists in the Dec 1988 edition of the American Bee Journal. The researchers carried out experiments in Ohio, Quebec and British Columbia over a period from 1993 to 1997. Their primary objective was to use synthetic Queen Mandibular Pheromone (QMP), but they also experimented with worker Nasonov gland pheromone. Whilst carrying out these tests, they compared acceptance rates between two types of cages; a wooden Benton cage and a plastic JZBZ cage, and with cages with attendants and without attendants. (As we all know, we are always advised to remove attendants before inserting a new queen into a hive). The experiments were comprehensive and thorough and the results were interesting and to my mind destroyed some of the little beekeeper type prejudices in my mind re plastic cages and the use of attendants. They are as follows:

Even the best result using QMP did not improve introduction success rates at a statistically significant rate. Success rates were normally in the region 80 to 100% and this did not change with the use of bee boost. Interestingly enough, the use of higher doses of Bee Boost indicated a significant decrease in queen acceptance.

Statistically, there were no significant differences in the use of wooden or plastic cages, and more interestingly, no significant differences in the use of cages with or without attendant workers.
The experiments which used nasonov pheromone also showed no statistically significant improvement in queen acceptance rates.
Thus, the researchers conclude that although Bee Boost is an effective tool for certain bee management purposes, it is not recommended for use in requeening programmes.

(If any reader knows of any more recent research into the use of pheromones in re-queening, please write in. Ed).

The researchers were: Mark Winston; Jocelyn Marceau; Heather Higo and Susan Cobey and the full report can be seen in the ABJ Dec 1988. www.dadant.com

NEW BOOKS

Monographs in Honey Bee Biology from Northern Bee Books
This is the first of a series of Monographs in Honey Bee Biology. The General Editor of which will be Professor Tom Webster of Atwood Research Facility, Kentucky State University Frankfort KY 40601 (U.S.A.)

The Monographs will be available separately but those customers who enter a subscription requesting issues as they appear will be charged £5.00 post paid per monograph. There will be no set pattern of issues - probably no more than 2 or 3 per year, depending on how copy is sent to the General Editor. Customers who wish to become subscribers to the series should indicate this with their first order. http://www.beedata.com/beebooks.htm

HISTORICAL NOTE

Is it possible to have honeybees in New Zealand?
In todays fast moving world a beekeeper in the UK can order a queen from as far away as New Zealand or Australia, but in the 16 and 17 hundreds the thought of moving bees to new lands to accompany colonists was a daunting one and not to be undertaken lightly. So should bees be taken to New Zealand? Will they thrive? Will there be flowers enough for them? Will the cost of moving them be worth the effort? How can it be done? All these questions were asked by beekeepers in those far off days. Here is one of the answers. It certainly shows just how different a world it was then.

ON THE POSSIBILITY OF USING HONEYBEES IN NEW ZEALAND
'One fact, has not, to my knowledge been mentioned. The flowers of the plants abound with honey, which the natives frequently suck. Thus, should bees be introduced into New Zealand, and I see no reason why they should not, they will find abundance of food in the flowers of the Phormium Tenax, as well as in others. I mention this, in case anyone should be disposed to take bees as an experiment' Honourable Henry William Petre on the settlements of the New Zealand Company, P 69.
(It seems he was right and most of us are aware that the Rev WC Cotton took bees to New Zealand and wrote his excellent little manual for New Zealand Beekeepers soon afterwards. In next months issue we look at how he carried out this remarkable feat. Ed).

LETTERS

Dear Editor,
I was going through your site and thought you could be of help to me. I am a honey producer who wants to export to the UK and want credible clients to whom I can sell my honey. I would allow any test and allow them use their sacle for measurement because i am sure of its quality .I would like you link me up with people who are ready to buy. Thanks Sam Arinoso samarinoso@yahoo.com

Dear Editor,
Information in the beekeeping sector: Get to know what happens in the world of bees and beekeeping and where to go to find further information. http://www.thiele-und-thiele-consult.de/Press-releases_us.html
Recent scientific research and criticism as it can't be found in beekeeping journals. http://www.thiele-und-thiele-consult.de/Articles_us.htm
Benefit from the knowledge of one of the best consultants regarding beekeeping in the world. Sign up now for the test-version and mini-course! http://www.thiele-und-thiele-consult.de/mini-course_us.html with best wishes,T+T Consult Service Team.

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.

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

11-13 July 2003 - The Kent County Bees and Honey Show. Organised by the Kent Beekeepers Association in conjunction with Medway and Thanet Beekeepers Association. Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Kent County showground, Detling, Maidstone. More information and show schedule from http://www.kentbee.com/kenthoneyshow03.htm

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

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