Apis-UK March 2005

Picture by Greg Boon - Daffodils in Hyde Park, London. Spring 2004

EDITORIAL Back to top

Can bees teach us how to react better to major disasters? How does pollen actually affect those with an allergy such as hay fever? How can you best acquire someone else’s bees and get away with it? (And I don’t mean by stealing them - directly anyway). Can bees fly in space? And why would they want to? This issue of Apis-UK answers those questions and many more. In our quest for a better understanding between bees as pollinators and flowers, we even look at butterflies to see if we can learn anything and our poem of the month is one of the best – and most unusual poems about bees that I have read. The toast at the end of the poem certainly gets the imagination going. That someone could have such an imagination staggers me, but Jim Zola’s work in this issue seems to be able to rival even the great Sylvia Plath in bee poetry.

As the swarming season is about to come upon us in the Northern hemisphere, our historical note looks at how beekeepers of the 17th century regarded the act of swarming and from it we can see that bar a few obvious errors of what we now know as fact, despite all our high tech science, laboratories etc our understanding of it barely exceeds theirs.

The projected cuts in the National Bee Unit continue to exercise the minds of many beekeepers in the UK and it is right and proper that those concerned should express their opinion to their local member of parliament, if only to get a clear idea of exactly how the government views the situation. It is important for us to be satisfied that the government actually knows what it is doing in relation to present and future threats to bees (and therefore many crops) from diseases and pests. Politicians when interviewed or when writing letters in answer to questions will first worry about how to make something like parasitic mite syndrome sound politically correct and then having been briefed by their research assistant that varroa isn’t a Polynesian island, or an exotic fruit, but a thing like a tick that kills honey bees in the UK and that it can affect crop yields and even votes, they may even be just clued up enough on the subject to give a decent answer. A jaundiced view you might think, but I don’t think I’m that far off the mark. Keep asking until you get a good, knowledgeable answer is my advice. The more MPs that even know that varroa and other small beasts even exist, the better.

My three-year-old daughter recently asked me how a bee can see properly when it has loads of eyes. Three year olds aren’t interested in facets and cones and light spectrums and so on but I did remember that in a very early edition of Apis-UK we reported on B-Eye which is a site on the web where you can actually look at objects and patterns as though you were a bee. You can hover or stand etc and see what a bee sees. Since then, the site has been updated and for young and old alike it is worth looking at. See it at http://cvs.anu.edu.au/andy/beye/beyehome.html and you will be astonished and you will know yet more about honey bees. Having seen it, my daughter said ‘I told you they couldn’t see properly’ and went off to climb a tree. Far more interesting.

In last month’s issue, we reported on how the Rev WC Cotton took bees from the UK to New Zealand. Now it seems that soon after departure from Plymouth, for some reason the bees may have had to be chucked overboard and that they never reached the far side of the world. It seems that further research is necessary.

With readers now in every part of the world, Apis-UK seems set fair to launch itself into its fourth year of existence next month. April will see our third anniversary and we intend to continue providing readers with an eclectic mix of bee related items of interest and we have some interesting line ups for future issues; disease and its identification; pollen substitutes; the provision of water; more on interesting research, and we might even mention GMOs now and again! So stay with us and tell others about us and if you want any changes, or additions, or have anything interesting to say, let us know.

In the meantime, have a very enjoyable Easter and welcome to the March 2005 issue of Apis-UK.

David Cramp. Editor.

NEWS Back to top

VACANCY AT THE BBKA
General Secretary
The Executive of the BBKA invites formal applications for the post of General Secretary. A job description for this important part-time position that is central to the good running and administration of the BBKA, will be provided to applicants who should send a copy of their CV in the first instance to: Ivor Davis, Chairman BBKA, National Beekeeping Centre, Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, Warwickshire CV8 2LG. Closing date for applications 6th May 2005.

50 INJURED IN HONEY BEES ATTACK
[India News]: Bhadohi, Mar 9.
About 50 people were injured, 10 of them seriously when a swarm of honey bees attacked them in Bhadohi, India. The bees attacked the victims when they threw stones to destroy about 25 beehives in an export house built on the industrial development authority building, police sources said. Some of the victims were injured when they fell on each other in an attempt to escape the bees, they sources said adding ten of the seriously injured were admitted to a hospital. (Serves them right. Ed.)

PREVENTION OF UK BEE DISEASES
Paul Tyler MP has raised an Early Day Motion deploring the proposed cuts to the Bee Health programme. Could you all please write to your MP’s to raise awareness of this motion and ask them to support it? Vera Rider YBKA Secretary E-mail:vera.rider @ ntlworld.com.

BEES FOR DEVELOPMENT NEWS RELEASE
Bill Turnbull, BBC Breakfast Time presenter, will run the London Marathon on 17th April 2005, on behalf of Bees for Development Trust. The purpose is to raise funds to support the continued work of Bees for Development Trust, providing information and advice to beekeepers in developing countries. We are asking you to support this worthwhile appeal. Please sponsor Bill’s fund-raising marathon effort: 26 miles 385 yards (42.2 kilometres) is a long way to run! All we ask you to do is go to the website: http://www.justgiving.com/beekeepers where you can give a donation, and watch the sponsorship progress. Sponsoring Bill via the website is fast, secure and simple. All donations - however large or small – will be much appreciated, and used to support bees and beekeepers in developing countries. Thank you, Dr Nicola Bradbear Bees for Development Trust, Troy, Monmouth, NP25 4AB, UK Tel +44 (0)16007 13648 Fax +44 (0)16007 16167 E-mail:trust @ beesfordevelopment.org Website: http://www.beesfordevelopment.org

NEW GMO STUDY. BIRDS AND BEES CAN BE AFFECTED
The world’s biggest study to date on the impact of genetically modified (GMO) crops on wildlife has found birds and bees are more likely to thrive in fields of natural rapeseed than GMO seed, scientists say.

But scientists behind the British study stressed that the differences between the two arose not because the crop was genetically engineered but because of the way pesticides were applied. “The study demonstrates the important of the effects of herbicide management on wildlife in fields and adjacent areas,” researcher David Bohan said.

“These results are yet another major blow to the biotech industry. Growing GM winter oilseed rape would have a negative impact on farmland wildlife,” Friends of the Earth said. The trial was the last in a four-part 5.5 million-pound test of controversial technology - the largest experiment of its kind in the world.

Scientists said that when compared with conventional winter-sown rapeseed, GMO herbicide-resistant plants kept the same number of weeds overall, having more grass weeds but fewer broad-leaved weeds. Flowers of broad-leaved weeds provide food for insects, while their seeds are an important food source for other wildlife. Researchers said that while fields planted with the biotech version were found to have fewer butterflies and bees, differences arose not because the crop was genetically-changed but because of the way they were sprayed. In October 2003, the same government trials found that GMO sugar beet spraying was significantly more damaging to the environment than the management of conventional varieties.

They also concluded that gene-spliced spring-sown rapeseed may also have a negative impact on wildlife, while GMO feed maize did not.

The biotech lobby however insist that the crops are safe.

“GM crops offer a better, more flexible weed management option for farmers and, as the results today indicate, the difference between the impact of growing GM and non-GM crops on biodiversity is minimal,” Tony Combes, deputy chairman of the Agricultural Biotechnology Council, which represents biotech firms like Monsanto and Syngenta. Despite this optimism, GM crops seem a long way off in Britain. Last year, the only firm to win approval to grow a GMO crop in Britain - Germany ’s Bayer CropScience - abandoned field testing of GMO crops in Britain. It also withdrew any outstanding applications awaiting government approval to sell biotech seeds. As a result, no new GMO seeds are awaiting approval in Britain.

RESEARCH NEWS Back to top

BEES IN SPACE
Can bees fly under zero gravity conditions? Recently, when NASA was soliciting for projects for the Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities, Some student researchers were selected to fly their experiment on what is revoltingly known as the “vomit comet.” This is an aircraft that repeatedly rises and dives on its journey through the air. As the aircraft dives, the G forces approach zero; as it rises, extra g is felt. The students and anything else not bolted down start floating around in the plane.The experiment was to see if Osmia lignaria could learn to fly under non-gravity conditions. It was decided not to use honey bees in case of stings. For most of the experiment, the extra G forces pinned the bees, motionless, to the floor of the cage. But, late into the flight some of the bees were crawling around pretty well, despite the added pressure. The first few weightless flights were haphazard, with a lot of wall crashing. Instead of changing bees, as planned, the same bees were left in the cage for many cycles. After gaining some experience, the bees were able to fly from one spot to another quite well in weightlessness. Turning corners seemed a little rough, but it was obvious that the O. lignaria had adapted to flying under zero gravity conditions. It is hard to imagine how that ability can help them on earth.

UNDERSTANDING THE OLFACTORY CODE IN BEES
Tastes and smells are evocative and play a crucial role in finding food for many animals. A new study of smell perception in honeybees published in the freely-available online journal PLoS Biology now explains how bees react to a suite of scents, and reveals an olfactory map that shows remarkable correspondence to brain activity. The researchers, led by Martin Giurfa, first trained thousands of bees to associate a specific chemical, such as the alcohol 1-nonanol, with a sucrose reward. Then the researchers tested the bees' response to a set of different smells, varying in chemical composition. By watching how often the bees responded positively to a particular scent when they'd been trained on another, the researchers could assign perceptual "distances" between pairs of chemicals. Drawing together all these distances, they created a preliminary map of the bees' "perceptual space," similar to how surveyors measure distances between landmarks to map a landscape. From this comparison they found, for example, that the bees generalized more by functional group than by carbon-chain length. Previously, another group had recorded bees' brain responses to the same pairs of scents, assigning distances within centres of activity for each scent. Giurfa's team compared these two sets of data and found that the perceptual and neural distances correlated well, which suggests there's a species specific code that ties together the insects' brain and behaviour. Future studies should only improve our ability to investigate the correlations between brain and behaviour, the authors say. Such studies would go even further toward cracking the codes underlying animals' perception and memory.

Reference: Guerrieri F, Schubert M, Sandoz J-C, Giurfa M (2005) Perceptual and neural olfactory similarity in honeybees. PLoS Biol 3(4): e60.
This item in Apis-UK has been adapted from a news release issued by the US Public Library Of Science.

BEES, ANTS, AND VIRUSES COULD HOLD KEY FOR BETTER HUMAN TEAMWORK IN DISASTERS
Can bees and other social insects teach us better human teamwork in disasters? Well scientists at the University of Illinois in the USA believe that they can. In a new and novel study, scientists are looking to nature – specifically, to bees, ants and viruses – for ways to improve human collaboration during disaster relief efforts.

At the centre of the scientists’ sights are a sub-group of their own species specifically, civil engineers, who historically have had a limited role in such efforts, especially those involving critical physical infrastructures. Supported by a five-year $2.37 million grant from the National Science Foundation, and supplemented by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the research team at Illinois is attempting to draw inspiration from the collaboration patterns that honeybees and ants use, and the spread patterns viruses typically take.

The ideas the researchers develop will “augment current collaboration among first responders, including civil engineers, to extreme events involving critical physical infrastructures,” said Feniosky Pena-Mora, the principal investigator of the study and a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Illinois . “The manner in which extreme events are addressed will influence the future of our cities, as well as redefine the role of the civil engineer,” Pena-Mora said. In the epidemiology area of their work, the researchers are looking at the spread of infectious diseases in human populations. In the entomology area, they are looking at honeybees’ (Apis mellifera) collaborative decision-making process when selecting a new hive or foraging, and at ants’ (Solenopsis invicta) behaviour when they are under threat.

The research team, which includes biological, computer and social scientists and civil engineers, will apply their natural-world findings to three major areas: collaboration among organizations involved in disaster-relief efforts; the use of information technology to support preparedness, response and recovery tasks; and the emerging role of civil engineers as key first responders to disasters. The study, “Information Technology-based Collaboration Framework for Preparing Against, Responding to and Recovering from Disasters Involving Critical Physical Infrastructures,” was funded as part of NSF’s Information Technology Research Program for National Priorities. At the core of the research team’s effort is the belief that civil engineers should be key players in disaster relief operations involving critical physical infrastructures – a fourth group of “first-responders,” along with fire fighters, police and medical personnel. According to the team: “The civil engineer’s role – particularly the engineers and contractors who were involved with the original design and construction of the critical physical infrastructure – needs to be extended beyond infrastructure life-cycle management and sustainability to also involve first response against disasters. “These professionals are able to provide more accurate information to support the decision-making process during the preparedness, response and recovery phases of a disaster.” For example, soon after the Sept.11 terrorist attacks, inaccurate site maps were distributed to the emergency response teams in Manhattan. A week later, the World Trade Centre design firm provided updated maps with accurate subsurface locations. Contractor said that one of the challenges being explored in the new research is “how first responders have to rely on local information and often work in the absence of global information.”

“An emergency-response strategy based on complete global information being made available instantly to all responders is fundamentally flawed,” Contractor said. “Instead, we need to develop a strategy that leverages cutting-edge research in information technology to enable the rapid assembly and deployment of ad hoc, flexible networks of responders who act largely on the basis of local information. Such a strategy would be enormously helpful in helping us cope with disasters such as the recent tsunami in the Indian Ocean.”

”One of the ways these researchers hope to advance understanding of the dynamics of communication and knowledge networks among first responders is by ‘learning’ basic principles on how bees and ants are able to effectively self-organize based on local information,” said Contractor, who directs the Science of Networks in Communities group at the National Centre for Supercomputing Applications at Illinois. According to Illinois’ the ad hoc communication networks the researchers eventually develop to spread critical information among first responders also will “mimic the epidemiological spread of viruses and rumours.” Epidemiological algorithms can be used in large groups of participants to spread, collect and search for information, and the resulting software systems can scale to networks with hundreds or thousands of first responders, as well as withstand unresponsive participants and poor communication channels. This behaviour is very similar to how rumours or fads spread in society and viruses spread in populations, both rather reliably and rapidly.” Understanding insects’ collaborative behaviour also will help in the development of more efficient and effective ways of coordinating knowledge.

“Although human social systems are far more complex than insect societies, where a reduced set of rules govern the behaviour of each insect for a given situation and the group’s behaviour emerges from such interactions, these models may be useful in understanding the basic principles and best practices to be considered when developing strategies that will coordinate knowledge sharing in chaotic social settings where a small set of rules applied to local information drives decision-making. Put another way, while individual honeybees process only “partial and local information,” they are able, through interactions with each other, to produce “a coherent response to a change in their environment,” said one of the researchers, Gene Robinson, an expert on honeybees. To date, no specific application has been found in computer science or engineering domains using bee behaviour as a source of analogy. However, the researchers envision a smooth transition of concepts from the collaborative honeybee behaviour to solve complex tasks, like foraging, into the disaster relief context, because of the modelling similarities of both settings. Although many research initiatives have used ants as a source of knowledge in telecommunications and transportation, no specific application has yet been found that applies models of ant behaviour under threatening situations for any given application in engineering. However, the way ants “detect and propagate alarms and the interactions produced in ant colonies can be used to model complex systems and cascading effects,” Robinson said.

ARE YOU ALLERGIC TO POLLEN? HERE'S WHY
Because Inflammatory Molecules Released By Pollen Trigger Allergies
How do pollen particles provoke allergic reactions? A new study in the February 21 issue of The Journal of Experimental Medicine puts some of the blame on bioactive molecules that are released from pollen. These molecules bind to immune cells and cause them to launch a typical allergy-promoting immune response. Pollen from plants exposed to air pollutants produce more of these allergy-provoking compounds than do pollen from unpolluted areas, possibly explaining why allergies are more prevalent in places with high levels of car exhaust emissions.

Traidl-Hoffmann and colleagues showed that extracts from birch pollen and other common allergens block the production of a soluble protein by immune cells that normally inhibits allergic reactions. They went on to identify the compound in the pollen extracts that caused the inhibitory response and showed that it was similar to certain pro-inflammatory molecules produced in the body in response to injury or infection. The authors now plan to assess whether cells from allergy-prone people are more sensitive to the effects of the pollen-derived compound than those from non-allergic individuals. A better understanding of these molecules and how they work may eventually lead to new approaches to treating allergies.

FLOWERS AND POLLINATORS THE TRUE BENEFITS
The fascinating interactions between flowers and their pollinators have resulted in a spectacular diversity of plants. In order to entice pollinators such as bees, flies or butterflies to visit and successfully pollinate their flowers, plants have evolved intriguing mechanisms and attractants, of which nectar is best known. This research made discoveries about butterflies but raises intriguing questions in the mind about the true benefits of nectar to other pollinators such as honey bees. Thirty years ago, researchers discovered that nectars of flowers pollinated by butterflies contain substantial amounts of amino acids. Recent experiments have shown that butterflies actually prefer nectars with a high amino acid content. These findings led to speculations about the significance of nectar amino acids for butterfly fitness and insinuated that butterflies have acted as agents of natural selection on nectar composition. In order to determine whether butterflies actually need nectar amino acids, researchers from the University of Basel raised map butterfly caterpillars on both nitrogen poor and nitrogen rich stinging nettle. After the butterflies emerged, they were fed nectar with or without amino acids. Butterflies raised under natural, nitrogen poor larval food conditions laid more eggs when fed nectar containing amino acids. These results provide the long missing evolutionary link between costly nectar amino acid production by plants, nectar preferences of and fitness benefits to butterflies.

This item in Apis-UK is taken from a news release issued by University Of Chicago Press Journals. The full paper by Jovanne Mevi-Schütz and Andreas Erhardt will appear in the April 2005 issue of the American naturalist.

THE BEE PRESS Back to top

BEECRAFT
Beecraft March 2005 Volume 87 Number 3
Claire Waring Editor. www.bee-craft.com
Contents: New Veterinary Medicines Regulations; A year in the apiary: inspection David Aston, PhD, NDB; Other bees: bumblebees (part 2) Mike Edwards; Friends in high places Erica Osborn, MA; Strong colonies for good honey crops Bill Collins; Læsø bees under threat David Ashton; Mighty mites: part 2 Celia Davis, NDB; A fascinating hobby Jill Saunders; Book reviews: The Hive Bee Wilson, The velocity of Honey Jay Ingram, The little book of garden heroes Allen Shepherd.
Editorial: ‘It’s snowing in Sheffield!’ So the message came through as we tried to keep cool in the Mexican sun and it reminded me that we have to go with our own particular seasons and whatever the local weather throws at us. Very often, the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence. Maybe it is greener, but then we live on this side of that proverbial divide. This does not mean that we cannot take steps to try to improve the grass under our own feet, or the bees in our own hives. There are reasons why certain plants and animals live in particular areas. They are suited to them. The trouble is that man always wants to do better. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but we do tend to assume that what works for us will automatically work for somebody living in a different country, climate and environment, or vice versa.
May I suggest that you take time this year to assess your bees as objectively as possible? Do they build up well in the spring? Are they prone to swarm as soon as the brood box gets a bit crowded? Are they quiet on the combs or do they run to the bottom and fall off in a lump? Are they very defensive or can you walk among them easily and manipulate colonies without much smoke?
As with humans, your colonies will have different characters and you have the means to choose the ones that come closest to your ideal and breed some queens to replace those in the colonies that miss your target. Why not do that this year?
As we go to press, BBKA, Bee Diseases Insurance Ltd, and the Bee Farmers’ Association met with Defra and the NBU to discuss EFB and other topics. More in April. Claire Waring

NEW BOOK

FIELD GUIDE TO THE BUMBLEBEES OF GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND
by Mike Edwards & Martin Jenner
The first-ever comprehensive photographic field guide to the British bumblebee, 'Field Guide to the Bumblebees of Great Britain and Ireland' published on Thursday (24 March 2005) uses for the first time a new three-step way to identify bees doing away with the need to put bees under the microscope.

The new technique could help an army of amateur naturalists and professional field workers in the front line of monitoring decades of decline in Britain's native bumblebees. Information about distribution and numbers can be a bit patchy as some rarer bumblebees have been quite difficult to identify. Follow three simple steps:

Step one - look for presence of and number of yellow bands on thorax and find on colour chart.
Step two - cross check with pattern on abdomen and accompanying notes on colour chart.
Step three - confirm identification with photographs and species accounts.

The easy-to-use graphic guide has been developed by leading authority Mike Edwards, and entomologist and former secretary of the Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society, Martin Jenner. Martin Jenner, a science marketing consultant, came up with the strong visuals that makes the three-step identification guide so simple to use.

Mr Jenner explained: "Traditional taxonomic guides are quite slow to use. We wanted something quick and easy. Pop the bumblebee into a test tube and have a good look for the presence of and number of yellow bands on its thorax. Then cross reference with patterns on the abdomen. Using the colour chart allows you to quickly identify most species. And finally check against the species accounts and it's as easy as one, two bee!"

Martin collaborated with leading bee specialist Mike Edwards to put together the authoritative field guide. It includes more than 90 stunning colour photographs taken by top bee photographer Ted Benton of both sexes of all 22 known species, life history, conservation action and how to attract bumblebees to your garden.

The idea to publish the field guide with support from English Nature - the Government's wildlife advisor, came after thousands of people requested their new leaflet listing garden plants that provide food for bees.

Dr David Sheppard, English Nature's authority on bees, said: "This book is the only one that introduces new information and corrects old mistakes and will hopefully help provide us with up to date information about bumblebee populations in the future."

Scientists recently recorded a 300 fold increase in the number of bumblebees visiting plants in 6m x 100m margins grown in agricultural fields using a cheap legume mix in Romney Marsh, Kent. Now English Nature is campaigning to use farm subsidies to pay farmers to help provide more foraging for bees.

Northern Bee Books £11.25 post paid – Publishers of The Beekeepers Annual & Beekeepers Quarterly and Stockest of books for beekeepers. Order from the URL: http://www.beedata.com/nbb/field_guide_to_bumblebees.htm

CHE COSA STA ACCADENDO IN VOSTRO MONDO? (WHAT'S UP DOC?)
My friend Frank bought three Italian Queens last year and proudly showed them to me in the three nucleus boxes he had installed them whilst I was visiting his apiary near Colyton in Devon. My partisan approach to certain types of bee is well known and as usual, I was noticeably lukewarm towards these immigrants.

His enthusiasm was obvious and I did my best to smile in the right places as he extolled their virtues. I hasten to remind you, dear Reader, that my experience in beekeeping is limited. Compared to many of you I am a mere boy in the craft as my boyish good looks attest. However I never realised that it was a requirement of keeping Italian bees that you had to speak to them in Italian, as he proceeded to do.

I should explain at this point that I learnt my execrable Italian whilst on a NATO attachment to the Italian Navy during the 1960s, when my contribution to Detente was the hot pursuit of a delightful Italian lady Lieutenant called Patrizia Bertuzzi. Therefore, whilst he spoke softly to them in a mixture of Pigeon English and something he had learnt from the back of a pasta packet, I offered “Buon pomeriggio, il mio tesoro, state osservando molto piacevoli, io sperate che siate bene?” (Good afternoon, my treasure, you are looking very nice, I hope you are well?)

I had learnt this phrase verbatim in order to melt Patrizia’s heart, of course, but the queen bee seemed unimpressed.

Frank looked at me in amazement and said, ‘don’t be an idiot, Michael, these queens were born in Sussex , they don’t understand real Italian.’ This of course is why they could understand him perfectly. It is a good job they weren’t Carniolans, I don’t know any Carniolan at all!

The more serious point I wanted to make is that you should try to understand the characteristics of the bees you intend to keep rather than just assume all bees are the same. For example Italian bees (and New Zealands which are Antipodean Italians, or upside down spaghetti-bashers) are sufficiently prolific to benefit from larger brood boxes, whereas the good-old Dark European (or the less politically correct British Black) is happier in a Standard National. Incidentally I can understand why our neighbours on the Emerald Isle don’t want to call them British blacks, in the same way they insist on calling British Queen potatoes, Queens. You have to be a bit careful when ordering bees from Galtee or you could end up with a sack of spuds.

The areas of the world from which Carniolans and Caucasians originate would seem to indicate that they are vampires and brigands, which could not be further from the truth. They are gentle to the point of imbecility. Considering the Carniolans’ tendency to swarm at the drop of a hat, whoever started the importation of these types should be given a medal for providing a constant supply of free colonies to the fraternity. One of the most notable characteristics of the Caucasian is its extremely long nose so you should be careful not to reveal any personal secrets when they are within earshot.

Received wisdom is that you should avoid cross-bred bees as firmly as you eschew the gift of a Yorkshire terrier called Fang. I was discussing this the other evening in my local pub, The Chainsaw and Gangplank. Cross-bred bees are cross because they have an identity crisis. If they are a cross between British Blacks and Italians they are brilliant at inventing things but the first to run from a fight. The cross between a New Zealand bee and a British Black results in a completely disorientated bee because it can’t work out whether it should be standing on its feet or its head.

Try drumming on the side of the hive and trying to get a Buckfast x Cecropia bee to say “how much wood would a woodpecker peck if a woodpecker would peck wood.” They lose their temper every time. Whereas your good old British Black would tell you to get stuffed and order another pint of Waggledance.

I just thought I would share these thoughts with you at the beginning of the season so that you could avoid me this year on the grounds that I am as barmy as a fruit-bat. Mike Oliver

BAIT HIVES. THE BASICS
In this short article, we take a look at the use of bait hives, a very much neglected manipulation but one which benefits the beekeeper and his neighbours, and bees generally.

In the Northern hemisphere now is the time to ensure that any free floating bees looking for a new home, decide that homes on your land are the preferred choice. It is sad that some beekeeper has lost a prime set of honey producing live stock, but all is not lost if you can rescue them and turn them into your own honey producing livestock. The other guy should have been more careful in his swarm control methods.

There are various ways of luring those bees to your place and setting up bait hives is a more reliable way than waiting for a chance swarm to land in some tree or other awkward place and of course the use of bait hives stacks the odds in your favour. They are easy to make, cheap and successful, and that is the whole point of this short article. But there are a few rules to obey to increase your chances of success.

There are many variables involved in providing the perfect site for a swarm to choose as their home and researchers agree that cavity size (volume), exposure to the sun and odour play important roles. Previous issues of Apis-UK have reported on the research in this field and should be consulted if you have any doubts about the issue. Firstly, scout bees are looking for a the size of home that is well represented by a standard Langstroth hive body, and making a bait hive from a standard bee box used in your apiaries is the first requisite. Use an old box and give it a floor without an entrance and a lid. I.e., close both the top and bottom of the hive. Using an old box has two advantages. Firstly it will have built up a fine odour of wax, resins and other substances and secondly it will prolong the life of a box that you may have been going to throw away. Place in the box about 2 old combs (that you know are free of disease) and another two frames of foundation. The odour of drawn comb is a powerful attractants to swarms and these should be used. Like an old hive box, they provide the odour and give the swarm a good start in life with immediately available cells for eggs and nectar storage. Remember though that swarms are predisposed to make wax and they are in prime condition to build comb. This can be an advantage to the beekeeper, so use this attribute to get foundation pulled out. Remember though that drawn comb in an empty hive body will attract the wax moth before the bees get there. This may not be such a problem in the early spring, but watch out all the same.

Having made up the hive with floor and lid, drill a hole about a half inch in diameter near to the bottom of the front box. Scout bees like small entrances.

Now place the hive in the perfect place. Place it about 1 metre from the ground, away from direct and totally exposed sun and not in a windy area. I have an old unused bee shed that seems to be very attractive to roaming bees and bait hives placed in the vicinity of this always get filled. Also make sure that the hive doesn’t become full of ants. A swarm will not settle in anything with ants.

An alternative to using old comb to attract a swarm is to use foundation only and a commercially available swarm lure. These are well worth the effort and have the advantage that you only need to use foundation in your bait hive. This obviates the need to watch out for wax moth, is unlikely to carry any disease and is not attractive to ants. The only disadvantage is that in a hive without bees, if outside temperatures are high, temperatures within the box can rise sufficiently to buckle the foundation.

Finally, bait hives assist in disease control. Because they are an effective method of capturing stray swarms, using them lessens the danger of the bees escaping to the wild and becoming reserves of Varroa and AFB to name but two problems. Once in the hands of a beekeeper, any disease problems can be dealt with and if aggressiveness is a problem, the swarm can be re-queened.

PUT YOUR HONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS' ™
(Tips on marketing honey by Chad Cryer)

When I set about marketing my honey, I realised that the jar labels were of great importance and I took into account some useful marketing tips. Sex sells, so why not let the main feature of the label depict some gorgeous model, (male or female) enjoying the product. For very little money I employed a Slovakian student to indulge herself with a jar of my finest while I took photos of her sitting on a National hive. These particular jars of honey sold like hot cakes, they were accompanied with the catchy logo, ‘Show me the Honey.' Strangely, selling these jars at the local church fete I found I was left at the end of the day with several label-less jars. Without wanting to accuse any members of the congregation, I would advise you to choose a label with a strong adhesive.

The inclusion of the word 'pure' in the label is I feel, unnecessary. The public will not suspect the jar to contain 'contaminated' honey for instance. I learnt that orange juice manufacturers were able to make a lot of money through selling orange juice ‘with bits.' The public's peculiar penchant for 'bits' suited me perfectly especially as I have a rather dodgy sieve on my settling tank. I have therefore made a point of including the words 'with bits,' as this covers me for the odd leg which may appear on my buyers toast.

Having seen our editor's honey label I am driven to making a few suggestions. I wonder if he could encounter difficulties with the trade descriptions act. Does he really keep bees in the straw cone shown on his labels? If so I apologise. Your product needs to be unique; this can prove difficult with such a natural product as honey. However, this problem is easily overcome. By getting two friends to write down that they believe your honey to be less sticky than other honey, or even to give you an award that they have invented, you can claim ‘reduced stickiness’ and ‘award winning’ on your label.

With regard to the requirement for name and address of producer I saw fit to write ‘’ Chad from Wiltshire’. I'm not keen on the idea of weirdoes and freaks turning up on my doorstep sniffing around my hives expecting free samples.

Then we come to the all-important Best Before date. I have toyed with many an idea of what to write under this. By writing 2009, it is as if we are expecting the honey to stay in the jar for some time, like that jar of mouldy old Bovril: we must be more optimistic. I got around this problem by writing, Best Before, see end of jar. And to the bottom of the jar I stuck another photo of the same scantily clad Slovakian holding a sign which read Bed Time. As I say, they sold like hot cakes.

EVEN EDUCATED FLEAS DO IT
Some of you are aware that I have been trying to put together some suggestions for a branch queen breeding group. At the AGM I put the proposal forward to consider building upon and to run alongside Peter Springall’s sterling efforts. The idea was well received. There was some suggestion that it was a waste of time because neighbouring beekeepers (obviously not club members) had such a poor attitude towards quality of queens as to render any efforts on our part a waste of time.

I do not agree with that for several reasons; particularly because whatever the circumstances, we can improve quality even without co-operation, if we are determined enough. Don’t forget our docile drones are just as effective when it matt ers as their aggressive yobbos. When Peter embarked on his programme of selective breeding he was in the same position regarding neighbouring beekeepers but persisted, with the excellent results we have seen.

Another factor which may be considered is the way in which some strains of bees, particularly the native or black bee, differs from the largely imported type of bee. Native drones tend to fly in cooler weather than the imported variety and therefore earlier in the season in some cases. Coupled with the queen’s preference to mate as quickly as possible and not necessarily wait for a drone assembly to form, it is possible that there is a tendency towards insular breeding, which is of considerable benefit to maintaining or recovering the pure strain. If this interests you, read Beowulf Cooper on the subject.

I was speaking to Jenny Spon-Smith at the February meeting and she pointed out that for those who keep hives in their gardens, there is a definite need to maximise docility to keep the neighbours happy. I would also argue that anybody keeping bees on allotments should seriously consider this point. Some of our members have found to their cost that

Allotment committees are fickle and that tenancy for beekeepers is far from secure. We must not give ammunition to those who object. I keep bees on three allotment sites and perhaps it would be useful to those who are thinking of doing so, if I mentioned the different approach to each one.

Case 1 – A 24 acre site with 360 plots and two other beekeepers. I set up a 30 by 20 foot bee-garden with masses of flowers at the back end of a 10 rod plot with a greenhouse, several fruit trees and a high fence behind and gardens of houses beyond that. Although I say it myself, it is a beautiful sight. I enclosed three sides of the area with six-foot high green builders netting and made sure there is a sign with my phone numbers for people to contact. I also made sure before I got too deeply into it that both my neighbours were sympathetic. I take every opportunity to introduce my bees to other people, making sure there is spare protective clothing available. I have four docile colonies there at present and will increase to six this year. My only problem is trying to persuade one of the other two beekeepers to take some active interest in re-queening with docile bees.

Case 2 – A seven acre site, triangular in shape, with about 50 plots between two converging railway tracks. I persuaded the lettings secretary to rent me the area at the apex of the triangle. This 12 rod area has not been used for cultivation for a long time and is separated from the other plots by a deep belt of brambles about 50 feet wide. Lots of benefits including a deep, secluded, artificial valley situation between the two embankments and of course, large amounts of blackberry nectar. I have four colonies here at present and plan to increase to ten this year. Apart from the rent, I donate 24 jars of honey to the club to sell for funds. There was one other beekeeper at the opposite end of the site last year, with one colony which I think has died out by now. Though it is not as important, as usual I have still aimed to bring the colonies up to a high standard of gentleness.

Case 3 – A nine acre site with 67 plots - a south facing slope with a deep railway cutting behind, now used for the Tramway. They have never had bees there before. Despite enthusiastic encouragement from the secretary, I waited for nearly a year to get the right plot. In the meantime I placed two empty hives next to a main pathway so that people would get used to the idea. The plot I rent is in the south-west corner of the site next to a tree-conservation team’s plot full of cultivated saplings and backing onto the boundary above the cutting. I have erected a six foot screen about ten feet long on the side of the apiary next to an occupied plot but very carefully selected the two colonies I placed there for docility. I have posted notices, as always, with my details and phone numbers. After the plot-holders got used to the idea, they became very positive and will often ask me how the colonies are doing or come and sit with me and watch the bees. I had no trouble suggesting that I increase to four hives this year. They also get two dozen jars of honey to sell for club funds.

In each case I waited until I could obtain a plot with at least one side backing onto a perimeter. I made a point of introducing myself to every plot-holder I could find and volunteered to help with ground-work on the site whenever I had the time. You may say that it is costing me more than the plot rent because of the free honey but I believe that is just a good investment in the goodwill of the tenants and committee. I also grow all my own vegetables and fruit on Sites 1 and 3 which probably covers the rent. I make myself fully available by seeing to it that large signs are displayed with my home phone number, mobile and office numbers.

Another good tip for you. Always make sure everybody knows you are willing to deal with their wasps’ nests. It is no big deal, you have the protective clothing and a canister of wasp-killer only costs a pound or so. Make it clear you don’t want paying. Last year on Site 3, I dealt with four wasps’ nests for them and it does help cement the relationship.

The key to all this is easy. Go out of your way to be open with people, be patient, helpful and generous and remember a smile goes a long way. Give your time and share your hobby. You may even get other people interested in taking up beekeeping.

Getting back to the main theme, Britain is a significant beekeeping nation but in the last hundred years we have not progressed very far in beekeeping practice. It is difficult to know why this should not be the case. We have not lacked dedicated and highly intelligent people in our Craft but, frankly, I think it is simply lack of willpower and perpetuated conservative attitudes. It is difficult to argue with a closed mind, isn’t it? It is not easy to artificially improve on nature but particularly bearing in mind the huge strides that other naturalists and scientists have achieved we really do not have much reason to be proud. So let us try to do something, in conjunction with BIBBA and others to make a change in our own small way which might benefit all beekeepers and, of course, our small friends too.

I shall be contacting people over the next few weeks to try to take the Breeding Group idea forward. Why not give us your support. Apart from the obvious benefits of better quality bees, it is a fascinating subject. Don’t be conned by that old wives tale that aggressive bees produce more honey. That nonsense has been disproved scientifically time and again. It is because people perpetuate this myth that we still have far too many aggressive colonies in this country. http://www.kentbee.com/bromley/bee_improvement_group.htm Mike Oliver

The standard version of this dish omits the sherry and instead adds a bit of chicken stock. However, the addition of the honey instead of the stock brings about a new meaning to this popular Spanish dish. For a nice snack make one of each version and serve as tapas.
The thing to drink with both versions is a very dry, very cold sherry i.e. a fino or a manzanilla. Ice Cold.

2 lbs (1 Kg), lamb kidneys.
4 cloves garlic – chopped.
4 tablespoons olive oil.
1 medium onion – chopped.
1 tablespoon chopped parsley.
2 bay leaves.
Salt and pepper.
2 teaspoons flour.
1 dessert spoon of liquid honey. Don’t overdo this.
½ cup fino, or manzanilla* (dry sherry).
*Manzanilla is also a herbal tea bag in Spain (camomile). Use the alcoholic version.

Cut the kidneys in half lengthways, trim off any fat and cut into medium-sized slices. Season the kidney slices with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the kidneys for about 2 minutes on both sides until lightly brown. Then remove from pan and keep hot.
Add the garlic and onion to the oil in the pan and fry until soft.

Stir in the flour and add the liquid honey and mix well. Add the parsley, bay leaf and the sherry, bring to simmering point and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Then return the kidneys and any juices given off to the pan. Stir well and serve.

THERMOREGULATION IN THE HIVE
And can you as a beekeeper help?
Much has been written on how bees regulate the temperature in the hive and the various devices used by bees to ensure that the all important brood is kept at the correct temperature for survival. Because of their extraordinary abilities in this field, honey bees have been able to spread geographically to wherever man has been able to go. Several interesting experiments have been conducted on beehives with brood present placed in areas of extreme temperature. Lindauer in 1954 placed a beehive on a lava field where air temperatures reached 70°C. The bees were able to maintain a brood nest temperature of 35°C. Later researchers placed hives in temperatures of -80° and again the bees maintained the brood at 35°C. This ability depends upon the bees employing a series of mechanisms designed to control temperature and in the case of high ambient temperatures, the bees developed refrigeration long before humans.

Most beekeepers will know that bees carry water to the hive for cooling purposes. This water is placed in the beehive and house bees will fan the water to evaporate it with a resulting cooling effect. Lines of bees can be seen carrying out this task and ensuring that air currents flow in the right direction. So how effective is this technique? Well the answer is that it is surprisingly effective. The efficiency of evaporation cooling where around 580 calories of heat are lost for every gram of water evaporated depends directly on the difference between hive temperature and the dew point (the temperature of the air at which water vapour reaches saturation point and water is expelled as dew). Thus the colony maintains a great advantage in this cooling effort as it always maintains a large difference between hive temperature and dew point. 35°C is always above the dew point. Because of this difference in temperatures, the actual pressure of water vapour in the hive is always lower than the saturation vapour pressure causing a saturation deficit. The bees take advantage of this by placing droplets of water in the hive and then fanning. In this way, as long as there is a supply of water, the correct temperatures can be maintained. This high saturation deficit in a hive also ensures high rates of water loss from nectar thus ripening nectar into honey and because the hive temperature is maintained throughout the year, nectar ripens in the hive just as easily in cool rainy weather. Researchers in Israel found that the activities of the ventilating bees at the hive entrance and the velocity of the air currents they produced depended directly upon brood nest temperature and not upon ambient temperature.

Other mechanisms employed by the colony include many of the bees vacating the hive and hanging out on and around the entrance, and ultimately a mass exodus from the nest.

In cold weather, bees have equally effective ways of maintaining temperatures. These mechanisms are not dependent on water supplies but on nectar/honey supplies. Heat exchange on a bee takes place on its exposed surface. Clustering reduces the exposed surface and as temperatures fall, the bees cluster closer and closer together thus conserving more heat. Heat generated is further conserved by an outer shell of tightly compacted bees with inwards facing heads and abdomens facing outwards. The position of the heads may be important in temperature control enabling the bees to correctly assess temperatures. Thus the outer shell with its interlocking thoracic hairs forming small cells of warm air form overall an effective insulating shield for the colony. The cluster is a dynamic entity, expanding and contracting in response to environmental temperatures especially around the 15°C mark. The bees cluster between the wax combs which also form an insulating layer of small air cells and as much as two thirds of the surface area of a cluster is insulated by the combs. And there is more.

The thoracic muscle of the bee is one of the most metabolically active muscles known and by burning up honey as fuel, and shivering these muscles, heat is produced. The shivering movement is too small to be seen but the muscle electrical potential of these rapid low-amplitude contractions has been measured. The bees that form the outer shell are of course the coldest bees and the first to die if it all gets too much, so why are they there? Researchers are not sure of this, but believe that each bee reacts selfishly to conditions in the hive and that those in the outer shell are those that are disposed to be there.

Generally, the bigger the colony the better in cold extremes. Maintaining heat in a small cluster can be too expensive a task for a small colony and it can perish. Some races of bees are believed to be better than others at this game and so if you live in areas where extremes of temperature are the norm, it may well be worth investing in the local bee that has evolved in that area.

Can you as a beekeeper help the bees in this thermoregulation? Bees in areas where the bees have to invest heavily in water collection collect less nectar. Research has shown that lower temperatures can be found in hives either placed in partial shade or that have been whitewashed and that these hives produced more honey during hot months. Highest temperature values and activity of water collecting bees were observed in hives painted with aluminium paint.

It is evident then that placing apiaries in good locations can help the bees depending on your local temperature regimes. Ensuring a local water supply and painting hives can all help. And of course ensuring that colonies have sufficient stores over cold winters is essential.

(I have found that with my bees in Spain where in my area summer temperatures can reach 50°C, the tin lids on my hives heated to such a temperature that they couldn’t be touched and despite the known resistance of the Iberian bee to high temperatures, they suffered. By painting the lids white with a cheap whitewash (that needed renewing each year but cost very little) the bees were very much better off and produced higher yields. Partial shade where I could get it also helped. By the way, I have never read of any serious research to suggest that the winter cluster rotates bees from the centre to the outside over the winter to share the cold. If anyone knows of any please let me know. And if there is no research, where does that idea come from? Ed).

Swarming time is about to beset us again and indeed in Spain they are already in evidence. It is a challenging time for beekeepers, but at least we have a fair idea of why bees swarm, what the causes may be, and how to lure them. For beekeepers in olden times, the challenges were still there, and as we can see from John Evelyns Elysium Britannicum written in the 1600s they knew about as much about the business as we do now. Very little has changed in our understanding of her process as you can see by reading this insightful observation.

“Then likewise, they swarm. For being too full and numerous, they send forth new colonies; but first they who are assigned for the expedition resort together about the hive ‘till their King having found a fit place for their Rendez-vous first lights himself. Then immediately followed with innumerable numbers pitching their camp round about their Royal General they hang together, till certain scouts which before they had sent forth tanquam exploratores bring them tidings of a convenient quarter. Which notice he gives them by a certain touch which he imparts to the out guards that by a kind of shivering motion communicate it to the whole swarm and centre bees in a moment; at which signal they dissolve the populous and moving cone and fly immediately to the place, their king leading them in front”.

This is the day the bee-bearded man's only son is to wed
a girl from a town that knows nothing of bees.
The son himself feels no affection towards the bees,
but out of a sense of decency and heritage
has taken his father's trick one step further,
wearing a suit of bees and a top hat that sets the wedding crowd
to murmur. One fat aunt from Paducah faints,
and the men who know her gather round and bicker
about what should be done, until the question becomes moot
as she opens her eyes and mouths the word "yellow."
The only clothing he wears not made of bees
are his Italian leather shoes because he's afraid
of what he might step on. The day is hot
and locusts hanging in trees make it difficult to hear
what the preacher is saying, something about hard work,
love and honey. No one listens. They are looking
at the bee suit, the way it moves constantly,
yet stays whole. The bride thinks about the coming night,
perfume between the breasts. She wonders if bees
get tangled in his hair. The son counts the moments
until he can shed his winged tuxedo. The bees
think nothing, drone, worker, all dying for the hive.
The father sips whiskey through a straw and considers
his toast - drinks held high to the first sting.

Saturday 9th April 2005 - Avon Beekeepers Association Spring Day School 9.30am to 5.00pm The Old School Rooms Chew Magna (nr Bristol). Speakers: Ron Hoskins on Instrumental Insemination & Breeding a Varroa Tolerant; Bee Celia Davis on Mr Bee & Bees Plants and the Environment. Fee £8.00 to include refreshments but not lunch. Payment on the day. To book and receive directions and details please contact Jan Davis (01934 832825) or e-mail to jandavis @ btinternet.com before 1st April 2005.

Saturday 9th April 2005 - The Yorkshire Beekeepers Association conference at Bishop Burton College, Beverley East Riding of Yorkshire. "Making the best of beekeeping knowledge to improve your practical skills" Lectures by Michael Badger MBE, Dr Dewey Caron and Ian Craig.
Download Full Programme and Booking Form PDF

Saturday 23rd April 2005 - Beekeepers’ Convention. (Formerly Kirkley Hall Conference) Venue: Grey College , Durham Programme: “The art of supering” Peter Schollick; “Tracking bees with harmonic radar” Dr. Juliet Osborne; “Working for honey sections” Peter Schollick; “Tricks of the trade” Your chance to explain your favourite idea. “Bumblebees; Ecology & conservation” Dr. Juliet Osborne; Trade stands & Bee Plant sales. Convention only £17-50 Convention plus lunch £27-50. For details and 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 Sponsored by Young’s Breweries, Makers of ‘WAGGLE DANCE’ Honey Beer.

4th June 2005 - Bee Instrumental Insemination Group Practical Day. Location: Islip Village Hall, Islip, Nr. Oxford. Time: 10:00 AM Start. Practical demonstrations of semen harvesting and queen insemination. The opportunity to learn more about Instrumental Insemination techniques and equipment. Cost: Free to 'Bee Instrumental Insemination Group', BIIG members. Non members £2.00 on entry. Contact: Stephen Loughborough. Tel. 01865 378613 Email. Stephenloughborough @ tiscali.co.uk. John Perkins BIIG Events Co-ordinator.

Tuesday 26th, Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th July - Bees & Honey at the New Forest & Hampshire County Show is held at New Park, Brockenhurst. Preparations for the Honey and Bee Marquee are in full swing with the schedule for classes now available. The New Forest & Hampshire County Show holds a large open honey show and welcomes competitors from across the country, with a variety of 30 classes to choose from in the large honey and bee marquee. Expertise is not necessary to enter, just enthusiasm for the craft. The Show is a charity, whose purpose is to support countryside activities and try to ensure that our rural heritage is protected. As a result of this all the marquees run by the Show have a theme that is provided to hopefully educate the public in an entertaining way. The Honey and Bee marquee fulfils this by having not only a whole range of activities for children, including beeswax candle making, demonstrations of live bees and a glass wall observation hive; but for those interested in the history of honey-making and the lifecycle of the bee there are knowledgeable enthusiasts on hand with microscopes, display cabinets and literature. Honey tasting is a popular pastime during the Show and bee keepers who exhibit can sell their wares to the 100,000 visitors the Show attracts.

For details of the schedule or any other enquiries please contact the Chairman of the Honey and Bees Section, Margaret Davies on 01202 526077 or by E-mail on marg @ jdavies.freeserve.co.uk. Tickets for the Show will be available from June 1 st on the Show’s ticket hotline on 01590 622409. The main line station of Brockenhurst is near the showground and Wilts and Dorset provide a bus service along this route including a stop at the Showground. Photographs 1 & 2 from last years show

21st - 26th August 2005 - Apimondia held in Dublin, Ireland.
Further details from http://www.apimondia2005.com/

Tuesday 13th September 2005 - Conwy Honey Fair, High Street, Conwy, North Wales, 9am - 4pm. 700 year old Charter Fair, founded by King Edward 1st. Local beekeepers sell more than a tonne of honey by lunchtime. Stall space is free of charge. Honey and hive products, plus crafts, plants and local produce stalls. Many other attractions in the walled town of Conwy, which is a World Heritage Site. Contact Peter McFadden, Secretary, Conwy BKA, Tel 01492 650851, email peter @ honeyfair.freeserve.co.uk. For the history of the Honey Fair visit: http://www.shef.ac.uk/nfa/history/invited_articles/conwy.php

Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th September 2005 - Midland and South Western Counties Convention and Conference. It will be held on the edge of the Derbyshire Peak District at the Hayes Conference Centre near Alfreton. It will be packed with hot topics from shook swarming and small hive beetle to breeding strategies to meet current challenges. We have an excellent list of speakers which currently includes: Pat Mills, David Kemp, Norman Carreck, Adam Hart, Graham Law, Bernard Diaper, Albert Knight, Claire Waring, and Alistair Battersby. Full 2 1/2 day attendance including all meals and overnight en suite accommodation will cost £180. Day visitors will be welcome at £30 to £40 depending on the day. A full programme and booking form can be obtained by post from Peter Cash e-mail: peter @ cash42.freeserve.co.uk or in pdf format from me email: steverose @ tiscali.co.uk. Everyone is welcome; not just members of the 10 counties directly involved. Steve Rose

Editor: David Cramp Submissions contact the Editor
Web Editor: Steven Turner

E-mail addresses are not hyper linked to prevent harvesting for spamming purposes. We recommend you cut & paste to your e-mail client if required.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH Back to top

Quote last month
The quote in last month’s Apis-UK was of course made by the great Assie queen breeder, Norman Rice in his book Queensland.

Quote of this month
Which great bee researcher and scientist made this comment?

“I shall have this consolation, that the loss of sight will not have made me altogether useless to the progress of Natural History”.