l range beekeeping - Bees for Development · help beekeeping co-operatives, large commercial...
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Bees for Deve/opmertf Journal 70 Honey International Packers Association Introduction About 1.2 million tonnes of honey are produced every year and about 400,000 tonnes of this total are traded internationally. The major importing .regions are the EU, Japan, and the USA. There are many exporting countries among which the most important are Argentina, China and Mexico. Most of this honey is exported in bulk in 300 kg drums and put into retail packs in the country of sale to the consumer. Honey is considered by all consumers to be natural and pure. It has been a traditional medicine in China, the Ayurvedic medicine of India, and in Europe for a very long time. This makes the quality of the honey paramount. The risk to the reputation of honey by the presence of contaminants or added syrups is very high. We must protect that reputation at all costs. The value of beekeeping to agriculture via pollination is probably about twenty times the value of any honey produced. Bees are also extremely important to biodiversity. The man-made disaster of loss of species is the worst since the age of the dinosaurs. Beekeeping must be promoted wherever possible for the benefit of the environment as well as agriculture. The Honey International Packers Association (HIPA) intends to wienty\l range beekeeping equipment suppliers jars, packaging, filling machines world-wide export " Swienty A/S, Hortoftvej 16, 6400 Sonderborg, Denmark Phone +45 74 48 69 69 Fax +45 74 48 80 01 e-mail: [email protected] www.swienty.com provide advice to governments in the development of national agricultural policy so that there is a full awareness of the importance of beekeeping. Formation of the HIPA The packers are those most directly in the firing line from consumers and supermarkets if there is any suspicion about the quality of the honey. Honey is quite an uncertain crop due to the effects of the weather on the behaviour of bees and the location of bee flora. It has therefore been decided to form HIPA with three main objectives, to ensure the continuity of the honey supply, to ensure the quality of the honey supply and to pursue these two objectives by beekeeper training worldwide. The Association is formed in such a way that it can seek charity funding to finance these objectives. Continuity of the honey supply Disappearance of a product from a market is a disaster for that product. Having to relaunch it and redevelop the market is very difficult and the original market position may never be regained. Thus it is very important for the packers in the major importing regions to be able to seek supplies from many sources. An importanf training function will be to help beekeeping co-operatives, large commercial beekeepers and associations to achieve the final step to 20 tonne container loads for export and to ensure the administrative infrastructure to permit this,-'such as certificates from the relevant government departments. Quality of the honey supply Honey must comply with the Codex Alimentarius definition. This means that the bees must be given time to seal the combs with wax before the honey is extracted, ensure that if the bees have to be fed sugar, none of the sugar syrup contaminates the honey, and ensure that the honey is not adulterated in any other way with sugar syrups. Honey must not be ultrafiltered. In addition, honey must contain no residues of antibiotics, anti-bacterials such as sulphonamides, other drugs or toxic metals. Thus beekeepers must be highly trained in apjcultural techniques that enable^them to be commercially successful without using any chemicals. Training of beekeepers HIPA is dedicated to the extensive training of beekeepers so that they can produce pure and natural honey at a commercially viable price and sell to packers and exporters a product that is acceptable in all markets of the world. This training must include good apicultural practice, disease control by acceptable means, formation of co-operatives and associations, good management practices, selling and market development. HIPA will work with governments to ensure the infrastructure provides adequate support to beekeepers. Organisations such as Bees for Development will be contracted by HIPA to carry out this training. The system developed in Australia, BQual, has very generously been made available to HIPA and will be used to support trainers and beekeepers, initially in exporting countries. Enquiries for membership details should be made to Peter Martin, 32 West Avenue, Hayes UB3 2EY, UK. Fax +44 208 569 2434. E-mail [email protected] Peter Martin, HIPA Chairman UK honeybees in the firing line Dhofer Behnam Dr Dhafer Behnam is a doctor of medicine, until recently practising in Baghdad, Iraq. A few months ago he and his family travelled to a new home and life in the UK. In Iraq, Dhafer was also an enthusiastic beekeeper, and Secretary of the Iraqi Beekeepers' Association. He contributed several interesting articles to this Journal. In the UK, Dhafer has taken up a new job: Head of Beekeeping at Buckfast Abbey in south-west England. Many readers will know that Buckfast was made world-famous through the work of Brother Adam, who spent his life at Buckfast breeding bees. Brother Adam died in 1996 aged 99. In this article Dhafer describes his view of the British approach to Varroa control. continues overleaf...
Transcript of l range beekeeping - Bees for Development · help beekeeping co-operatives, large commercial...
Bees for Deve/opmertf Journal 70
Honey International PackersAssociationIntroduction
About 1.2 million tonnes of honey are produced every year and about 400,000 tonnesof this total are traded internationally. The major importing .regions are the EU, Japan,and the USA. There are many exporting countries among which the most importantare Argentina, China and Mexico. Most of this honey is exported in bulk in 300 kgdrums and put into retail packs in the country of sale to the consumer. Honey isconsidered by all consumers to be natural and pure. It has been a traditionalmedicine in China, the Ayurvedic medicine of India, and in Europe for a very longtime. This makes the quality of the honey paramount. The risk to the reputation ofhoney by the presence of contaminants or added syrups is very high. We must protectthat reputation at all costs.
The value of beekeeping to agriculturevia pollination is probably about twentytimes the value of any honey produced.Bees are also extremely important tobiodiversity. The man-made disaster ofloss of species is the worst since the ageof the dinosaurs. Beekeeping must bepromoted wherever possible for thebenefit of the environment as well asagriculture. The Honey InternationalPackers Association (HIPA) intends to
wienty\l range beekeepingequipment suppliers
jars, packaging, fillingmachines
world-wide export"
Swienty A/S, Hortoftvej 16,6400 Sonderborg, Denmark
Phone +45 74 48 69 69Fax +45 74 48 80 01
e-mail: [email protected]
provide advice to governments in thedevelopment of national agriculturalpolicy so that there is a full awareness ofthe importance of beekeeping.
Formation of the HIPA
The packers are those most directly in thefiring line from consumers andsupermarkets if there is any suspicionabout the quality of the honey. Honey isquite an uncertain crop due to the effectsof the weather on the behaviour of beesand the location of bee flora. It hastherefore been decided to form HIPA withthree main objectives, to ensure thecontinuity of the honey supply, to ensurethe quality of the honey supply and topursue these two objectives by beekeepertraining worldwide. The Association isformed in such a way that it can seekcharity funding to finance theseobjectives.
Continuity of the honey supply
Disappearance of a product from amarket is a disaster for that product.Having to relaunch it and redevelop themarket is very difficult and the originalmarket position may never be regained.Thus it is very important for the packersin the major importing regions to be ableto seek supplies from many sources.
An importanf training function will be tohelp beekeeping co-operatives, largecommercial beekeepers and associationsto achieve the final step to 20 tonnecontainer loads for export and to ensurethe administrative infrastructure to permitthis,-'such as certificates from the relevantgovernment departments.
Quality of the honey supply
Honey must comply with the CodexAlimentarius definition. This means thatthe bees must be given time to seal thecombs with wax before the honey isextracted, ensure that if the bees have tobe fed sugar, none of the sugar syrupcontaminates the honey, and ensure thatthe honey is not adulterated in any other
way with sugar syrups. Honey must notbe ultrafiltered.
In addition, honey must contain noresidues of antibiotics, anti-bacterialssuch as sulphonamides, other drugs ortoxic metals. Thus beekeepers must behighly trained in apjcultural techniquesthat enable^them to be commerciallysuccessful without using any chemicals.
Training of beekeepers
HIPA is dedicated to the extensive trainingof beekeepers so that they can producepure and natural honey at acommercially viable price and sell topackers and exporters a product that isacceptable in all markets of the world.This training must include goodapicultural practice, disease control byacceptable means, formation ofco-operatives and associations, goodmanagement practices, selling andmarket development. HIPA will work withgovernments to ensure the infrastructureprovides adequate support tobeekeepers. Organisations such as Beesfor Development will be contracted byHIPA to carry out this training. Thesystem developed in Australia, BQual,has very generously been made availableto HIPA and will be used to supporttrainers and beekeepers, initially inexporting countries.
Enquiries for membership details shouldbe made to Peter Martin, 32 WestAvenue, Hayes UB3 2EY, UK.Fax +44 208 569 2434.E-mail [email protected]
Peter Martin, HIPA Chairman
UK honeybeesin the firing lineDhofer Behnam
Dr Dhafer Behnam is a doctor ofmedicine, until recently practising inBaghdad, Iraq. A few months ago he andhis family travelled to a new home andlife in the UK. In Iraq, Dhafer was alsoan enthusiastic beekeeper, and Secretaryof the Iraqi Beekeepers' Association. Hecontributed several interesting articles tothis Journal. In the UK, Dhafer has takenup a new job: Head of Beekeeping atBuckfast Abbey in south-west England.Many readers will know that Buckfast wasmade world-famous through the work ofBrother Adam, who spent his life atBuckfast breeding bees. Brother Adamdied in 1996 aged 99. In this articleDhafer describes his view of the Britishapproach to Varroa control.
continues overleaf...
Bees for Development Journal 70
AfricanPollinatorInitiativeWest African bees to the roll call
The contribution of bees to theconservation of biodiversity came intoprominence during a four-day workshopin December 2003 on the taxonomy ofWest African bees. Tropical and sub-tropical areas of Africa South of theSahara have an estimated 3000 beespecies, all of which are important in thepollination of wild and cultivated plants.
The workshop tackled some aspects ofthe main objectives of the AfricanPollinator Initiative (API): identifying allpollinating organisms in Africa, includingbees, and promoting their conservationfor improved pollination of plants.
The West African Secretariat of the APIbased in the Department of Zoology,University of Cape Coast, Ghanaorganised the meeting which wassponsored by the UN Food andAgriculture Organization (FAO). Researchscientists, agricultural extension officers,beekeepers, and fruit crop farmers cametogether to learn about bees, and otherpollinators. Dr Connal Eardley, a beetaxonomist from South Africa, was theresource scientist for the workshop.
Four days of intensive field andlaboratory sessions covered the following:
- methods of collection of insects andother pollinating organisms
- identification of bee species usingtaxonomic keys
- methods of preservation of sampledspecimens for future scientific work
At the opening ceremony, the FAOcountry representative in Ghana,Mr A Ndong Mba, expressed the needfor farmers to adopt sound agriculturalpractices to conserve pollinators.Dr Peter Kwapong, the West African
Co-ordinator of API, called on allstakeholders in food production topromote the use of farming methods thatare friendly to organisms that play keyroles in crop pollination, as he said:"Without these pollinators yields of farmproduce will dwindle". Dr Eardleyoutlined plans and ongoing activities ofregional groupings under theInternational Pollinator Initiative whichseeks to promote the conservation anduse of organisms such as bees foreffective pollination of plants.
Kwame A/'dooBfD's Correspondent in Ghana
After the spread of the Varroa mite tohoneybee colonies across the world,beekeeping management has had tochange dramatically. Varroa was found inthe UK in 1992. It has had a bad impacton beekeeping in general, onprofessionals and on amateurs. Now it ismore than 10 years since it was identifiedin the island. Since then, what has beendone?
The pyrethroid chemicals namelyfluvalinate (Ap/sfan) and flumethrin(Bayvarol) have been used for over sevenyears. The persistent use of thesematerials has allowed the mite to buildup resistance to these substances and thishas been recorded in some parts of thecountry. What is being done against thisissue? Thymol compounds are to someextent effective in knocking down Varroa,yet they agitate the bees, are expensive tobuy, and are not doing the job wellenough.
There was talk about physicalmanoeuvres, like drone comb trapping,
queen confinement and the use ofmeshed hive floors. These tasks, althoughthey are useful, are too time consumingfor use on a commercial scale and mightaffect the build up of colonies duringcrucial periods.
Many hope that genetic selection will playits role. However, Varroa is anopportunistic parasite: it is not a naturalparasite of Apis me/l/fera. Thus Apismellifera would need infinite time to showgenetic mutation, if at all. The defencemechanism of the Asian hive bee, Apiscerana, is to have short incubationperiods for drone brood and abscondingof colonies to settle in another site, whichis not the case for European honeybees,Apis me/Were. After all, if one scientistbeekeeper succeeds in getting an inbredline of bees that shows some resistanceagainst Varroa, the way of mating ofbees, and the need for hybrids to gainvigour, would make this character lostafter one or two generations. It is not asif finding a colony or group of coloniesthat have less Varroa mites means this
line is resistant to Varroa. Half facts cannever be a compromise for the wholetruth.
It is not a matter of being pessimistic, butrather emphasising the need foralternatives. Integrated pest managementmay be the ideal solution. However,beekeepers need more than one materialto apply and to have differentmanoeuvres. Beekeepers and decision-makers need to plot immediate actionsand long-term ones to solve the problem.Otherwise this problem of resistance willspread to a level that will jeopardise theBritish beekeeping industry. Nobody likesthe use of chemicals in honeybeecolonies, but leaving these tiny creaturesunaided is another sour solution. Thepyrethroid compounds have been usedbefore and they are chemicals. We mustmake use of other countries' experiencein finding and registering the use ofalternative chemicals, as an urgent act.Meanwhile we should encourage anyscientific approach, and any inspiration,as a prospect for the future.
