“Bees are good for trees, and trees are good for bees,” posits Nicola Bradbear, Director of Bees for Development and President of the Apimondia Scientific Commission on Beekeeping for Rural Development in Bees and their role in forest livelihoods - A guide to the services provided by bees and the sustainable harvesting, processing and marketing of their products.

In the book, published in FAO’s NWFP Series in 2009, Bradbear argues that in tropical forests, savannah woodlands, mangrove, and in temperate deciduous forests, many species of plants and animals would not survive if bees were missing because the production of seeds, nuts, berries and fruits are highly dependent on insect pollination, and among the pollinating insects, bees are the major pollinators.

Bradbear returns to us today in our Special Feature, explaining why African forest beekeeping is an excellent system of beekeeping that sustains ecosystems and supports people, and calls for the science of forest beekeeping to be included in beekeeping studies and research programmes.

Also in this issue:

INTERVIEWS:

• Nadine Azzu, FAO, on pollination
• Charlotte Lietaer, FAO, on the Beekeeping Exchange Network (TECA Platform)

REGIONAL DISPATCHES:

• South Korea: Apimondia calls for better data, James Edge
• Germany: Possible causes of worldwide bee death, Wolfgang Ritter
• Wales: Pharmabees, Using honey bees as a drug discovery tool, Les Baillie
• Bolivia: Apiculture contributing to food security in San Ignacio de Velasco municipality
• New Zealand: Public awareness campaigns spur surge in beekeepers, Maureen Conquer
• Netherlands: Q&A with Remco Huvermann, on selling boxed bumblebees

Readers are reminded to send contributions (including recent books, projects, workshops, articles, etc.) to: non-wood-news@fao.org.

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HIGHLIGHTS

Science: More diverse pollinators improve crop yields	Technologies and practices for small agricultural producers	Bee products proceedings	Beekeeping in Somaliland

SPECIAL FEATURE 

Forest beekeeping in Africa sustains ecosystems and supports people

Nicola Bradbear 

In woodlands throughout Africa it is common to see cylinders hanging in trees and placed in the branches.  These cylinders are bee hives, and they contain colonies of honey bees or sometimes bees of another genus known as stingless bees.  The cylinders are made from whatever is locally available -  in miombo woodland they are made from the bark of trees, formed into a cylinder and held in place with pegs.  Hives are made also from hollowed out logs, from baskets, clay pots, banana sheaths or any other available materials.  The bees build their natural nests inside these containers, regarding them as convenient cavities, similar to those they would otherwise find in hollow trees.  Forest beekeepers use large numbers of these local-style, cylindrical hives.  Read more

INTERVIEWS

Nadine Azzu, FAO, on pollination

“While there is a wide variety of animal pollinators including vertebrates and birds, insect pollinators are by far the largest group, of which bees are by far the most effective.”

Read more

Charlotte Lietaer, FAO, on the Beekeeping Exchange Network (TECA Platform)

“TECA stands for practices and technologies for small agricultural producers. It is an interactive online platform where small producers can find free of charge practical and easy-to-understand information on crop production, forestry, livestock production and fisheries and practical tools for sustainable land, soil and water management and resilience building. There is a specific Exchange Group on Beekeeping. “ Read more

REGIONAL DISPATCHES

South Korea: Apimondia calls for better data

James Edge

Every two years beekeepers from all over the world gather to discuss the latest developments in beekeeping technologies and issues affecting apiculture. Focusing on both traditional beekeeping science and new developments, Apimondia – the world federation of beekeeper associations – hosts the largest and longest running apiculture congress.  Read more

Possible causes of worldwide bee death: Expert view from Germany

Wolfgang Ritter

Wales: Pharmabees, Using honey bees as a drug discovery tool

Les Baillie

Numerous species of bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics due to their overuse, and as a consequence there is an urgent need to identify new compounds to treat human and animal pathogens.   To address this issue we have recruited honeybees to help us discovery natural antibacterial plant derived compounds. Read more

Bolivia: Apiculture contributing to food security in San Ignacio de Velasco municipality

Bolivia is one of the poorest and most food-insecure countries in Latin America. Stunting in children under five exceeds 40 percent in the most food-insecure municipalities. A FAO Project is seeking to make a direct contribution to food security in the San Ignacio de Velasco municipality in Bolivia through apiculture.

Read more

New Zealand: Public awareness campaigns spur surge in beekeepers

Maureen Conquer

The Oceania Region covers Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. Our economies and lifestyles are strongly linked to the agricultural and horticultural sectors. Bees for pollination are an integral part of that ecosystem. Read more

Netherlands: Q&A with Remco Huvermann, Product Manager for pollination, on selling boxed bumblebees

“We have found that commercially produced bumblebees play a very important role in filling the increasing demand for pollinators.” Read more

PRODUCT WATCH

Brazilian Red Propolis

A relatively new type of propolis, named red propolis (in Brazil, Brazilian Red Propolis - BRP), has been arousing attention for the promising pharmacological properties of some of its isolated compounds (vestitol, neovestitol, quercetin, medicarpin, formononetin, etc). In this paper, published this month in the European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, the authors reveal that due to a distinct chemical composition, BRP and its isolated compounds (mainly isoflavones)  affect a wide range of biological targets and could have an impact against numerous diseases as an antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory, antioxidant and antiproliferative agent. Read more

GENERAL NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Second Fair of Edible Forest Fruits, Chiquitania, Bolivia

The second Fair of Edible Forest Fruits of Chiquitania took place on 30 January in San Ignacio de Velasco municipality, Bolivia. Fruits like achachairú, cusi, guapurú, guayaba, motacú, motojobobo, pació, pitón, sinini, totaí, acerola were available for tasting and sale, as well as related foodstuffs including marmalade, liquor, vinegar, starch and other drinks. Gourmet plates sourced from forest fruits were also served, including the notorious Chiquitania “sopa de almendra” or “almond soup”.  Read more

Philippines: Toward recognition of Ati traditional medicine

The practicing of traditional medicine among the indigenous peoples of the Philippines has steadily declined over the past decades.  One major factor contributing to the decline is the tendency to sideline traditional healers (and midwifes) in cosmopolitan primary health care. An ethnic group, which has nevertheless managed, until today, to largely retain its multi-facetted knowledge and skills in relation to traditional medicine, consists of the Ati Negritos of Guimaras island. Read more

Tanzania: How deforestation impacts on beekeeping

Scientists and environmentalists have warned that increasing global warming, soil erosion, wildlife extinction, and climate imbalance are some of the effects of deforestation. However, beekeepers have raised fresh concern over increasing deforestation saying that it threatens their business. They have also warned that due to massive felling of trees, various species of animals and bees are lost. Mr Ame Ameir Soud, one of the beekeepers in Bwejuu Village, South Unguja appeals for the government to introduce a law that will protect their welfare, particularly in response to growing illegal cutting down of trees. Read more

Shiitake mushrooms: A Commercial forest farming enterprise

Helping landowners care for their forests and strengthen local economies is an important goal of the U.S. Forest Service, USDA National Agroforestry Center and their partnering organizations. According to Ken Mudge of Cornell University, any farmer with a woodlot and the drive to diversify should consider forest-cultivated shiitake mushrooms. They are well suited to the increasing demand for locally produced, healthy foods. With a retail price of US$12 to US$20 per pound, the demand for shiitakes is considerable throughout the Northeast.  Read more

Early farmers minded their own beeswax

Early farmers had a sweet tooth. Pieces of Neolithic crockery from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa dating back 9,000 years bear chemical traces of beeswax, according to an analysis of thousands of potsherds that appears in Nature. Farming cultures of the time probably sweetened their food with honey, but bee products may have also found use in religious ceremonies and early medicines, researchers suspect. Read more

Saving North Carolina’s wild ginseng from poachers

The History Channel’s “Appalachian Outlaws” has chronicled daring, illegal ginseng poaching schemes on public and private land – to the dismay of many conservationists. Officials at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of North Carolina say that rangers at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park seize between 500 and 1,000 illegally poached ginseng roots each year. State researchers recently got new energy in their ultimate quest to reduce over-harvesting and poaching, thanks to a $98,872 grant. Read more

Reinventing Entomophagy for the 21st century

Entomophagy is the practice of eating insects, especially by people. Many professionals in the field express a dislike for the archaic term due to its over-simplified definition. The practice of consuming insects goes far beyond culinary innovations and can have groundbreaking environmental, economic and sociocultural impacts. Read more

More news: www.fao.org/forestry/nwfp/en/

RECENT LITERATURE

Baiyegunhi, L.J.S. and Oppong, B.B. 2016. Commercialisation of mopane worm (Imbrasia belina) in rural households in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Forest Policy and Economics, 62, pp.141-148.

Baiyegunhi, L.J.S., Oppong, B.B. and Senyolo, G.M. 2016. Mopane worm (Imbrasia belina) and rural household food security in Limpopo province, South Africa. Food Security, pp.1-13.

Ehara, M., Hyakumura, K., Nomura, H., Matsuura, T., Sokh, H. and Leng, C. 2016. Identifying characteristics of households affected by deforestation in their fuelwood and non-timber forest product collections: Case study in Kampong Thom Province, Cambodia. Land Use Policy, 52, pp.92-102.

Cotta, J.N. 2016. Revisiting Bora fallow agroforestry in the Peruvian Amazon: Enriching ethnobotanical appraisals of non-timber products through household income quantification. Agroforestry Systems, pp.1-20.

Frey, G.E. & Chamberlain, J.L. 2016. Collection of NTFPs from State Forests in the US South. Journal of Forestry. Avaliable at: http://dx.doi.org/10.5849/jof.15-043

Fungo, R., Muyonga, J.H., Kabahenda, M., Okia, C.A. and Snook, L. 2016. Factors influencing consumption of nutrient rich forest foods in rural Cameroon. Appetite, 97, pp.176-184.

Jongjitvimol, T. 2016. Economic Value of Non-Timber Forest Products Used by the Largest Hmong Community in Thailand. NU. International Journal of Science, 12(1), pp.38-51.

Kauffman, J.S, Prisley, S.P. & Chamberlain, J.L. Monitoring NTFPs Using Forest Inventory Data: An Example with Slippery Elm Bark.

Sisak, L., Riedl, M. & Dudik, R. 2016. Non-market NTFPs in the Czech Republic – Their socio-economic effects and trends in forest land use. Land Use Policy, 50: pp.390-398.

Tamai, Y., Sandan, P., Gaman, S. and Prawira, Y. 2016. Ethnic Plant Resources in Central Kalimantan. In Tropical Peatland Ecosystems (pp. 551-559). Springer Japan.

Tilahun, M., Maertens, M., Deckers, J., Muys, B. and Mathijs, E. 2016. Impact of membership in frankincense cooperative firms on rural income and poverty in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Forest Policy and Economics, 62, pp.95-108.