APIMONDIA PRESIDENT Standing Commission Beekeeping for Rural Development. Bees for Development, UK DIRECTOR

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1 Nicola Bradbear APIMONDIA PRESIDENT Standing Commission Beekeeping for Rural Development Bees for Development, UK DIRECTOR 1

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3 1. The concepts - extensive and intensive beekeeping 2. Some examples 3. The transition and implications for bee health 4. Feasible ways for beekeepers to adopt a more extensive approach 3

4 Fixed comb hives Movable comb hives: Frame hives Top-bar hives

5 Honey bee populations The number of honey bee colonies in an environment - not the numbers of bees in an individual colony.

6 First response usually to recommend change to a modern movable comb hive. Rationale is to enable: More honey Better quality honey Keep bees healthy by inspecting them Keep colonies strong by manipulating them Allow to rear queens, make splits

7 You are making the beekeeper change from an extensive beekeeping system to intensive beekeeping.

8 Extensive beekeeping This system may seem unproductive and unreliable at the level of a single hive

9 Extensive beekeeping in tropical Africa viewed as part of an extensive system they are: efficient low risk cost-effective And the bees are healthy

10 Crucial characteristics in this step: 1. Change in focus from the whole honey bee population, to individual colonies in hives 2. Change in strategy - from minimal management, to more intensive colony management.

11 Crucial characteristics in this step: 3. Change in hive type from low cost to expensive - each colony must pay its way 4. Hive type enables intensive colony management AND Further hidden consequences for bee health

12 Extensive as in the wild (or similar) Intensive industrial style

13 To increase honey production An extensive beekeeper will make another hive An intensive beekeeper will manage each individual colony to increase yield per colony

14 John owns 120 local style hives Not all hives occupied at any one time. Accepts that honey bee colonies swarm and also are mobile. He harvests from only a proportion Additional hives are cheap Bees live, breed and evolve almost as in the wild

15 Natural reproduction maintains genetic diversity Survival of the fittest Not stressed (minimal interference) Colonies swarm No human-caused transmission of diseases

16 No suppression of honey bee diseases Natural evolution of bees and pathogens is allowed to take place Population is genetically fit and resilient

17 Local style systems may seem unproductive if considered at the level of a single hive Highly cost-effective at the population level: Total yields are satisfactory Hives are cheap - can afford many Healthy bees no costs for inspections or medicines No residues premium product honey & beeswax meet EU requirements

18 Beekeeping changed from: beekeepers want swarms to: beekeepers do not want swarms We changed our beekeeping from a population level activity, to a box level activity We changed from extensive to intensive

19 Selected colonies not harvested - used as breeder colonies to yield swarms Weak colonies were harvested - would not become breeder colonies positive selection pressure for healthy bees. Breeder colonies also produced drones

20 Undermining natural reproduction and evolution More manipulation = more stress Re-used brood combs harbour disease

21 Intensive farming Increased risk of disastrous disease outbreaks Farmers work hard to maintain healthy individuals by controlling all factors food, genetics, health, the animal s whole environment. But the population has no self-resilience It is vulnerable October 11 21

22 Intensive beekeeping Inspections, manipulations and transportation raise stress Prophylaxis used to maintain health Swapping frames and boxes disease transmission Making increase through queen rearing implications for genetic diversity Natural reproduction constrained swarm control, minimise drone numbers Breeding for yield October 11 Lou Jian-Neng 22

23 Examples: in the Caribbean Some populations of bees becoming more tolerant to Varroa Not as a consequences of an intensive breeding programme But through natural decline of weak colonies and survival of strong colonies. Adapting to Varroa is happening faster in Caribbean islands where beekeepers do not buy queens from Hawaii

24 OUR OPTIONS: Develop new bee medicines? Controlled breeding programmes to breed disease resistant bees? Allow tolerance and resilience to evolve gradually? What is feasible? How to take a more extensive approach?

25 Adopting a more extensive approach Take steps to sustain the wild honey bee population by allowing at least some colonies to swarm October 11 25

26 Apiaries should have some colonies that are allowed to live naturally and to swarm A nice example from Turkey!

27 Adopting a more extensive approach Take a step back from intensive methods and control Allow drone production Allow swarms Use cheaper, simpler hives and have more

28 Taking a more extensive approach Using hives that allow bees to live more naturally: Warré hive Oscar Perone hive Box pile hive Top-bar hive

29 Adopting a more extensive approach Local populations allowed to adapt to local conditions, including the prevalent diseases Beekeepers can encourage local adaptation by: Avoid bringing in genes from elsewhere Choose strong colonies for splitting and queen rearing Consider disease tolerance above gentleness and honey yield Take care not to over-medicate as this allows weak colonies to breed (queens or drones)

30 Adopting a more extensive approach Most beekeeping communities do not have resources or technical ability to breed healthy bees A better approach to breeding healthy bees is to allow the process of natural evolution. Best achieved through an extensive population approach - rather than an intensive colony approach. Beekeepers work with this process through making careful choices - within the reach of every beekeeper.

31 In summary 1. Extensive beekeeping is less stressful for bees 2. Reduced stress promotes health and resilience 3. Natural reproduction among a large population ensures genetic fitness 4. Genes and natural selection protect the population - not medicines

32 That is all for now! text and images Bees for Development t