nicola bradbear - apimondia · nicola bradbear apimondia president standing commission beekeeping...
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Nicola BradbearNicola BradbearAPIMONDIAPRESIDENT Standing Commission Beekeeping for Rural Development
Bees for Development, UKDIRECTOR
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1. The concepts - extensive and intensive beekeeping
2. Some examples3. The transition and implications for
bee health 4. Feasible ways for beekeepers to adopt
a more extensive approach
Honey bee populations
The number of honey bee colonies in an environment - not the numbers of bees in an individual colony.
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
Extensive beekeeping in tropical Africa
viewed as part of an extensive system they are:• efficient• low risk• cost-effective• And the bees are
healthy
Crucial characteristics in this step:1. Change in focus – from the whole honey bee
population, to individual colonies in hives2. Change in strategy - from minimal management, to
more intensive colony management.
Crucial characteristics in this step:3. Change in hive type – from low cost to expensive - each colony
must pay its way4. Hive type enables intensive colony management
AND Further ‘hidden’ consequences for bee health
To increase honey production
An intensive beekeeper will manage each individual colony to increase yield per colony
An extensive beekeeper will make another hive
• 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
Natural reproduction maintains genetic diversity
Survival of the fittest Not stressed (minimal
interference) Colonies swarm No human-caused
transmission of diseases
No suppression of honey bee diseases
Natural evolution of bees and pathogens is allowed to take place
Population is genetically fit and resilient
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
Beekeeping changed from:◦ beekeepers want swarmsto:◦ 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
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
Undermining natural reproduction and evolution
More manipulation = more stress
Re-used brood combs harbour disease
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 vulnerableOctober 11 21
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 22
© Lou Jian-Neng
Examples: 2011 - in the CaribbeanSome 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
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?
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
Apiaries should have some colonies that are allowed to live naturally and to swarm
A nice example from Turkey!
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
Taking a more extensive approachUsing hives that allow bees to live more naturally:• Warré hive• Oscar Perone hive• Box pile hive• Top-bar hive
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)
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.
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
In summary
That is all for now! That is all for now!
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