Beekeeping Under Agricultural and Weather Pressure

Original in Spanish

In this edition, Ricardo Miguel Prieto, beekeeper and queen breeder from Junín, Province of Buenos Aires, offers a detailed description of beekeeping handling under current environmental conditions, and his opinion on genetic material selection. Moreover, PhD Mayda Verde from Cuba warns about the risks that wax production implies when the environment is contaminated by beekeepers themselves as well as by external factors. It is remarkable Guillermina Fagúndez's work on the characteristics of Algarrobo Monofloral honey (Prosopis spp), as well as Alicia Basilio's, where it is shown the importance of fatty acids and amino acids both present in the pollen that bees collect in the lower delta of Paraná river

(Thanks to Miss Melipal Esteban for the translation of this page)
Hard Edition published in June of 2009

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Main titles of the 87th edition of ESPACIO APICOLA,
April-May 2009.

Index
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EDITOR WORDS:
TOWARDS A CONVERSION OF THE BEEKEEPING COMPANY
Fernando L Esteban (Córdoba, June 25th 2009) We have chosen "The beekeeping that better meets your needs" as main motivation of the Fair and beekeeping meetings, making an allusion to the fact that our time is constantly changing but the circumstances we live in change even more rapidly. This goes beyond nature and causes a significant number of dropouts. At the same time, as it has happened in some other cases, new actors will come up, who consider current transformations as "normal". For example, in the last 15 years, Córdoba changed from having 10 million hectars of wood to having just half a million.
The "Algarrobo phytogeographic province" from the south of Córdoba province does not exist any longer, and the "Espinal region" is going the same way. Or we compromise and are part of this transformation trying to change it in terms of making room to ourselves, or we migrate to places where the situation is similar to the one we used to have, praying it lasts, as there wont be any other choice.
There are some things that should have never changed, there are some things we will have to recover to survive or live better, but the thing is that we will have to do it with somebody else, which is dificult for any generally lonely entrepreneur. Among these possible allies, we have been promoting the commitment with fruit and vegetable growers, environment protection asociations in search of places of environmental sanitarization within green belts around cities, producer of different types of seed and fruits that can incorporate beekeeping as a strategic tool to develop more profitable production technologies regarding quantity and quality of the product. We have a long way to go, reasons to do it and ways to do it. ¡Enjoy your Espacio Apícola!.
Fernando L. Esteban - Director
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Determination of Residues of Organophosphates, Organochlorines and Pyrethroids in Beewax Samples obtained in Cuba
PhD Mayda Verde
maydaverde@infomed.sld.cu
Veterinary and Scientific Council of Cuba



SUMMARY
The complexity of food chains and the globalization of markets require ensuring food safety; forcing us to identify the dangers and pollution hotspots during the productive process. Cuba has considered beekeeping products, and specially honey, important and traditional export items, as they are dispatched to the European Union, which requires compliance with Directives and Regulations that set top limits of residues for toxic contaminants and their metabolites: pesticides, antibiotics or heavy metals. From these residues, some liposoluble active ingredients enter the colony, and they can reach high concentrations in the wax.
Subtitles: - INTRODUCTION
- MATERIALS AND METHOD
- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
- CONCLUSIONS
- RECOMENDATIONS

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Palynological, Physico - Chemical and Sensory Characterization of Algarrobo honeys (Prosopis spp) from Ischilín Department (Córdoba - Argentina) Fagúndez G. - Veca M. - Cossuta E.- Ciappini M.C. - Gatti M.B.- Di Vito M.V. CICyTTP - CONICET - Cooperazione Italiana - ONUDI

Algarrobo (Carob) flower (Prosopis alba) It was studied the physico - chemical and sensory characteristics of 14 honey samples whose percentage of "Algarrobo" (Prosopis spp. - Carob) varied between 20.5-70%, in order to help their characterization. The samples were obtained from Ischilín Department (Córdoba) during the spring of 2007. The obtained honeys are very clear, and they cristalize spontaneous and homogeneously, forming small crystals that are easily dissolved in the mouth and give the honey a cream texture. The sweetness is moderate; bitter, salad or acid remarks were not found and residual flavours were not perceived as well. The smell is weak, little persistant and it belong to the family of the aromatics, with vegetable remarks.
Subtitles:
- QUANTITATIVE PALINOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
- QUALITATIVE PALINOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
- PHYSICO - CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
- SENSORY ANALYSIS

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Fatty Acids and Amino Acids in Pollen from Lower Delta of Paraná River - Argentina
Alicia Basilio - Beatriz Achával - Laura Gurini - María E. Cossu - Flavia Cerdá y Graciela Lazzari


Bees visiting "Sauce indio" flowers (Amorpha fruticosa)

Amino Acids, Proteins and lipids in the bees diet
Pollen is the main food in bee colonies diet. From pollen, bees obtein essential proteins, minerals, vitamins, lipids, amino acids and fatty acids (Keller et al. 2005). However, bees do not consume it as it is in the plant, they mix it with nectar and enzimes and ensilage it in the cells, where, together with the lactobasilo, it is produced the fermentation and the splitting of the starch into sugar (Roulston, 2005).
Subtitles:
- METHOD AND AREA OF STUDY
- RESULTS
- BOTANIC ORIGIN of the CROP
- PROTEINS AND AMINO ACIDS
- ESSENTIAL LIPIDS AND FATTY ACIDS
- DISCUSSION y CONCLUSIONS
- ¿What is POLLEN KIT?

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Handling and bees under Agricultural and Weather Pressure
Ricardo Miguel Prieto
prieto@infovia.com.ar
Junín - Buenos Aires - Argentina

Circles of Brood and Detail of Oviposition up to September, 10th 2008

Ricardo Miguel Prieto is a beekeeper from Junín, Province of Buenos Aires, who oriented his production towards two decisive aspects: the production of queen bees, without neglecting honey production, and the family company, where many activities target a single goal: live and work together as a family. These objectives have made him perservere in this activity, against all odds, and invest work and effort to push these two vital axis. This pattern is common among Argentine beekeepers, who have survived a variety of crisis. Regarding beekeeping, it must be highlighted Prieto's care and knowledge of those who generate our resource, bees. Without despising other beekeepers' knowledge or scientific studies, Prieto's convictions are based on his experience and on beeing careful enough because he knows that if he makes a mistake... he doesn't eat! As a permanent helper of Espacio Apícola, we invite him to share his perspective regarding the new challenges bees and beekeepers are facing before the current agriculture phenomenon.
Subtitles:
HANDLING
- Feeding after the crop
- Reinforces with bees from weak beehives
- How to feed?
- Interval between feedings
- Feeding: Until When?
- and, if we leave honey reserves?
Conclussion
BEES
- Results obtained in the Last Three Seasons
- Result Analysis
- Evaluation Criteria of Bee - Brooth Plan
- Comparisons and Multiplication

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SELECTION OF GENETIC MATERIAL
Weather and agriculturization change the crux of the problem
Ricardo Miguel Prieto
prieto@infovia.com.ar



During the last years, beekeeping has been investigated by scientifics and profesionals. Each of these investigators described the "problem" and contributed with their general view influenced by their academic background, their specific object of investigation and their speciality. But, also influenced by their necessity of generating new resources to go on "investigating", the market pressures and under the corporate umbrella of their professional associations or, work or academic areas, that always stain more honest goals with more narrow interests. That is why among important contributions, there have always been big distractions and even delays. In the quest of seeing beekeeping from itself, "Beekeeping and its circumstances" paraphrasing Ortega y Gasset, in this review of more than thirty years devoted to the selection of bees to multiply and sell, we had to ask Ricardo his perspective regarding some attempts of genetic improvement. Modestly, he titled:

Short Note on bees genetic improvement and current situation

Beekeeping has always been farmers' activity, mainly oriented to personal consumption and made with local bees. When, during the XIX century, the first profit - oriented beekeeping ventures appeared, specially in the US, the idea of improving handling and beehives performance through incorporating other bee races begins to arise. The start of the beehive in spring begins with a good autumn. By that time, in American Continent as well as in most of Europe, the dominant race was black Central Europe Apis mellifera mellifera, which we call "criolla".

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First on-line edition March 5th of 1997


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