Europe Beekeeping seen by an Argentinean

BEEKEEPING IN EUROPE
SEEN FROM ARGENTINA
Update on December 10, 1997

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Main titles of ESPACIO APICOLA Number 30,
November 1997.

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TOPICS
Netherland Beekeeping: Mills, Tulips and Honey
Italy: The cooperative force

Argentine: Se.Na.S.A.'s Norms

Spain: A postcard of Spain Beekeeping

Wales: A visit to the I.B.R.A.

The points out of the XXXV Apimondia Congress at Antwerp

Xerophilus forest Beekeeping

GO TO EDITION NUMBER 31

EDITORIAL
Since September 1st until the 6th "Espacio Apícola" luckily travelled to Apimondia Congress, in Belgiun.
Throughout twelve days we visit a few European countries, we didn't at all become experts. We simply gathered images which we want to share with you (as this mountain of garbage along the side of the freeway that joins Frankfurt and Breda, in Germany).
After loading my baggage in a taxi, the day I arrived in Brussels, the chauffeur told me: "if you want I'll take you, but that is only four blocks away and I have to charge you no less than ten dollars for that", I thanked him, took hold of my bag and went on by foot. I share the first night in a community hotel's with a fellow from the USA, one from Germany and an Englishman. The American guy was reading "A hundred years of solitude" (by the Colombian Gabriel García Márquez). In the room next ours, there was a family from Togo, in Africa. They were over 12 people, dressed in their traditional clothes and cooking their traditional meals wich they shared with whoever accepted, in a hall in the hotel.
I met with people from Japan, New Zealand, and other distant countries. I recive a lot of astonishings images and experiences.
On Saturday I made a tour down to the old square of Brussels. I felt the whole weight of history on my shoulders, but all the same, the place was full of life: a students strings quartet from the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra was playing on the sidewalk -I left a few francs on their tray-, there was a mime representing at a corner of the square, and the clothes of people going by was the only sign that we were at the end of the 20th century. Then I sat down, with the american, to take a beer in a neighborhood with Art Nouveau architecture, very similar to some central streets of Buenos Aires (Argentina).
I was also surprised for some abandoned buildings and many parking meters destroyed in the capital of de European world... I have known very solidary and fraternal Belgians; in more populous neighborhoods, every 15 days on Sunday afternoons, they meet to make fairs of used things, sometimes to join funds for some organization... in the morning to the Mass of 8, like in many other parts, most of the people arrive with the last stroke of a bell and feel dispersed in the banks of the church.
In the train of Brussels to Antwerp I met with Osvaldo Atela and his wife, and Susana Bruno with her sister. We commented about the good climate and the abundant vegetation beside the railroad. In a trip of something more than 40 km. we didn't see field, they are all country houses, the biggest lot in corn that we saw be less than four hectares. Belgium is one of the countries of more populational density and its cities are not so big, a lot of people live in country houses, the same as in Netherland. I found that in England and Germany the cities are bigger and the countryside a little less populated.
With a populational density superior to 200 inhabitants per Km2, the energy consumption "per cápita" of these central countries is seven times superior to the consumption of the third world countries. For consumption of fossil fuels (coal, petroleum, gas) they toss to the atmosphere an average of 2.000 daily kilograms of carbon per km2, while a country like Argentina, with near 15 inhabitants per km2, toss only 21 kg. of carbon to the atmosphere. No way if we make a comparison with the semi-arid areas where we practice beekeeping.
In this respect, a report of the FAO that we brought from England says: "In Canada, USA, United Kingdom and Italy, honeybees were used to monitor environmental pollution, since accumulations of certain metals and other substances could be measured in hive products, mostly in pollen but also in honey."
In a similar area like Buenos Aires province (in Argentine) Germany has more than 30 nuclear power stations; with something more than 75 million inhabitants has almost 100 millions of cars.
This element, besides the solidary conscience, explains why they are giving so much importance to the beekeeping development in underdeveloped countries and poor areas. The Europeans that we saw, in spite of being much more educated and enviromental informed that we are, they can not combat the high degree of environmental contamination that they have particularly concentrated on the vegetables with stainless steel in their extraction rooms. The great populational density and high purchasing power generates a serious problem with the garbage, no matter how much orderly they are for its treatment.
We are convinced that the most expensive resource to produce higth cuality honey, the Argentineans have it free!. We only have to be informed to taking care of it.
The force of the activity in our country is adapting the extraction plants very swiftly. But it's also necessary to adapt the handling and production systems, but we understand that the future is truly promissory.
We have left for the next number of "Espacio Apícola" the visit that we had made to Germany, because with that we will enter in the thematic of the next Beekeeping Meeting "San Francisco'98" and that we come profiling in the last numbers, to guarantee the quality of productive processes.
An abundant harvest for all! (evident, those of the southern hemisphere...)
The director
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Netherland Beekeeping: Mills, Tulips and Honey

Will and Kees van Holland and Cees de Bondt invited us to exchange opinions and experiences in their house, in the countryside, nearby Rhenen to some 60 kilometers of Amsterdam.

With 450 beehives, Kees van Holland are considered the best and bigger beekeeper in Netherland.
The market that they develop is diversity and honey is almost a by-product. We can say that they sell "beekeeping", they sell "beekeeping folklore", they sell well-being and health sensation , behind each flask of honey.
With them we spoke about production topics, sanity, markets... All accompanied by 19 illustrative pictures.
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Italy: The cooperative force

During the Apimondia Congress in Antwerp, we interviewed Lucio Cavazzoni, president of the Consorzio Nazionale Apicultori, of Italy. He highlights the achievements and cooperative importance in the Italy beekeeping, the influence of this consortium in the internal market of their country and their work structure, model for beekeepers organization around the world.
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Se.Na.S.A.'s Norms (Argentine)
The National Service of Animal Sanity of Argentine (Se.Na.S.A.), entity that regulates the primary production, has come publishing diverse norms for the beekeeping that they are clearly much more demanding that the work systems that we could verify between the main producers of Netherland and Germany.
These norms, although they point to optimize and to guarantee the productive systems, they could be counteractive, for example: to facilitate the incorporation of genetic material of countries that they conserve pure lines of bees "apis mellifera ligustica" to maintain the quality of our apiaries.
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Spain: A postcard of the Beekeeping in Spain

Hardly arrived in Antwerp, Alberto Bigne his wife and son, cames to visit the stand of Argentina and they accompanied us in several moments.
Knowing about their knowledge of Europe We asked him to introduce us to some prominent beekeeper of Spain.
Hardly made contact, he came to warn us and we coordinated the encounter with Pepe and Rafael Serra and Rafael Serra Jr., who come from Valencia.
Other to say is that we feel very pleased with these colleagues, like with the whole delegation of Spain that then visited us and with whom we also share "zortzicos" and other traditional Spanish songs.
"The beekeeping in Spain is not Argentina hey!" -Pepe started up - "it is very different..." and they was narrating us all their experience to share it with our readers.
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Wales: A visit to the I.B.R.A.

We visited the International Bee Research Association with headquarters in Cardiff, capital of Wales, in the United Kingdom. It is one of the most important libraries on beekeeping in the world.
In the picture Sue, Salma and Jaqueline, three of the librarians that work ordering the material and maintaining the contact in the entire world with their numerous associates.
With their director, Richard Jones, we had the opportunity to chat during the Congress, in Antwerp.
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The points out of the XXXV Apimondia Congress in Antwerp

THEMATIC OF THE CONGRESS
During the Congress you could listen to reports, or visit the posters hall, or participate in symposiums (discussion meetings) about bumblebees, bees without sting, africanized bees, varroa, loque, monofloral honeys or residuals in the beekeeping products.
The scientific program included reports about Economy, Biology, Patology, Melliferous Flora and Pollination, Technology and Equipment, Apitherapy and Beekeeping for the Rural Development. This thematic occupied great part of the Congress and it is necessary to highlight that they are numerous development projects that have the beekeeping like one of their main productive activities.
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Xerophilus forest Beekeeping

As for several years, in the first days of August, our responsible team, transferred an experimental apiaries to the "Monte chaqueño" (xerophilus forest - enough degraded) that skirts the big salines of our province (state) of Córdoba (in Argentina).
We begin incentivating with sugar syrup and substitutes of pollen during approximately 20 days.
Toward ends of August the entrance of nectar and pollen made unnecessary the application of substitutes.

DEVELOPMENT
It was in general strong standard breeding beehives, some with another half standard and very few in double standard breeding beehive.

This year, for ends of October, they had achieved a nucleus by beehive, they stretched an average from twelve to thirteen squares of sheet wax each one and it had been begun with the honey harvest, estimated in about 12 kg. by beehive, besides the marks extracted for nucleus feeding; while collaborators of our magazine, of Río Cuarto area, commented us that they should go to the apiaries to feed at the same time.
Newly we appear in Internet,... be patient!
We will go publishing, new comments and notes about different informations.
We also have foreseen to present a listing of topics, articles and authors published in ESPACIO APICOLA in these seven years.
We receive suggestions and comments, contact us.

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