26 : A Nepal Odyssey NATIVE HONEY BEES, TROPILAELAPS AND A BASIC ASSESSMENT A Nepal Odyssey Simon Croson A
visit to Nepal to study bees is an amazing
opportunity. When you consider the possibilities that lie before you – culture, history, environment, trekking, religion, wildlife – it is difficult to focus on one particular theme of study because there are so many.
February is a mixed month for beekeeping in the UK with much of the pre-season work already completed, so a short trip away is not too detrimental.
Return to Nepal
In Nepal, seasonal variations mean that there is a strong possibility of seeing and photographing all four native honey bee species within this relatively small but hugely diverse country. In 2014 before the earthquake, a previous trip to Nepal, as tour group leader for Bees Abroad, opened up some great contacts and suggested that there was so
Ishowari receiving his BBKA Basic Assessment certifi cate
much more to see and do. A return trip also offered a chance to give something back so it was only a matter of time before this was planned. Travelling with my son (Lucas) allowed great fl exibility in our plans which took us far and wide to fi nd and study our subjects. We owe so much to our guide, Ram, who, incorporating our suggestions, provided an amazingly slick itinerary. He acted as our guide/ interpreter throughout our stay and made a good trip fantastic.
Apis cerana and Apis mellifera
We started out in Kathmandu, visiting beekeepers we had met previously, and the fi rst few days allowed us time to adjust and settle in. February in Nepal and
the temperature was 30 °C! It was a pleasure to see Apis cerana and Apis mellifera very early in our stay but plans for bigger things lay ahead. We travelled onwards to
the foothills above Pokhara in the central west region and made our way to the honey cliffs we had visited previously. We did not really have much expectation of seeing Apis laboriosa as we thought it was too early in the season. However, we were delighted to see A. laboriosa foragers on various fl owers as soon as we entered the valley. This was a good omen. As we reached the honey cliff we were greeted by a wall of bees with over 25 nests. On our previous trip, we had arrived a month later and there were only two nests.
Pseudoscorpions We took time in the region
(Left) Apis laboriosa and (right) a worker bee with a pseudoscorpion
www.bee-craft.com Apimondia Gold Medal for Popular Beekeeping Journals, 2007, 2013 and 2015 September 2016 Vol 98 No 9
to visit a beekeeper who introduced us to his organic coffee plantation that relied on his A. cerana bees for pollination, a true case of ‘relieving poverty through beekeeping’. On closer inspection, we were introduced to an unusual pest in the form of a pseudoscorpion, which we had not experienced before. We were aware that it wasn’t a major pest but it was interesting all the same. Although it was very interested in the bees, it did not seem to have an overwhelming impact on them.
Tropilaelaps
After a few days engaging with beekeepers, photographing various bees, forage plants and local villagers, we moved on south to Chitwan National Park, in the heart of the Nepalese jungle area, to fi nd more bees and fi nally get up close and personal with Tropilaelaps, an exotic pest threat. The Tropilaelaps mite occurs as a few species, two of which are known to be a threat to Asian honey bees. The National Bee Unit’s BeeBase website (www.
nationalbeeunit.com) is a great
Photos by Simon and Lucas Croson
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