Book Reviews
Dr. Dewey Caron is a highly respected professor, lecturer, and writer of beekeeping topics. He is a past Chairman of the Eastern Apiculture Society (EAS), a former student of Roger Morse, and teaches at the University of Maryland. He has also traveled extensively in the 3rd world countries and spends much time in South America.
His book, "Africanized Honey Bees" contains 12 chapter devoted to almost anything you want to know about Africanized honeybees. The first two chapters are devoted to the story of AHB in the Americas with the introduction and spread into the U.S. Chapter 3 and 4 deal with the species of Apis mellifera scutellata and explains various analysis to determine what a African honeybee is. I found the 5th chapter to be most interesting with a discussion of various Myths about the AHB. I especially liked the drawing of the biological control gorilla.
Dewey's experience with South American beekeeping practices give us a clear picture of what beekeepers in that region of the world deal with in order to keep bees. Be begins with Chapter 7 the "Africanization of Panama" and the first bee sting death there. And then leads us to how to survive keeping African honeybees based upon the examples of people working with AHB's. An example from page 95,
"The first colony we inspected responded in classic defensive fashion. The hive was well propolized and it was impossible to enter without jarring the colony. As Arturo removed the moving slats and pried the top, the bees exited through our smoke screen as if it were not there."
This book is packed with information about the AHB and environmental factors every knowledgeable beekeeper should read.
Not being any kind of expert on African honeybees -- especially living in Ohio and going South to vacation in the glamour of the costal resorts of Mexico -- this book prepares me a bit for the time when and if AHB become a problem in my own backyard. If you say, it can't happen, then take a look at what has happened in just the last year with introduction into Florida. Especially troubling is the presence of AHB in those states that ship queens to those of us in the North.
I highly recommend it.