Visit to Düebener Heide Germany, 15 – 19

Report
Visit to Düebener Heide Germany, 15th – 19th September 2012
Our Transnational Bees and Biodiversity project is well underway! Rob
Taylor(RT), Mark Cheek(MC), Chris Keen and Alison Richards represented
Merthyr Tydfil in the EU LEADER programme, funded by Rural
Development Programme (RDP) and supported by Welsh Government
(WG) and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council (MTCBC). The conference
took place in the beautiful ‘Natur Park’, (approx 10x size of MT) 130 km SW of
Berlin. (See Visit to Dübener Heide – East Germany 4th – 8th May 2012 for a The delegates from Wales
comprehensive description of the area).
Schlaitz Village
Mr Ralf Hauser’s garden in Friedersdorf
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Day 1. Morning
Delegates from each country gave a PowerPoint presentation describing the locality of and focus
for the Bees and Biodiversity Project and how far the project had progressed.
The Bee
Project
delegates
from France
Germany
Slovakia
Wales
Belgium and
Finland in the
doorway of
the .... Hotel
in Schlaitz
Robert Taylor, LAG Chair, Wales explained
that we are currently training 12 bee keepers
to form a bee co-operative to maintain 30
beehives in the Rural Development Project
(RDP) localities. After consultation with
farmers, gardeners and land owners, the
beehives have been installed in the 5 RDP
areas and the Bee Co-operative is beginning to
take shape. He told the delegates that visitors
to a local agricultural show in August were
Conference room .....Hotel
fascinated to hear about a year in the life of a honey bee colony. The ‘trainee beehive’ and
bee keeper’s suit attracted much interest from the very old to the very young. Another
aspect of our project is education. Mark Cheek and Rob Taylor have begun visiting 6 schools
in the RDP areas. The school children are part of a hands-on educational bee project about
Bees and Biodiversity. The activities include: making a ‘bee hotel’; writing a booklet about
the honey bee with illustrations from children; planting wild flower areas within the school
grounds and carrying out a scientific comparison between wild flower planting and grass,
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noting which areas contain the greater number of insects. All activities are designed to fit in
with Key Skills and Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum.
The Belgium Bee Project in Payes des Tiges Et Chavées is an eclectic mix of land
management; workshops for famers, forest owners and bee keepers; school children
helping to sow wild flower meadows and make insect houses, while learning about the role
of bees in the ecosystem. The project will place a 4 beehive apiary adjacent to mature
gardens. A leaflet will be designed for landscape gardeners and other interested parties,
explaining how to create a wild flower meadow. The leaflet will promote the types of
planting that will encourage the proliferation of the honey bee and other insect pollinators.
After many years of negotiation the bee keepers of Lolland Denmark have acquired an old
school, ripe for refurbishment as a Biodiversity Centre. Their project aims to put beehives
into schools, to create bee friendly planting strips along the edge of roads and water
margins, and to create ‘City Bees’ with all the potential marketing and selling
opportunities it might bring. They also hope to create paths into natural areas and design a
‘Biological Estate’ on a Dairy Farm. Finally the project looks to support a yearly event where
well known ‘foraging chefs’ turn local produce into top quality food. The refurbished
Biodiversity Centre will give a focus for further activities involving the general public.
The delegation from Slovakia Zlata Cesta (Golden Way)explained that with 120 beekeepers
and 3000 hives their emphasis was to promote bee keeping and bee products in their own
region and other countries including France, the Czech Republic and Germany. St Ambrosia,
the patron saint of bees, is culturally and historically at the heart of their honey bee story.
The school children have created paintings, wax candles and theatre performances all
based on bees and bee products. Regional produce is very important to the area and bee
keepers put their heart and soul into producing honey. In April 2012 they will be hosting
delegates from the LAG.
Kainuu in Finland is an area the size of Belgium. It has a population ratio of 3 people per
kilometre– far more bees than people! A Non Governmental non profit making organisation
allocates money to private individuals and associations to carry out worthwhile projects.
The berry industry is very strong in Kainuu. A company called MTT was allocated funds to
work with 100 beekeepers with 300 hives to carry out research into biological fungicides.
Beneficial fungus is added to the bee hive exit. The bees pick up the fungus on their legs
and bodies and take it to strawberry plants. The beneficial fungus overwhelms the grey
mould and the strawberries do not rot on the plant. A pilot study has begun and it is hoped
that the success of the trial will create demand and become a good business opportunity
for the farmer and the bee keeper.
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The bilberry (blueberry) flowers are also pollinated by insects: increasing and maintaining
beehives is vital. Berry farmers commonly use chemical controls. An education programme
that targets not only the farmers and the beekeeping associations but the
14,000 visitors to the region is underway. It is hoped that farmers will reduce
the use of chemicals that harm bees and other
pollinators.
Phacelia, native to N.
and S. America.
The wild flower Phacelia is excellent for bees. It
flowers between July and October. Unfortunately the
seed is expensive so farmers need encouragement to
use it.
One of many carvings
creating interest along
the roadside in Schlaitz
Bears roam the region but don’t raid the beehives for honey!
The population of Pays Voironnais in France is 244 per
Kilometre. The NGO in this region is concentrating on
melliferous (bee friendly) planting and encouraging partnerships
of 2 bee keepers to 3 farmers. Ways must be found to reduce
the use of phytosanitary products (pesticides) on public land and
for controlling Walnut tree pests and turn to mechanical forms
of treatment as an alternative. Workshops, visits and education
together with wild flower meadow planting will take place. A
‘Bee Passé’, the first ever designed and built, will aid education.
Bee Passé
The ‘chimney’ attached to the hive sends the bees high into the
air. A wooden door with glass behind it enables children and adults to view the bees as they
leave and return to the hive. The designer (facing us in the photograph) hopes to install a
camera inside the beehive.
The district of Düebener Heide in Germany is supported by two LAGs. The warden of the
nature park, Axel, is proud to have installed the first Bee-Passé outside France. The
2012‘Park Festival’ was visited by dignitaries and the public and was very successful. Spring
flowers and bee products were in abundance. (See Visit to Düebener Heide – East Germany
4th – 8th May 2012)
Day 1. Afternoon
While a representative from each country put together a website for the Bee Project, the
other delegates visited places of interest:
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Chris Keen at the sculpture Park in .....
....... associated with UK since the World War II
Boundary marker between ........
Charcoal made on an industrial scale
Tasting honey made by Heike Jäckel at Schwemsal, Cultural Centre garden,
Day 2
bees.
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The Mayor of Muldestausee, (the western part of the ‘Natur Park’) Ms Petra Döring,
explained the history of the region and about developments since Germany had been
reunited. She commented ‘where milk and honey is produced, we have a good life’ During
the last five years there has been a growth in honey production of 12% making Saxony
Anhalt honey production higher than the national average. European funding has
encouraged farmers to plant ‘flower strips’ and has increased honey production.
A carving of wild boar just outside
the..... hotel
Mr Klaus Ahlers from The ALLF Anhalt (Agricultural Office)
gave details the flower strip programme in all its complexity.
Farmers are given the opportunity to choose their own flower
seed mix. Phacelia was mentioned again as a very good crop
for bees. The planting scheme did not support the planting of
wild flowers along the roadside. Wild boar can hide in the
flower undergrowth and vehicles often collide with boars that
run into the road. The flower strips can be planted alongside
farm tracks.
A visit to Ms Petra Stengle’s Farm
illustrated width and length of the
flower strips. The farm is on the site
of a reclaimed coal mine and
comprises 1600 hectares of land.
Listening to Ms Stengle on her
farm.
100 hectares is planted with flower
strips. Farmers are paid 740 Euros
A wild flower strip positioned
per hectare, they must stay in the programme for 5
centrally in the field using GPS
years they can’t fertilise or spray the flowers, they must
choose seeds that suit the soil (very sandy and dry on Ms Stengle’s farm) and the seed mix
should provide flowers throughout the year. Flowering crops grown in the flower strips
include, Alfalfa/Medigaco, Sativa, Trifolium, and Hellanthus (Sunflower)
Beekeeper, Mr Ralf Hauser, crossbreeds the Buckfast bee with Carnica bee . Although
Himalayan Balsam is very invasive it provides the honey bee with
quantities of white pollen late in the year.
The willow provides them with early pollen.
During the summer the Rabinia tree
(Acacia) and flower strips are the food
source. From 17 to 20 hives the yield is 100
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es
s
an
k per year. Mr Hauser uses formalic acid to control the varoa mite.
We tasted honey including robinia and oil seed rape honey and summer honey in the sun
Beehives in Mr Hausers’ garden
room of Mr Hauser’s home.
Heide-Spa, in Bad Düben on the banks of the river Mulde, has built much of its reputation
around honey and bee products. Director, Mr Reiner Heun explained that 1000 years ago
the Siusili (the people of the region) kept bees and made honey related products. Today the
Spa offers honey massage, wax massage, wound healing honey balm and even a
honeymoon bath for newly-weds!
We crossed the river Mulde which is the south west boundary of the Natur Park. Mr Martin
Koehler from the Muldeland Agrar GmbH company explained that the farmers here get
85Euros per hectare for planting wild flowers. We saw a 30
hectare field of ‘interplanting’. The reasons for this practice
include: good soil cover to prevent erosion; leguminous
plants fix nitrogen in the soil, the plant material adds
organic material to the soil, and the plants increase
biodiversity. The crop rotation of the field we visited was:
An intercrop of Phacelia , Mustard
Barley, followed by ‘interplanting’ (Mustard, Phacelia and
and (unopened) Sunflowers.
Sunflowers), followed by Maize in 2013. Maize is generally
used as bio-mass for regional bio-gas stations.
Heike Jäckel adds
propolis, pollen, and
royal jelly to produce
‘Vital Honey’.
Back in the Natur Park we visited Ms Heike Jäckel. She is a bee keeper and
alternative therapist, practicing ‘api-medicine’. She runs a cottage industry
and makes many of her products from the produce of her beehives. She has
developed ‘Vital Honey’ (see caption).Ms Jäckel explained that pain relief
may be achieved by adding honey to the painful area of the body and gently
massaging . Bee venom, added to skin applications can also be used to
relive pain.
By the farmer Mr Grube from the Heide-Agrar GmbH in Söllichau
we stood in a field of Buckwheet used as an intercrop. The
buckwheet (Fagopyrum esculentum) is harvested and the seed is
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Listening to Farmer Grube in
a field of Buckwheat.
kept to be resown as an intercrop the following year.Buckwheet is a useful late crop for the
honey bee.
Something to do with boundery and bees ......!
Visiting the Ponderosa was an extraordinary end to the day. Mr Bernd Uwe Edler, former
Mayor of the town of Pretzsch,welcomed us heartily. He is an amateur beekeeper of the
docile Buckfast bee. He showed us his beehives and how he
combats the veroa mite, the beehives were different shapes,
sizes and ages, set in an interesting and imaginative garden. We
then sat in the garden and were served with delicious food and,
of course, bread and home produced honey.
Mr Bernd Uwe Edler explaining how
he combats the varoa mite.
On the morning of the third day, we learnt more about the region of Düebener Heide. See
Photographs and captions below.
Axel and Mark outside the butchers in Schlaitz.
.......... and Chris. The wood has been marked
out with chalk ready for carving. The finished
sculpture will be a small hand a large hand.
A restored windmill in ........ situated
close to the replica bread oven
A Replica Communal Village Bread Oven. It was designed
by Peter our translator and took 10 years to complete.
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