The 22nd edition of the National Beekeeping Forum and the 21st National Honey Fair took place from 15 to 17 November in Santo Tirso. The Fábrica de Santo Thyrso is a modern facility and a new central hub of the city of Santo Tirso. It offers all the necessary conditions for hosting both events.
Both events are promoted by FNAP, the Beekeepers’ Association of Northern Portugal, and the Santo Tirso City Council.
During these three days, the 21st National Honey Fair will take place, aiming to promote Portuguese beekeeping products among consumers in the northern coastal region of Portugal.
23rd NATIONAL BEEKEEPING FORUM
Beekeeping is going through a period of change in Portugal, in Europe and worldwide. Several factors are contributing to this shift, and all of them can push beekeeping in Portugal to the point where it ceases to be economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable.
Climate change and invasive species. Scandals in the honey market. Agricultural intensification and new crops. The beekeeping sector in Portugal faces several challenges, and throughout the Forum we will seek to find answers, identify paths, and face opportunities.
“IS PORTUGUESE BEEKEEPING SUSTAINABLE?”
PROGRAMME
09:00 – REGISTRATION OF PARTICIPANTS
09:30 – OPENING SESSION
Bruno Moreira – Beekeepers’ Association of Northern Portugal
Manuel Gonçalves – National Federation of Beekeepers of Portugal
Santo Tirso City Council
10:00 – VESPA VELUTINA
More than 10 years after the arrival of Vespa velutina in Portugal, precisely through the northern coastal region, Portuguese beekeepers are still fighting this predator on unequal terms. Traps, yes or no, and when? Do harps work, and what investment is required? Has public investment in nest destruction helped the beekeeping sector? And what strategies have other countries adopted to help beekeepers combat Vespa velutina? What remains to be done? Which paths should we follow?
Assessment of the work carried out by the Vespa velutina Monitoring Committee – Paula Garcia [DGAV]
The situation in Galicia – Esther Ordóñez [Agrupación Apícola de Galicia]
Evaluation of pesticide efficacy on adult and larval mortality of Vespa velutina nigrithorax – Soraia Santos [University of Coimbra]
Commentators:
Bruno Moreira [AANP]
Alberto Dias [APIMIL]
Alfredo Marques [APICAVE]
Júlio Braga [Civil Protection – Santo Tirso City Council]
11:30 – FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR BEEKEEPING
The drought of 2023 caused a historic collapse in the productivity of Portuguese beekeeping. The current year has been marked by devastating wildfires that destroyed forage, hives, and support infrastructure for the activity. On the other hand, 2024 began with payment of Financial Support for Drought and will be remembered by beekeepers as the year in which beekeeping was finally covered by agro-environmental support measures that work and actually reach producers. Even so, beekeeping still faces major challenges, so it is important to discuss how support tools can help overcome them: what alternative models exist for sectoral intervention in beekeeping? What is a priority for beekeepers?
Measure C.1.1.6 – Support for Beekeeping for Biodiversity: balance of the campaign – Ivânia Ramos [AG PEPAC]
The National Support Programme for the Beekeeping Sector in Spain – Ramon Rodriguez [EUROMIEL]
Commentators:
Bruno Anselmo [BA Apicultor]
Ana Paula Sançana [LOUSÃMEL]
Fernando Duarte [Southwest Alentejo and Vicentina Coast Beekeepers’ Association]
LUNCH BREAK
15:00 – ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY OF BEEKEEPING IN PORTUGAL – EXPERIENCES
Beekeeping is more than honey production. Hive products are varied, as are their uses: bee pollen, apitoxin, wax, royal jelly, propolis… Every beekeeper knows this. But is it possible to generate income by diversifying production? What had to change and what investment is needed to be competitive in the “other” beekeeping? Don’t miss the testimonies of four Portuguese beekeepers who chose different paths and learn more about how to diversify income in beekeeping.
Apitourism as a beekeeping product – Pedro Fernandes [ENCOSTAS DO CÔA]
Queen production – André Silva [APICERCAS]
Bee pollen production – Aurélio Cavaco [DNAS Apicultura]
Pollination services – Pedro Acabado [P.A. Bees & Blooms]
Debate moderated by Bruno Moreira [AANP]
16:30 – HONEY MARKET
The European honey market has been in crisis for several years, but the current economic situation faced by beekeepers has reached a critical point. A combination of factors threatens the future of beekeeping: increased imports of very low-priced honey, the presence of adulterated honey (according to the European Commission, 46% of the market consists of fraudulent product), the negative impact of climate change on beekeeping productivity in southern Europe, and the presence of invasive predator species. What is the European Union doing? What can beekeepers do? Which path should beekeeping follow in Portugal? Bulk or packaged honey? Should we produce monofloral or multifloral honey? Honey with PDO and Organic Production? We have brought together beekeepers, honey sector entrepreneurs, technicians, and researchers to search for answers.
Quality challenges for honey – Miguel Vilas Boas [IPB]
The honey market – João Casaca [FNAP]
Commentators:
Nuno Correia [EIRA DO PRADO, Lda | A Colmeia]
José Figueira [MONTIMEL]
Miguel Maia [APISMAIA]
18:30 – CLOSING SESSION
20:30 – SOCIAL DINNER
TECHNICAL SESSION – SUNDAY 17 NOVEMBER
10:30 – TECHNICAL CLINIC – VARROOSIS
Filipa Pucariço – HIFARMAX
José Serranito – HUVEPHARMA
Nuno Costa – CALIER
This session will be an open debate with no formal presentations. The aim is to bring together beekeepers, technicians, association leaders, and veterinary medicine laboratories in an open conversation to discuss all aspects of varroosis. Which medicines should be used? How many treatments per year? Rotate active substances? Good practices? What is the likelihood of new active substances emerging? Do not miss this opportunity to learn more about varroosis.
TECHNICAL WORKSHOPS
If you are a beekeeper, take this opportunity to learn from other beekeepers and improve your beekeeping practices, with a focus on innovation and sustainability. In 2024, four more technical workshops will be held.
See the programme below and register here.
Feeding management of honey bee colonies
Date: 15 November 2024 (Friday)
Venue: EPACSB (Conde de São Bento Agricultural Vocational School in Santo Tirso)
Schedule: 09:30–12:30 and 14:30–17:30
Trainer: Erico Marques (Serra da Arrábida – Setúbal)
Besides being well known in the national beekeeping sector, Erico Marques is a professional beekeeper, queen breeder since 2012, and beekeeping trainer. His beekeeping operation is essentially focused on queen breeding (Apis mellifera iberiensis), but also on the production of honey, pollen, and propolis.
Supplementary feeding of hives is therefore of utmost importance and can never be left to chance, given the impact it has on the objectives and business results of the operation.
Objectives and content:
This workshop aims to answer the following questions:
When should I feed?
Should I feed with sugar-based or protein-based foods?
Should I feed with 1:1, 2:1 or 3:1 sugar syrup?
When to feed with syrup and when to feed with sugar patties (candy)?
How important is it to use vitamin supplements in feed?
Should/can I add any supplement to try to prevent Nosema?
Should/can I use “community” feeders for either liquid or solid feed?
What types of feeders exist and which should I use?
Practical workshop (in which participants will be able to literally “get their hands dirty”). Several types of feed (energy and protein) will be prepared using basic raw materials, all available on the national market (for example, sugars, yeasts, flours, pollen, honey, vitamin supplements). Learn what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and how to administer it.
Bee health: a look at organic products
Date: 15 November 2024 (Friday)
Venue: EPACSB (Conde de São Bento Agricultural Vocational School in Santo Tirso)
Schedule: 09:30–12:30 and 14:30–17:30
Trainer: José Vicente (Nisa – Alentejo)
José Vicente has been a professional beekeeper and association leader in Nisa (in Alto Alentejo) for more than 40 years. Since his operation was converted to Organic Production, the use of organic acids and essential oils has been essential in combatting varroosis. His experience comes from the continued use of these products.
Trainer: Magda Tavares – Beekeepers’ Association of Northern Portugal
Magda Tavares has degrees from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) in Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, with a specialization in Beekeeping. A beekeeper connected to the sector since childhood, she has been a beekeeping technician since 2006 and has held that position at the Beekeepers’ Association of Northern Portugal since 2018.
Objectives and content:
Workshop of essentially practical nature:
Presentation, preparation, and application of medicines;
Presentation of all veterinary medicinal products currently authorised in Portugal to combat varroosis whose active substances are oxalic acid, formic acid, and thymol;
Use of ready-to-use medicines (packaging ready for direct application);
Use of medicines that require preparation (and dosage) before application in colonies;
Precautions in handling, preparing, and applying medicines;
Personal protective equipment (PPE) required during handling, preparation, and application of medicines.
Application of medicines in hives (without bees), using techniques such as trickling and sublimation, for example. Demonstration of how to use medicines in colonies at various stages of development (brood box with super, brood box at different levels of development, i.e. with 10, 8 and 6 frames of bees, and 5-frame nucs) so that everyone understands the dosage of medicine to use in each situation.
ARTISANAL BEER PRODUCTION (WITH HONEY)
Date: 15 November 2024 (Friday)
Venue: EPACSB (Conde de São Bento Agricultural Vocational School in Santo Tirso)
Schedule: 09:30–12:30 and 14:30–17:30
Trainer: Hugo Martins (cervejartesanal.com)
Hugo Martins is known by many as the person behind the Loja Cerveja Artesanal (cervejartesanal.com). He entered the brewing world in 2012 with one of the pioneering brands, Sovina. He often says that he has “brewed a lot of beer and bottled just as much.” He currently runs Loja Cerveja Artesanal, supplies equipment and ingredients, and trains other major Portuguese brewers.
Objectives and content:
Would you like to learn how water, malt, hops, and yeast can be combined to produce one of the world’s oldest beverages? If so, sign up for this workshop where we will also add the noblest beekeeping product (honey).
In an easy, practical, fast, and efficient way, and without major material or financial resources, you will be able to produce your own beers. We will begin with a brief overview of the history and ingredients of beer, explore the influence of ingredients on flavour, and get to know the equipment and methods used to create this drink. After the introductory notes, we will start producing a Lager-style batch in which honey is the star ingredient and where everyone can see and take part in the process.
COSMETIC PRODUCTS USING HONEY, POLLEN AND PROPOLIS
Date: 15 November 2024 (Friday)
Venue: EPACSB (Conde de São Bento Agricultural Vocational School in Santo Tirso)
Schedule: 09:30–12:30 and 14:30–17:30
Trainer: Marta Vieira – Atelier Sininho
Marta Vieira is an experienced artisan and trainer in the field of candles and natural cosmetics. With in-depth knowledge of this area, she has been teaching artisanal production techniques since 2014. At Atelier Sininho, she combines her passion for nature with the desire to promote sustainable products that are beneficial for the skin. Her approach to artisanal cosmetics emphasizes the importance of natural ingredients and the creation of products that not only care for the skin but also respect the environment. Among the products she teaches how to make are soaps, massage candles, creams, lotions, and lip balms, all enriched with the unique properties of honey, beeswax, pollen, and propolis.
Objectives and content:
This practical workshop aims to answer key questions about the production of artisanal cosmetics with beekeeping ingredients, including:
What are the benefits of beekeeping ingredients for the skin?
How to select and prepare ingredients for cosmetic production?
What are the appropriate techniques for making massage candles and soaps?
How to make facial masks and creams using honey and beeswax?
What care and precautions should be taken when handling ingredients and equipment?
How to customise products with essential oils and natural colourants?
Participants will have the opportunity to create a variety of products during the workshop. Artisanal soaps and massage candles will be made, as well as facial masks, creams, and lip balms. Participants will learn not only how to make the products, but also how to apply and store them, taking home their own unique and personalised creations.
