Beekeeper Hat Fashion Or Function

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So, I see that you are planning to take up beekeeping. Well, you are undertaking a noble occupation. The point is that beekeeping is very important for agriculture on the whole, and not just for honey production. As bees fly about and collect nectar from the flowers to produce honey and for their own food, they also pollinate the flowers which later turn into the fruits and vegetables that we eat. People rarely realize the important role that bees and beekeepers play in agriculture. With this said, beekeeping is also very dangerous and can even be fatal if you do not have the proper protective clothing when you tend your hives. The most important article of protective clothing is the beekeeper hat.

The beekeeper hat is a special hat that is made especially for beekeepers to wear when they tend their hives. The beekeeper hat is usually white in color and has a wide rim around it which spans about six inches outward. The hat also has a veil that drapes down from the rim. The rim is made form some rigid material that can hold the veil. The veil is made from a fine transparent netting that you need to be held away from your face. The veil is to be draped down from the rim and then are tied around the collar of your protective jacket.

Other protective clothing besides the beekeeper hat is also needed to keep the exposed parts of your body from being stung. The face is the most sensitive exposed part of your body, hence this is why how the beekeeper hat is worn is very important. The veil should never touch your face. This can allow for the bees stinger to penetrate the netting and sting you in the face. Furthermore, the bottom of the veil should be snugly tied around the collar of the protective coat to prevent bees from getting up under the veil and stinging you.

The protective coat and pants should all be light colors, preferably white. There is an important reason why protective clothing needs to be white. Dark colors can trigger defensive pheromones in the bees to make them aggressive. This is because most of the bees natural predators, such as bears, are all dark in color, either dark brown or black and furry. If you wear white clothing which is made of smooth material, the bees will not recognize you as a threat as much and therefore will be less aggressive.

The protective clothing should be loosely fitted and worn over other clothing to give you good protective layers of protection from bee stings. Furthermore, all seams of the protective clothing should overlap and snugly be fitted to keep bees from entering in under the clothing through the seems. You should also wash your protective clothing, including the beekeeper hat after tending the hive. You need to understand that as you harvest the honey, the bees will defend it and will at least sting your protective clothing. As the bees sting, the venom released from the stinger is not the only thing that is released from the stinger. As a bee leaves its stinger in your protective clothing, it will also release pheromones that will be on the clothing that will make the other bees be more aggressive when they sense them on your clothing.

The cricket suit can be a great alternative to the beekeeper hat and other protective clothing needed for tending the hives and harvesting the honey. The cricket suit is a rather new invention when it comes to protective clothing for beekeepers and makes it even more difficult for bees to get under the protective clothing through the seems. This suit actually looks like an astronauts suit with a hood and is all white. The hood of the cricket suit serves the same function as the beekeeper hat, but is of a different construction. The hood has a screen in front, allowing you to see what you are doing and has removable plastic rods that hold the hood outward and away from your face, hair, and the back of your head. The plastic rods can be removed from their sleeves simply by opening velcro straps and sliding them out of their sleeves. Then the hood can be washed with the rest of the cricket suit.

Furthermore, you do not need to tie anything with the cricket suit. The hood can be removed, allowed to hang back, or kept over the head by a zipper that fastens it to the collar of the suit. Where the zipper meets the end is sealed with a velcro flat to keep bees from entering through the hole. Furthermore, the rest of the cricket suit is a one-piece suit that is zipped closed in front. This provides for seamless protection from top to bottom. Best of all, you can adjust the cuffs of the wrists and ankles with velcro to make sure that the cuffs are snug and bees cannot get up through the sleeves.

Leather gloves may not necessarily be worn by seasoned veteran beekeepers who already have hands that are immune to the venom of bee stings, as a beginner, you should have them. They protect your hands from being stung when you reach into the hive to harvest the honey.

Whether you get the beekeeper hat or other the cricket suit, you definitely should look into getting good reliable protective clothing to wear while tending your hive. Remember, this protective clothing can save your live. This is especially true if you are allergic to bees. Even for normal people, being stung by a large number of bees can land you in the hospital for a few days, or can even be worse. So, remember, wear protective clothing!

India Increasing Use Of Organic Farming

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Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar believes that Indias rapidly expanding production of organic agricultural goods can play a critical role in the future of the countys organic food trade.

Organic agriculture in India has made good progress during the last six years, Pawar stated while speaking in front of the parliamentary consultative committee for his ministry on Wednesday. With a combined effect of farmers efforts, NGOs work, government interventions and market forces, Indian organic agriculture has reached a stage where it can play a significant role not only in the growing domestic market, but also in global organic food trade.

Pawar said his ministry is promoting and spreading organic farming throughout the country with a variety of state-funded projects like the National Horticulture Mission, the National Project on Organic Farming, the Technology Mission for the Northeast and Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.

In India, as against 42,000 hectares under certified organic farming during the 2003-04, initial estimates for 2009-10 indicate organic agriculture under certification has grown to 1.05 million hectares. Out of this, nearly 750,000 hectares are fully certified while the remaining 300,000 hectares are under various stages of conversion.

Pawar believes that organic farming is an ideal option for raid-fed, marginal land, and hilly areas and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research has initiated an All India Network Project on organic farming to scientifically test and prove the most effective methodologies in organic farming.

Promotion of organic farming will not only ensure increased availability of organic and biological sources of nutrients, but will also provide technologies and information which help other forms of agriculture in restoring soil health and conservation of resources, the minister said.

In addition to national initiatives in the organic farming field, a collection of state governments have also initiated their own organic farming promotion programs. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Uttarakhand have drafted policies for the promotion of organic farming and, of those, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Uttarakhand have declared that they wish to go 100 percent organic in the future.

Organic Coffee Best Antioxidant Benefits

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Organic products are increasingly popular with coffee and food products at a time. Many customers are eating organic on a daily basis, it would make sense that coffee is one of the best choices. One of the main reasons why people have the privilege of organic products because they are safe for the environment and does not use chemical pesticides. This is precisely why it is important to know what you need to know about drinking a cup of joe course!

One of the main benefits of drinking organic coffee is due to the environment. The working methods of organic agriculture to maintain soil fertility and crops are grown without toxic pesticides or fertilizers serious. Another great advantage that should not be overlooked is that the organic coffee is full of nutrients and vitamins. When you drink coffee that is certified 100% organic, offering a variety of antioxidants. One of the main benefits of drinking coffee that is full of antioxidants that may protect cells against damage to prevent disease and premature aging. The conclusion is that if you want to be healthy and look younger, organic coffee and not be in your cup!

One of the main reasons why organic coffee is full of antioxidants is because it is grown in the fertile soil, rich in nutrients. Organic coffee contains caffeine as regular coffee does, but in its purest form, because there are no chemicals used during treatment. If you want to drink decaffeinated coffee, it is imperative that you drink organic. One key reason is that many methods of treatment of decaffeinated coffee may involve chemicals that can be dangerous for you as a customer. decaffeination process of coffee use organic Swiss water method decaffeinates coffee in a natural way, without toxic chemicals. If you’re a decaf coffee drinker, it would be much more beneficial for your health to drink decaffeinated coffee that is certified organic. The Swiss Water Process uses only water to extract caffeine from coffee beans.

Finally, it is important to ensure that your coffee is certified organic by the USDA Organic seal on every bag of coffee beans. This seal shows that ingredients in the product with quality coffee is at least 95% organic matter and are certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Many times you will also see a label organic or 100% organic.

In view of the health benefits of organic coffee itself, it would be crazy not to drink. Organic coffee is collected in the soil where it is fertile, because of crop rotation, so it has more nutrients per day to offer you a cup of joy. If you want the best anti-oxidant benefits, without the use of pesticides, choose organic java every time!

Hidden Wonders Of The Algarve, Portugal

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The Algarve meaning ‘the west’ is the sunny, warm coastal region along the south of Portugal. In the years since the 1960’s tourism has overtaken agriculture and fishing as the main industry and a lot of the Algarve’s charm has gone with the bleak apartment blocks and sprawling villa complexes. Even so, with a little knowledge there are certain areas that remain wild, untouched and oozing with culture and history.

Most tourists are shuttled off to the central Algarve leaving the most beautiful and unspoiled areas in the east and the west for independent tourists. In the back country only miles from the tourist destinations many villages and towns remain untouched with little known rural walks in the spring flowers and shady woods.

Most notable in the eastern Algarve is the historic city of Tavira with it’s multitude of churches and a central castle. This area is close to the Ria Formosa natural park offering miles of lagoons and barrier islands where flamingos and numerous aquatic birds live and bread. The beach at the ilha de Tavira can be reached in summer using a ferry from the centre of town or alternatively take the 20m minute walk out of town towards the island and hop on a boat that will take you across to the island. This stretch of sand is very popular with the Portuguese but continues for miles allowing for solitude even in the busy summer season.

In the west the city of Lagos is a popular destination and with good reason. The city has an important history as it is was from here that the Portuguese began their expeditions along the coast of Africa in the age of discovery. Lagos now has a completely pedestrianised centre within the old town that is surrounded by the castle walls. There are many shops, excellent restaurants serving fish and in the night Lagos is notorious for its bar scene. Don’t miss the market on Saturday mornings where you can purchase regional specialities and freshly harvested fruit and vegetables before heading down to the fish market for the days catch. Walk along the cliffs out to the Ponta da Piedade (Mercy Point) with it’s lighthouse or go swimming on the little known nudist beach at Praia do Carnavial.

The mountains of Monchique are easily reached by car from anywhere in the western Algarve. The Caldes de Monchique are therapeutic thermal baths and the area is ideal for a stroll in the wooded hills or down by the bubbleing stream. Drive out to the village of Marmallate or climb to the top of the mountain where you can take in views of the whole of the Algarve coastline and enjoy the refreshing cool mountain air. Many local shops offer locally produced hams and varieties of ‘Medronho’ (a brandy made from the Arbutus fruit that symbolises frienship) as well as hand made craft items. Restaurants either side of the main road offer up freshly grilled chicken, Piri Piri style.

After Lagos the Algarve coastline continues west towards Sages and the region once called “the end of the world” as little was known of what lay beyond the waves. Resort towns such as Praia da Luz with it’s arced bay and black rock headland give way to the natural park of Costa Vincentina where many more secret beaches can be discovered especially along dirt tracks west of Vila do Bispo. Atlantic rollers meet a wild landscape of immense natural beauty. Popular with surfers the beaches at low tide have waves that collapse on themselves again and again and sitting on the beach on a sunny afternoon undisturbed by the modern world listening to the roar in the background while looking out into the abyss one can see how sailors were captivated to venture forth to discover what lay beyond.

UN Water Mandate Receives Key Endorsement

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Olam International, a leading global processor of food ingredients with agricultural projects in Africa, has publicly endorsed the c-e-o water mandate of the u-n global compact. The mandate is a public-private initiative that helps companies develop and implement sustainable water policies and practices. The announcement came as the world observed World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden.

Olam International said the supply, quality and reliability of water resources are under pressure and the need to adapt to the impact of climate change is increasing.

The signing of the mandate underscores the companys commitment to vigorously and publicly address global water issues regarding agriculture and food supply.

If you reflect that water when you look at it as a hundred per cent value, 97-percent of water would be regarded as salty ocean water, two per cent is actually frozen, so were left with a one per cent marker of water basically for consumption and use in agriculture, explained Chris Brett, Olams head of sustainability, who added, and we split that one per cent, we get to point seven per cent for agriculture, just point three per cent is fresh water for basically human consumption.

Given this he stressed that water is a key issue for them when they see the way people are going to compete for water in the future. As a result the company made a public commitment to use water in more resourceful ways.

Making that commitment is not just a driver for change internally, or a driver for respect in use of water, as a resource, but it is also to communicate to all of our partners how serious we take water on the agenda, said Brett.

He gave an example of success that they were having with irrigation going into their vegetable supply chains in California. The method of irrigation that decreases the use of water is called more crop per drop. It proved to be such a success that it was applied to other Olam operations.

For example we are now undertaking irrigation of rice, and irrigation of coffee plantations in places like Tanzania and Zambia. As a global company we are transferring learning, noted Brett.

The sustainability expert said over the last two years Olam has been measuring its water footprint and communicating that measurement to the public.

He added as a leader in addressing the challenges of water supply, they hope others will follow them in the pursuit of water rationalization and use in agriculture.