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Dr. Gene Kritsky on Honey Bees and Cicadas (S4, E5)
In this episode we talk with Dr. Gene Kritsky, who has authored or edited 10 books and over 250 papers on subjects as diverse as entomology, Egyptology, evolution, history of science, dinosaur biology, insect poetry and insect mythology. The Tears of...
In this episode we talk with Dr. Gene Kritsky, who has authored or edited 10 books and over 250 papers on subjects as diverse as entomology, Egyptology, evolution, history of science, dinosaur biology, insect poetry and insect mythology. The Tears of Re: Beekeeping in Ancient Egypt is one of his Egyptology stories in a book, and Periodical Cicadas: The Brood X Edition was released this spring, just before Brood X began singing their mating songs (at up to 90 decibels at their peak) in the Eastern US this spring.
He is the Dean, and a Professor in the department of Behavioral and Natural Sciences in Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio.
In this incredible interview, he weaves all of these things together and ties them all into his love of bees and beekeeping.
We start with a discussion of the Brood X cicadas this spring, and his new book about them, but wander in and through the history of developing the timing of all of the Broods of cicadas that exist, how are they related, and do they harm bees in anyway.
Long ago he read Eva Crane's book on the history of hives, and that started his exploration of, and a book about, In Search of the Perfect Hive. As a Fulbright Scholar, he traveled to Egypt to teach entomology, and there he really got involved in their beekeeping styles, government's role and organization. He relates stories on Egypt's history of bees and beekeeping, hive styles, and yes, there has been honey found in Pyramids that is thousands of years old that is still edible. His definition of "beekeeping" is the intentional prevision of an artificial container in which bees can produce.
Have you ever thought you would use the words "Insects" and "Mythology" in the same sentence? Gene does. He knows museums and can direct you to the sections that cover all of these subjects.
Dr. Gene Kritsky is one of the most interesting stories we've told. Come along for the ride.
Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:
Gene Kritsky Website - http://genekritsky.com/
Cicada Safari - Cicadasafari.org
Gene's Wife's Bee Inspired Jewelry - Silverspotstudio.com
At The Hive Entrance, H. Storch - https://www.northernbeebooks.co.uk/products/storch-at-the-hive-entrance/
Bee-ing Diverse - Bee Culture October Event: https://store.beeculture.com/beeing-diverse-inspiring-leaders-in-beekeeping-october-2021/
Honey Bee Obscura Podcast - https://www.honeybeeobscura.com
We welcome Betterbee as sponsor of today's episode. BetterBee's mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, BetterBee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com
Thanks to Strong Microbials for their support of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Find out more about heir line of probiotics in our Season 3, Episode 12 episode and from their website: https://www.strongmicrobials.com
This episode is brought to you by Global Patties! Global Patties is a family business that manufactures protein supplement patties for honey bees. Feeding your hives protein supplement patties will help ensure that they produce strong and health colonies by increasing brood production and overall honey flow. Global offers a variety of standard patties, as well as custom patties to meet your specific needs. Visit them today at http://globalpatties.com and let them know you appreciate them sponsoring this episode!
We want to also thank 2 Million Blossoms as a sponsor of the podcast. 2 Million Blossoms is a quarterly magazine destined for your coffee table. Each page of the magazine is dedicated to the stories and photos of all pollinators and written by leading researchers, photographers and our very own, Kim Flottum.
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Thanks to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of The Beekeeping Today Podcast. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com
Podcast music: Young Presidents, "Be Strong"; Musicalman, "Epilogue". Original guitar background instrumental by Jeff Ott
Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC
S4, E5 – Dr. Gene Kritsky on Honey Bees and Cicadas
Jeff Ott: Welcome to Beekeeping Today podcast presented by Bee Culture. Beekeeping Today podcast is your source for beekeeping news, information, and entertainment. I'm Jeff Ott.
Kim Flottum: I'm Kim Flottum.
Introduction: Hey, Jeff and Kim. Today's sponsor is Global Patties. They're a family-operated business that manufactures protein supplement patties for honeybees. It's a good time to think about honeybee nutrition. Feeding your hives protein supplement patties will ensure that they produce strong and healthy colonies by increasing brood production and overall honey flow.
Now is a great time to consider what type of patty is right for your area and your honeybees. Global offers a variety of standard patties as well as custom patties to meet your needs. No matter where you are, Global is ready to serve you out of their manufacturing plants in Airdrie, Alberta, and in Butte, Montana, or from distribution depots across the continent. Visit them today at www.globalpatties.com.
Jeff: Thanks, Sherry and hey, thanks everybody for joining us today. You know each week, we get to talk about how much we appreciate our sponsor support, they help make all of this happen and provide us the ability to bring you each episode. With that, thanks to Bee Culture Magazine for continuing their presenting sponsorship of this podcast. Bee Culture has been the magazine for American beekeeping since 1873. Subscribe to Bee Culture today.
We also want to thank 2 Million Blossoms who've sponsored this episode. 2 Million Blossoms is a quarterly magazine dedicated to protecting all pollinators. Learn more in our season two, episode nine podcast with editor Kirsten Traynor and from visiting www.2millionblossoms.com and that is with the number two. Also, check out the new 2 Million Blossoms podcast available from our website or from wherever you download and stream your shows. Hey, Kim, we're approaching the end of July. I can't believe we're here already.
Kim: Yes, it's July weather, that's for sure. If it's not hot, it's raining, and often it's both.
Jeff: I know just not so long ago, I was complaining about 100-degree heat, and today, it's not even 70 yet. It's weird.
Kim: Oh, not even 70.
Jeff: Not even 70. Global weirding I tell you. Global weirding. How are your bees hanging out?
Kim: Well, that's what they're doing, they're hanging out because it's hot. I've got some shade and I've got ventilation, so they're not doing too bad. The bigger colonies, there's a lot of bees on the front door.
Jeff: Yes. You and Jim and Honey Bee Obscura just did an episode on dealing with hot bees in the summer. That was a good episode.
Kim: Yes, we did. He and I were having the same problem this year. Not only that, not only what are they doing, but how cranky they get sometimes when it's hot.
Jeff: The bees get cranky or the beekeepers get cranky?
Kim: Well, the bees get cranky and the beekeeper gets tired, old, and wet.
Jeff: Well, yes, defines a beekeeper.
Kim: Yes.
Jeff: That's good. That's good. Honey Bee Obscura is really a great podcast you guys are putting out. Jim also has been doing some video moments. I encourage our listeners if you haven't been watching and listening to Honey Bee Obscura, get out there and listen to him and check out the occasional video moment that is also associated with each episode.
Kim: He does a good job with those, doesn't he?
Jeff: He really does. They're entertaining. I really enjoy watching him.
Kim: He's got a lot of background in doing video. He did that whole series when he was in extension at The Ohio State University, and so he's got the equipment, he's got the experience. He does a good job.
Jeff: Yes, really good. I'm glad he's on the team. Hey, Kim, we received a couple of questions in the last couple of weeks, one is from Elizabeth Irving. She wanted to know, you referred to a book about bee behavior from observing the outside of a colony. What was that?
Kim: Yes, it's a book. The author is H. Storch, S-T-O-R-C-H. The title is At the Hive Entrance.
Jeff: At The Hive Entrance.
Kim: It's what you can learn by watching what's going on at the hive entrance. He did a good job. It's really old, but it's still good. He did a good job and things haven't changed much. Bees still do what bees did then. You can get it at Northern Bee Books with Jeremy over in the UK. You can go to his webpage and you can get the book there.
If you can't find it in a library someplace, I'd really suggest you take a look at it because there's a lot-- Before you ever take the cup, before you even light your smoker, if you can go out and take a look and see what do you suppose is going on there today, and a lot of the stuff that's going on they can tell you that you can observe and figure out by just watching what's going on at the front door.
Jeff: Great. Well, we'll have that. Northern Bee Books isn't as a sponsor, but for our listeners, we will post a listing, the title of that book and the link to Northern Bee Books in the show notes. I'd look for them. She also had a second question about-- well, it'd be easier for me just to read it. Let me let me go ahead and read this and you can give a quick reply.
She says, "I understand that bees have different jobs at different points in their life. I have a hive full of nectar that needs to be evaporated and it's a rainy week. The foragers are stuck inside. Do the house bees recruit foragers to do inside work or are the bees like, 'Well, we can't get outside so we'll get into the supers and get them in very good order.' Do the bees continue their housework at night? If I go out and press my ear to the wooden boxes, I can hear them talk to themselves no matter what the weather or time of day, so many questions. Being a bee is complicated."
Kim: It sure is. Well, the thing about do foragers do inside housework? For the most part, probably not because they have graduated past that, their flight muscles have changed, the pheromones that they respond to have changed, their behaviors have changed, they're a forager. The bees inside that are dehydrating the honey, that are taking care of the queen, that are feeding the baby bees, their glands are equipped to do those things.
If a forger got stuck in a hive for a long time and/or, suddenly, a lot of the house bees disappeared for some reason, like a pesticide poisoning, some of the foragers would revert back and be able to produce wax, and be able to produce brood food, those sorts of things. For a day or two or three, probably they're just hanging out, going, "Hey, got the day off. Cool."
Jeff: That's why we see the bee birds.
Kim: Well, that's one of the reasons. If you get a lot of bees and it's warm inside, they're going to go outside and stay out there so that it's easier to keep the inside-- so the inside doesn't overheat. That's what you don't want to have happen. It's warm in there and you don't want it to get too warm because then you start getting problems with the brood.
Jeff: All right, there you go, Elizabeth. I hope that helps. Hey, Kim, one of the things having sponsors gives us the privilege of doing is provides transcripts of each episode. If anybody is hard of hearing or knows beekeepers who would benefit from the information on our podcast but can't listen to him, doesn't enjoy listening to him because it's hard to hear, you can go out to our podcast web page and look at transcripts and read transcripts. It's pretty good service, isn't it, Kim?
Kim: Yes, it is. It's not only for people like me who don't hear so well, but it's good for people that are just hearing this subject for the first time and want to read along so they make sure they catch every word, and for people just starting out that don't know a lot of things, you have a record of what was said.
Jeff: I encourage, folks, if you use the transcripts or you know beekeepers who do, let us know, it's a valuable service, it's expensive, but we think it's money well-spent and it provides an additional service or avenue of education for all beekeepers.
Kim: Yes, it does.
Jeff: Today, we have a professor there from your part of the country, Dr. Gene Kritsky. I'm looking forward to having him on.
Kim: Yes, I've known him for quite a while. I met him. He's down in Cincinnati. He's a professor and the Dean of the Behavioral and Natural Sciences Department at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati. He's written up a handful of books, a big handful of books on a variety of topics. I got to know him when he wrote a book called In Search of the Perfect Hive. He was looking at the history of the hives and where it might be going from where it is today.
We were at quite a few shows together, in the vendor area, he's selling his books, and I was selling our books. That's where I got to know him. Since then, I have found out that he is a specialist in a whole variety of things other than the history of the hive, and I think we're going to explore a bunch of those today.
Jeff: Yes, I was doing some reading up before he came on and he's like the Indiana Jones of entomologists.
Kim: That's a good way to look at it, yes. He does history, he does hive types, he does other insects. He's a real interesting guy and I hope we can draw as much as we can with him today.
Jeff: I'm looking forward to it. All right, let's hear from our friends at Strong Microbials strong and get into our interview with Dr. Gene Kritsky.
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Jeff: While you're at the Strong Microbials website, make sure you click on The Hive, their regular newsletter full of information and product updates. Hey, welcome back, everybody. Sitting across the virtual Zoom table right now is doctor and author Gene Kritsky. Welcome to Beekeeping Today Show, Gene.
Gene Kritsky: Glad to be here.
Kim: It's good to see you again, Gene. It's been too long.
Gene: That's for certain, Kim. Congratulations on The ABC & XYZ, that's a wonderful piece of work.
Kim: Did you notice the blood all over it? [laughs]
Gene: Yes. I also noticed a couple of tears, but it was well worth the wait.
Kim: It was a task and a half, but I'm glad it's done and thank you.
Jeff: Well, you have a chapter in that too, don't you, Gene?
Gene: I've got seven entries in there, I believe.
Jeff: Yes, I saw one. [laughs]
Kim: Yes, that sounds about right. I've forgotten already.
Gene: That's the quiz for later. I talked about, I think, Slovenia, a modern Egypt, a number of the hives, skeps, things like that.
Jeff: What a great lead in. We welcome you to the show today, Gene. We're going to talk to you a little bit about your background. Basically, the topic of the summer is the cicada, and you're a resident expert of the cicada. You do have a background in Egyptology, in ancient Egypt and keeping bees, which would be great. Just coincidentally, this last spring we finished our five-part series on different hive types other than the Langstroth. You have a long background in different hive types and you've written about that. We want to just touch base on that as well, all in the space of this podcast.
Kim: Well, Gene, the cicada is clear and loud in a lot of places right now. You have a new book on it called Periodical Cicadas: The Brood X Edition, and you've got actually several publications on cicadas. Is this year's brood as good as the last one that they had? Is it better or worse, bigger or smaller?
Gene: I get that question a lot. It's an interesting question. It varies on where you are and the local history of the trees and what have you, but it's been a textbook emergence. It started here in Southwest Ohio. A few places had some numbers come out on the 15th of May, at my house, we had them come out on the 17th. It started out really strong and then the cold temperatures slowed things down a little, but then we had some nice heat and it's been textbook.
Right now, the cicadas are beginning to dwindle. They're on the downhill slide, they've been singing, and mating and the females are laying eggs. The sound intensity dropped from two weeks ago at 90 decibels to today it was probably about, I want to say, 68 to 72.
Kim: Amazing. The population, do you think, is about right?
Gene: The population is pretty good. We have seen some local declines due to things like people treating their ash trees for the emerald ash borer, that's with the systemic injected insecticide. I got an email just yesterday from a woman who had her trees treated yesterday, and after they left, she was watching the cicadas that were on the trees getting liquid out, dropping over the next several hours-- After a day or so, they started dropping like crazy. She was a little bummed about that. I'm not sure if she's going to keep treating her trees or not. I don't want to say at least she felt bad like it was a good thing, but at least she was conscious about the cicadas.
Kim: I know that there can be some damage to fruit tree or many kinds of trees if you get a big population, and they can be, what's the word, pestiferous on occasion.
Gene: On occasion. They're very mostly dangerous to small saplings, trees that are usually four or five feet in height or smaller. There was a paper published in the original American Entomologist back in 1869 that was titled Out of Evil Comes Good.
Gene: It was all about how orchardists in Illinois and Missouri were noticing a bumper crop in their fruit trees this year. They didn't know what they'd done that they'd have to do again. It turned out the year before was a major emergence of two broods of periodical cicadas, Brood XIX and Brood X. The egg laying was intense and a lot of all over-positioned scars on those trees, but it turned out it acted like a natural pruning. The next year, the leaf set, the flower set in particular, was larger than they'd seen in the typical years. They had a bumper crop in 1869. The cicadas were thought to have done something good for a change.
Kim: I'll be darned. That's amazing.
Jeff: That's great.
Kim: [laughs] Your book on Brood X, it has a lot of things. The thing I got the most information from was the maps. How do you gather that much information on the maps you provide?
Gene: I am a frustrated story. If you see anything that runs through all my books, it's a sense of history. The first record of periodical cicadas goes back to 1634 when they emerged in Plymouth Colony. That was reported by the second governor of Plymouth Colony, William Bradford. The first time Brood X, the X is a Roman numeral, but I have to admit, Kim, Brood X sounds sexier.
Kim: Yes, it does. It's like the Murder Hornet.
Gene: That's right. [chuckles] We've got records going on from that time on. In fact, I would have been bragging about bees or anything if it wasn't for periodical cicadas because I was originally an anthropology major, I wanted to study human evolution. I was asking my professor, "Well, we've got these two skulls, it's a sample of one for each, how do you know they're not just male and female, and what have you?" He started talking about morphometrics and these statistical analyses. I must have looked totally confused because he said, "Well, you ought to take an entomology class because that's where they're doing that now." This is back in 1972.
I was a sophomore, I went to register for classes. The way they did that, in those days, we didn't have the Internet and we didn't have the web. We actually went to this giant field house and we collected computer cards and we walked in lines, what have you. The Ks were the last group of all the cohorts to go through registration and everything was closed. I walked up to the table of zoology and I said, "I need five hours. Is anything open?" The woman said, "I'm sorry, all I have is entomology in the lab," and that was it, so I took entomology.
The second week of the class, my professor was Frank Young, and he and I have written a book together and several papers together, started talking about these cicadas. "Wow, this is just really awesome." What hit me was the idea that if you use-- We use the scientific method everyday in agriculture. You make observations, you come up with an idea, you test it with whatever practice you're going to do, and then you either reject or accept that and continue building on your knowledge from there.
In history, they have a historical method, and you go look for primary sources written in the person's own handwriting, secondary sources, transcriptions, tertiary sources, let's say like newspaper articles. Then you evaluate the sources, is it the original person or is it somebody that's hearsay and what have you. That's the historical method. It hit me that if I could use the tools of history to find historical emergences of cicadas, I could not just have one map from one year, I could have maps that encompasses several emergences.
While in grad school at the University of Illinois, and I worked with Lou Stannard, who was the cicada specialist at Illinois, I never got the opportunity to take a class from Jaycox. Boy, did I want to, but it just didn't work out. I started to amass a collection of historical records. By the time I finished my PhD, I had 7,000 records of previous emergences of periodical cicadas that I put into a computer program and I started seeing patterns.
Brood I, it was a pattern of one location. Brood II was a different location. Brood III was out west and so on. Looking at those, you could look at a map, it was all the emergences since 1634 that were known or I could look at two emergences, and then the next two and next two and see how patterns developed. That's what my research on cicadas evolved into was basically looking at how the broods relate to each other, how they evolve. It also took my interest in the history, which led to my interest in beekeeping.
Although I became a beekeeper through an indirect route, I started as a bee inspector looking for bacterial diseases, working for the State of Indiana. I went that route to begin, but fell-- the first, I put the veil on, and I had that limited peripheral vision. You all know what I mean.
Gene: You're smelling the smoke, and the first thing you open that hive, you get that smell of a healthy hive. It's that sweet wax, the honey, and you're trying to be smooth in the way you handle things 'cause you don't want to ajar the hives. Meanwhile, the beekeepers looking at me over, [laughs] they just want to see what I'm going to do, to see how fast I got that smoker lit, all the tests you have to do to show you know what you're doing, but I just fell in love with that whole protocol.
The idea that this is a science that essentially, we're still using hives, that essentially, the guts of it were produced in 1851 theoretically, and then modified about 20 years later, and so on. The connection to history really got me. That's how I got the map, sense of your first question, but it also led to my reading a book by Eva Crane, The Archeology of Beekeeping, that changed everything for me.
Kim: An interesting connection, a very interesting connection. Well, I have one more cicada question. Is anything that they do going to be bad for beekeepers? It doesn't sound like it. I don't know, it only happens once every 10 years.
Gene: There's never been a reported instance of where cicadas interfere with honeybees. I'm sure possibly some bivouacking swarm somewhere might've picked the wrong tree and startled a bunch of cicadas maybe, that might've happened. No, there doesn't seem to be any adverse effects between honeybees and the cicadas, which is quite beneficial because I'm fond both of them. I wouldn't want to create a ruckus in the family.
Kim: There you go. Well, that's good, that they don't get in each other's way. The beekeeping part of it, which is how I first met you, was when you came out, you've got several books on the history of bees and beekeeping hives and hive types. The quest for the perfect hive, of course, The Tears of Re from Egypt, and Jeff will have your webpage on the show notes, but one of the things that you mentioned on your web pages, you got locked in an Egyptian tomb.
Gene: That is true. That's, in part, I think, where the idea that I was the Indiana of cicadas came about.
Gene: I used to live in Egypt, I was a Fulbright scholar to Egypt in '81s to '82. I was there when, Sadat was assassinated and it might've been '80s, '81s, but there was-- I think it was '80-'81. I was a Fulbright scholar teaching in Minia University. Part of the camp David Accords that were signed by President Carter and Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin was that there'd be more Fulbrighters into the provinces, almost all the American Fulbrighters in Egypt wanted to live in Cairo.
There were a number of universities that are out in the provinces and one in particular was Minia, about 150 miles south of Cairo, and they requested an entomologist. I have always had an interest in ancient Egypt. That I thought, well, this is a great, my whole idea was to go there. I'll be teaching some classes, but also do some research on insects as a hieroglyphic motif. That lead quickly to the honeybee because it's one of the probably most common insect hieroglyphics is out there.
While I was there, the US Ambassador to Egypt at the time was Roy Atherton, I think his name was. I'm not sure if that name is correct, but he and his wife was on the Fulbright commission. They were going to take his son on a tour of the antiquities of Egypt. They told me that they were coming down with his son and they invited me to come along. I thought it would be like small band with us. No, here comes his motorcade of military escort with his excellency, the ambassador, and his wife.
Of course, wherever that we stop, they all had to post for pictures with the ambassador, and so Reed, his son who was in his early twenties, I said, "Hey, let's go, look at the antiquities." I'd been to these sites many times by this time. We were at Tuna el-Gebel which is an underground necropolis, to where they found a bunch of hundreds of mummified, ibis birds, and baboons. It was a necropolis dedicated to the god Thoth, which is the ibis-headed man that also invented hieroglyphs in the record keeper for the afterlife, and so on.
We were in there-- well, of course, there's pictures going on in front of all the major sites in the necropolis and I said to Reed, I said, "Let's go back, there's a sarcophagus back about 40 yards in, down the shaft," and so off we go. While we're in there, a sandstorm, a khamsin blew up. From about 25 minutes, and then there were two guards with us as well, but I don't why that we needed guards. We weren't going anywhere. As we come up, everybody's gone and the door is locked. [chuckles]
The two guards are banging on the door going, "Miftah, miftah," which is 'key' in Arabic. I look at Reed, and you look at the-- It wasn't like a sealed tomb that you're going to suffocate an hour. You could see a gaping hole and you could look out in the door and look out, and you couldn't see two feet because the sandstorm was so thick. Being in the necropolis was probably one of the safest places to be.
I said to Reed, "Let's go down that shaft. I've never explored that one before," the guards are banging on the door and we went down this one side shaft in a corridor, and we found a coffin for an ibis bird and a crocodile skull, mummy, linen all over the place. Of course, we couldn't keep it in that obviously, but it was just neat to realize that how many people have the opportunity to be locked in an Egyptian tomb and have the opportunity to go poking around?
Of course they finally, after about 45 minutes to an hour, somewhere in there, they come and unlocked the door and they had nice wet towels, not for me, for the ambassadors son. They pushed me out of the way. Wrapped him up in a wet towel, and off they went. I sort of stumbled on behind them.
Jeff: I think the question how many have had an opportunity to be locked into a necropolis like that and then walk out. [laughs]
Gene: That's true. [crosstalk]
Jeff: A lot of people that go in and never come out. [laughs]
Gene: It was one of those things that, I'll never forget.
Jeff: Oh, definitely.
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Kim: That ties of course, right into the books that you've produced on the history. The Tears of Re, as I mentioned, was one of them, is that when and where you got that information?
Gene: A lot of a good part of it. I was there for a little about 10 and a half months and visited 94 archeological sites. Of course, I was taking notes constantly about anything that had to do with any insects. I've since taken four student groups and friends at the museum back on tours of Egypt. I've been back four times, probably in the last 15 years. I've been back and I'm making plans to return again because they always find more stuff.
There's been a tomb filed at Saqqara. The overseer of the beekeepers is I'm trying to get permission to get into. Those four trips allowed me to visit places I couldn't get to when I was living there and also to return to places that I wanted to see with the digital camera. That was very helpful at getting the illustrations. For most of the material inThe Tears of Re, I think almost probably 90% of the photographs or pictures I've taken either there or in museums around the world.
Kim: Well, just briefly, can you outline how beekeeping was working in Egypt at that time? How did they keep bees, and how big do the operations get, that sort of thing?
Gene: Certainly, the neat thing about beekeeping an ancient Egypt, is it was a government-run occupation. We've found evidence in the literature from tombs of the Rekhmire, which is the vizier, especially the Prime Minister receiving honey contribute from all the provinces, and surrounding kingdoms, honey being brought to the Pharaoh.
We also see records of individuals, so here in Ohio, we have at the Cleveland Art Museum, a false door of an [foreign language], who was the overseer of the bees in the provincial areas. Here's this fall story, the part of the hieroglyph that talks of his higher-ranked overseeing beekeepers. We also have found a small scarab that talks about a chief beekeeper. There are letters in Greek during the Ptolemy times where the beekeepers had lent their donkeys to someone else to move some material and needed it back to move their hives. They wrote this very kind letter. If you're done with them, we'd like our donkeys back because we have to move the hives to the next location and what have you.
As well as letters from some overseer saying, the beekeepers in this particular area are not pulling their weight. The yields have not been as good as they should have been, and so they were looking at taking some kind of action. Very organized, and I find that just amazing and what that revealed me, if you think of ancient Egypt, you think of the pyramids and the Sphinx, and King Tut's tomb, that's not what the secret of Egypt is about.
The secret of Egypt is not just to build the pyramid, but to organize people to build the pyramid, that civil structure where you can bring in 20,000 people, house them, feed them, care for their wounds and the injuries and what have you and over 20 years build a pyramid. That's impressive. The pyramid's just the results of what they did, but we can't--- You look at American politics today, [laughs] it's just-- what could we do if we had that kind of cooperation? I don't know.
Kim: Amazing.
Jeff: Well, before we leave the Egyptians, how were they keeping bees? Were they in the clay tubes? What kind of hive were they using back then?
Gene: The beehive that the ancient Egyptians kept, again, I defined beekeeping as the intentional provision of an artificial cavity within which bees, the queen will produce-- they'll produce comb, the queen lays her eggs and they produce the next generation, produce honey. That's the difference between beekeeping and honey hunting which is just going off and robbing these. We have a 2450 BCE, a wonderful relief at the sun temple of Niuserre, of a fifth dynasty Pharaoh.
The scene that's in here and the originals at the Neues Museum in Berlin, the scene shows all these activities that take place in different times of the year. In the fall of the year, they had the scene where there's a beekeeper next to this wall of tubular hives, as you mentioned, Jeff. These horizontal hives are still used today. There are about 7,000 still in existence in Egypt proper. There used to be millions about 25 years ago, but it sounds quite a bit.
We don't know what the beekeepers are doing because it's destroyed. There's some damage where he's right next to the hives, but it looks like he's got a container and its the hieroglyph that offsets the slack and ore to make a slight noise. Some of the traditional Egyptian beekeepers actually call the queen. You can hear the piping, and that tells them, "Oh, there's more than one queen in here," and they'll go in there and do what they call it-- Essentially what they're doing is artificial swarming. They're going to go in there, and they'll have several queens in one of these hives, take the queen out and some coal from other hives and actually stuff more tubes and get them going again by manipulating the queen.
I find that just amazing because we don't do things like that anymore. They were doing that 4,400 years ago. The next scene that they have there is clearly individuals pouring, what looks like pouring honey. One of the vessels looks like it's a pot but there's a spout at the bottom. It's probably how they got rid of some of the wax for certain. It falls like a fat separator for gravy production where the spout's at the bottom. I did this with some comb honey, I crushed it, put it in a container, just set it in the hot sun.
By 40 minutes later, there was a whole layer of wax at the top and the honey at the bottom. You could decant the honey off from below it. That's a process called experimental archaeology where you try to test old techniques. Of course, you still had this sticky waxy mass on top and the Egyptians probably did the same that they did in ancient Greece and that's put it in water, bring it to a boil and let it cool slowly and all the wax just collected at the top. Very nice. I redid that as well, that works as well.
The next scene is terribly damaged. It just says to squeeze and that's probably further talking. I'll show you about how to separate the wax from honey. The last scene is storing honey, and it shows vessels all being wrapped up and what have you. That's one of four major scenes of beekeeping in ancient Egypt, but it tells us a couple things. One, the first hives were horizontal. They're these tubes, not dissimilar to the hives that were found by my good friend Ami Mazar at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, when he found those hives that dated about 875 BCE, a few years back.
They had, I think, close to about 35, 40 hives in this one bank, the photographs that he showed me at one time, that were for reused primarily for wax production. It looked like they were nearby the copper mine where they were doing copper melting for lost-wax casting. That may have been what the major force there. Of course, honey was a major commodity in ancient Egypt. They didn't have money. They didn't care on coins, they had an idea of value of worth, it was called the deben, and it was the value of vessel made from a piece of copper.
They didn't carry the copper around, but there was a general agreement. A laborer who would work for a bag of grain, and if his overseer didn't have the grain, he'd be given some beer. If he didn't have beer, he'd be given bread, if he didn't give bread, they could give him money. They knew the equivalent value of each one so that no one felt cheated. You got honey, maybe you didn't need honey, but you can go and trade it down the way. It was like this currency which we would find very strange in this country, but it was something that made the society very close knit.
When I lived in Egypt, they didn't have supermarkets. I have been back, as I said, several times, they have them now, but beautiful supermarkets. Where I was living in Minia, I'd walk into the marketplace and there was a woman that sold legs. There was somebody that sold fruit, somebody sold vegetables, I bought my meat at a third place. It was very similar that I had to talk to many people to get my meal for the day. It reinforced that connection of community. We go to the grocery store. We might say some pleasantries to the checkout attendant, but that might be it.
Jeff: You said 30 or 40 colonies. Is that any sense of the size of the apiary since it was a government-run industry?
Gene: Actually, some of the apiaries probably had hundreds of beehives. These things were hollow clay tubes. If they are made like they make them now, they took mud and a straw, laid it out flat and then they rolled it around like a bundle of sticks. There'll be a certain size, let it dry in the sun and they would actually stack these like cordwood and make walls of these. The biggest one I saw had over 400 hives in it.
Jeff: Wow.
Gene: They were stamped with a stamping system that told the beekeeper, this was provided with wax of this season and what have you. It's interesting, as I point out in the question over time, the oldest hive is still being used and that's the horizontal hive. Still happen to use in parts of Egypt but it's also being used in Azerbaijan, in Iran. We find them in the Sudan. We find the horizontal hives hanging from tree in Tanzania. That is the longest serving hive in hive design that's still with us.
Jeff: Wow. They definitely didn't have any concerns about drift if they had a wall of hives like that.
Gene: Apparently not. The bees, I figured out one of the clichés I use is, we sometimes don't let bees be bees.
Jeff: Yes. [laughter]
Gene: They'll figure it out if they're in the wrong place.
Kim: What you just brought up conjures up this-- every time somebody talks about honey, they talk about how long it lasts and it doesn't spoil. They've found honey in tombs in Egypt thousands of years old and it's still good. Is that right?
Gene: I've only seen one sample of honey from a tomb and it looked like tar.
Gene: It wasn't something that I would want necessarily to consume. We do find a number of examples. For example, a lot of tombs will actually have food provided for the deceased. In some cases, that food is coated in honey, if it's like a dried duck or what have you. We also know that they use honey as a medicinal of over 900 pharmaceutical concoctions I read about, half of that had honey as part of the ingredients.
Kim: Wow. Okay.
Gene: A few had beeswax. A lot of the time, the honey was to make it more palatable for people to take. They use it for burns and cuts. The ancient Egyptians were thought to have the finest physicians in the ancient world. In fact, when Persia came in and conquered Egypt, a lot of the physicians were taken back to Persian.
Jeff: Interesting.
Kim: When you hear that the next time from somebody who's talking about honey, you can believe it. It's probably pretty close to being true then, that's interesting. The question of the perfect hive and that was the first book of yours that I ran into back then. What is the perfect hive?
Gene: As you know, I don't want to give away the ending but I think it's been out long enough that the ending's out there. One of the things that I've always admired about beekeepers if you look at the history and, I know both of you are this way, I'm sure, is that we're tinkerers. We're always trying to improve it. We're never satisfied. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.
I look at the frame wars at the beginning of the previous century where they had the deep frames and the small frames. If it wasn't for some change in the weather, we could have had a very different hive than we have now. The question is, do we actually have it. Would the perfect hive be so inviting to hive beetles? Would the perfect hive be something that would not be ideally suited for the bees?
Think about the theory behind the skeps round. Tree trunks are round. Depending on how it's constructed, it can be relatively cool, it can withstand some of the elements. You may have to replace it every two or three years. In today's money, a typical skep would have cost about $20. We can't buy a hive for $20.
Kim: No, we can't.
Gene: On the other hand, I know all the beekeepers were pretty frugal.
Gene: If you knew how to drive your bees, most people did by the time they stopped using the brimstone and the flaming pit, they would very easily take a pail, set the full skep upside down and the pail with two pieces of wood with nails on each end. They'd raise another empty skep on the side on top, and they start banging the daylights out of the side of the pail. The bees just ran out of there and up into the empty hive and back on the skep and they were done.
There was a small little space that they could-- In my experience, I actually used the skep for a couple of years. I have put in three pieces of comb as a guide on top. We know from Edmund Southerne who was the beekeeper who wrote the first book on English Beekeeping in 1594, in which he talked about skeps. Just dowels, pieces of wood that it would hold this comb at the top and you'd put bees in there and see what they do. A week later, they had not only extend those three but added three more. Within 30 days, they had filled the whole thing.
I often wondered why is it that it took people so long to figure out the bee space. The bees had that figured out pretty well. I wouldn't have expected that I had to pry it off from my bottom board. No, it just lifts off because the bees stopped on their own.
Kim: They had it figured out.
Gene: In answer to your question, I think we're still looking. I think when beekeeping-- First of all, conditions are changing constantly. The whole industry is changing constantly. The fundamental hive if you look at some of the catalogs from 1920, I have seen people's beehives look just like those. We've got the genome of the honeybee. We've got space-age bees living in pre-depression era hives. The question I keep wondering, "Is that really the best hive?"
My hope is to challenge our colleagues to keep thinking out of the box. More and more people are trying things like the flow hive, they're trying the Warre hive, they're trying that beehouse from England, that big plastic thing. It's neat to see that happening.
Kim: We explored some of those on those shows that we did with different kinds of hives, so yes, people are still looking. I think I agree. I don't think they're there yet. Tom Sealy will tell you that hollow trunk of a tree is the perfect hive and I think he may be pretty close there but they're a little difficult to manage.
Gene: I really find that a breath of fresh air when Tom came out to talk about Darwinian beekeeping because we've done every-- If you look at that list, how did the bees evolve in their natural cavities? We've done everything we can to do just the opposite and then we wonder why we're having issues.
Kim: Yes, that's pretty clear. That's pretty clear. You've also done something on dinosaurs. I can see with your bent towards history why you would be interested in dinosaurs, they're no longer here, I don't think.
Gene: Well, birds. You know they're [crosstalk]
Kim: Birds, yes. Why the interest in dinosaurs?
Gene: I hate to be autobiographical but, when I was seven years old, we bought those little boxes. This may have happened with-- Kim, you and I are about the same age. They had six little mini Fritos corn chips bags. They were lunch-size Fritos bags, in '61, '62, and '63 they gave out little dinosaur toys. I remember the first and I still have this. Beekeepers like historians keep a lot of things. I showed it to my mom and I said, "What is this?" She said, "That's a dinosaur." I said, "What is that?" She said, "Look it up."
Kim: Good mom.
Gene: I went to the Google of 1962, the World Book Encyclopedia, and looked it up. I was fascinated, just like all little kids, just got really immersed into dinosaurs. I teach an online class on dinosaur biology. The book I had been using went out of print and in a moment of weakness and a couple of single malt scotches I decided I can write a book that would really serve my-- The first book is your hardest. Kim, you know this is true. The first book is the hardest.
Gene: If you've done one, you think you can do them all. You can use your over time and then, of course, you run into things like ABCs and you wonder, "Why did I do this?" I thought, "Yes, I can do this." So I wrote this book called the Dinosaur Primer which is a fundamental book to let people understand the basics about dinosaur classification, biology, and so on. That's one of the text that we use in my course.
Kim: Insect mythology. Those are two words I don't think I would have ever put together in a sentence until I read about that.
Gene: Insect mythology has been a long-standing interest of mine. Mostly, it has to do with its cultural entomology. Myths tell our history. They tell the stories of our beliefs through time. The book I wrote is co-authored by my good friend, Ron Cherry. He used to teach, he's retired or close to retirement now, at the University of Florida. He and I were grad school together at Illinois. We both had this love of mythology. I just started noticing insects everywhere.
My wife, Jessie, is a jeweler, a silversmith. She has a lot of ancient amulets in her designs but also a lot of bee stuff. She's done things like skep hives and the honeybee hieroglyphs and things like that. Going to art museums with her and her background in art history, I was getting really amazed and fascinated. Then we started looking at insects, and bees are almost everywhere. You go to any art museum. I've actually put together a list. I will send this to Bee Culture. I've had the Beekeeper's Guide to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That's basically where you--
Jeff: That would be fun.
Gene: Go into New York. Your kids or your wife wants to see the Metropolitan Museum of art, you may or may not have the same interest, but if you knew where to look for the bee stuff, you'll see a lot more and really get into it way, way more. I remember the last time I was up in Met. A lot of this is ancient Egyptian stuff. They've got a whole collection of things like a wax figurine, beeswax stuff, and what have you. I remember going up to the second floor and all of a sudden here is somebody that's called The Beekeeper and some guy is sitting on a stool with a big long pipe and he's looking at a skep. It was a painting that was on a special exhibit. I didn't expect it to be there.
When I went to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts the last time, they had a Wyeth exhibit and one of the paintings was of an old German flat top skep with his dog next to it. Of course, the painting was so well done, you could actually decipher how it was assembled. That gave me a lot of insight into how those flat top hives with the spike on the top were made until I had a chance to actually see some more of them when I was in Paris.
Jeff: Very good.
Kim: Gene, this has been wonderful [chuckles] and amazing. We've talked about cicadas, and dinosaurs, and ancient insects, and lots more stuff. I'm so glad you were able to be with us today. I don't want to wait 10 years to talk to you again, how's that?
Gene: I'd enjoy coming back again. There's a lot of this stuff happening out here that I'm working on and that would be fun to talk about.
Kim: Okay, all right. Jeff, have we missed anything?
Jeff: I don't think so. Gene, anything you want to say in closing? We will have all your contact information and list of books and everything on our website and in the show notes.
Gene: Sure. It's really not pertinent. I'll just mention this in passing, not so much that the audience wants it, but one of the things I've done recently is I created an app called Cicadas Safari. It's an app where people can go out and go on their own cicadas safari and they see a cicada, they take a picture, and they submit it through the app to our website, and that picture is examined by my colleagues and I, who verify that every picture we get is of a periodical cicada.
I'm happy to tell you that, right now, we have received 194,000 downloads, and 564,000 photographs, over a half a million photographs just this year. What was more exciting is we've already looked at all half-- all of them have been checked out.
Gene: That's all been in the last six weeks.
Jeff: Yes, that's short period of time.
Kim: Jeff, we got to get-- how to get that app on the webpage.
Jeff: We'll have that in our show notes and then on the website.
Gene: It'll pop up, by the time this airs, the cicadas may be done, but there'll be more coming out in 2024 and 2025.
Jeff: Okay. Explore.
Kim: Gene, again, thank you for your time and all of this. I'm just going to have to sit down and digest it for a week or two.
Gene: It's been fun.
Kim: Yes, it is.
Jeff: Thank you. We look forward to having you back.
Gene: Thank you, you too. You all stay healthy and hope the bees will do well for you.
Jeff: You bet.
Gene: I will say that day before I went out mapping cicadas, I was stopped by research Ivan, I installed the new package in a couple of weeks earlier and I had to see how they were doing. I've been mixing beekeeping into my cicadas quite a bit.
Kim: That's good. Thanks again, Gene.
Gene: Thank you.
Gene: Appreciate it.
Jeff: Have a good day. Bye, bye. Happy to have Gene on the show. You know, we should have had him at the beginning of our hive types series. What a wealth of information.
Kim: That would have been a good idea. This was pretty amazing. He's got his fingers in an amazing number of pots he's got going on. I was just fascinated listening to him. I've known him for quite a few years since he came out with his in search of the perfect hive book is when I got to know him, but I didn't know anything about his interest in cicadas then. I knew a little bit about his work in Egypt and some of that, but it was good to have him here today. I hope people enjoy it.
Jeff: Well, you wouldn't have known about his work in cicadas unless you hit him on that 17th year somewhere along the line.
Kim: Yes. I was particularly interested in his work with the mythology of entomology insects, and how they tell the culture. I had never thought of that, insect mythology, two words. Like I said, that were two words that I would have never put in the same sentence.
Jeff: Mythology here of unicorns and flying horses or whatever, but it's never the insects. That's interesting. My ears definitely perked up when he talked about going back to Egypt and doing archaeological travels and exploration of beekeeping in ancient Egypt and I was saying, "Boy, that would be fun to go to."
Kim: It would be good. I'd like to just ride around with him for a while. I think that'd be fun.
Jeff: Maybe we can get the podcast to fly us out to Egypt with him and report from the ground.
Kim: Yes, there's a good chance that's not going to happen.
Jeff: Definite a chance that won't happen.
Kim: But you know, the thing, the age old question, the honey they found in an ancient pyramid in Egypt after thousands of years was still honey. In fact, it's happened several times. I guess when people are talking about honey, not talking about honey lasting forever, they're pretty close too, right.
Jeff: Yes. That was really interesting to hear directly.
Kim: I think we're done here. Jeff, it has been a good day.
Jeff: It is. Wraps up this episode. It's been a fun one. Before we go, I want to encourage our listeners to rate us five stars on Apple Podcasts wherever you download and stream the show. Your vote helps other beekeepers find us quicker. Even better, write a review and let other beekeepers looking for a new podcast know what you like. You can get there directly from our website by clicking on reviews along the top of any web page.
As always, we thank Bee Culture the magazine for American beekeeping for their continued support of The Beekeeping Today Podcast. We want to thank our regular episode sponsor Global Patties, check them out at www.globalpatties.com. We also want to thank Strong Microbials for their support of the podcast. Check out their full probiotic line at www.strongmicrobials.com. We want to thank BetterBee for joining us as a supporter. Check out all the great beekeeping supplies at www.betterbee.com.
Finally and most importantly, we want to thank you, The beekeeping Today Podcast listener, for joining us on this show. Feel free to send us questions and comments at questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast. We'd love to hear from you. Anything else, Kim?
Kim: I think that about wraps it up, Jeff.
Jeff: It's been a good show. All right. I feel like I should go watch Indiana Jones and with a different perspective.
Kim: [laughs] Okay.
Jeff: Take care. Thanks, everybody.
[00:55:36] [END OF AUDIO]
Dr. Gene Kritsky
Dean, School of Behavioral and Natural Sciences, Author
Dr. Gene Kritsky received is BA in Biology from Indiana University in 1974, and his MS and PhD in Entomology from the University of Illinois in 1976 and 1977 respectively. He is currently the Dean of the School of Behavioral and Natural Sciences and Professor of Biology at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati.
Kritsky, a native of North Dakota, has been teaching at the college level for 44 years, lecturing on various subjects including entomology, evolution, zoology, general biology, paleobiology, and the history of science. He was named as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1996 and was a Fulbright Scholar to Egypt in 1981-2.
His research has attracted national attention with appearances on the ABC Evening News, CBS Evening News, the Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, and CNN News Day. His work has also been featured in USA Today, People, Discover, Scientific American, The New York Times, Washington Post, Science News, The Scientist, and many international publications.
Kritsky has published over 250 papers and 10 books, including two books on honey bees. His book, The Quest for the Perfect Hive, was nominated for the Ohioana award for the best non-fiction book by an Ohio author, and his 2015 book, The Tears of Re: Beekeeping in Ancient Egypt was a number 1 best seller for Egyptology on Amazon.co.uk. Dr. Kritsky served for 15 years as the editor of American Entomologist, published by the Entomological Society of America. His most recent book, Periodical Cicadas: The Brood X Edition was published in March 2021 by the Ohio Biological Survey.
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Good Nutrition, Good Bees with David Aston (S4, E15)
Life and Times of Bee Culture Editor, Jerry Hayes (S4, E11)
The Art of the Bee & Honey Bee Genetics with Dr. Rob Page (S3, E53)
Dr. Samuel Ramsey - Varroa & Tropilaelaps Updates and More! (S3, E47)
The Importance of Propolis and More with Dr. Marla Spivak (S3, E33)
How To Get Started With Bees - Part 1 (S2, E16)
Venom Collection with Whale Labs' - James Watts (S3, E32)
Honey Marketing with Jay Williams, William's Honey Farm (S4, E31)
2022 Broodminder Update with Rich Morris (S4, E30)
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Dr. Samuel Ramsey - 2021 Holiday Replay (S4, E28)
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HBHC Crop Pest Control with Dr. Caydee Savinelli (S4, E25)
EpiPen Pricing Scandal & Natural Beekeeping with Ross Conrad (S4, E24)
Apiary 1
Beekeepers 1
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Habitate, Forage, 2
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Honey Varieties 1
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Good Nutrition, Good Bees with David Aston (S4, E15) Season 4 • Episode 15
Life and Times of Bee Culture Editor, Jerry Hayes (S4, E11) Season 4 • Episode 11
The Art of the Bee & Honey Bee Genetics with Dr. Rob Page (S3, E53) Season 3 • Episode 53
Dr. Samuel Ramsey - Varroa & Tropilaelaps Updates and More! (S3, E47) Season 3 • Episode 47
The Importance of Propolis and More with Dr. Marla Spivak (S3, E33) Season 3 • Episode 33
How To Get Started With Bees - Part 1 (S2, E16) Season 2 • Episode 16
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text:
Le cyclure des Îles Turques-et-Caïques (Cyclura carinata), ou iguane terrestre des Îles Turques-et-Caïques, est une espèce de sauriens de la famille des Iguanidae, qui est endémique des îles Turks-et-Caïcos dans les Antilles. Cet iguane de couleur vert à gris brunâtre est l'un des plus petits représentants du genre Cyclura avec une longueur de  à maturité. Il présente une crête dorsale formée de longues épines. C'est un animal essentiellement herbivore qui se nourrit de feuilles, de fleurs et de fruits, qu'il cueille au sol ou en montant dans les arbres.

Cyclura carinata est un animal poïkilotherme, qui est très actif pendant la saison chaude, lors de laquelle il passe quelques minutes à se réchauffer au soleil avant d'aller s'alimenter. Il est nettement moins actif en hiver, et reste la majeure partie du temps dans son abri, sans réellement hiberner. Les mâles sont territoriaux, et défendent les femelles avec lesquelles ils s'accouplent au mois de mai. Celles-ci pondent entre deux et neuf œufs dans des terriers creusés par leurs soins, dans un substrat meuble et pas trop profond. Les œufs éclosent  plus tard, et les jeunes iguanes creusent verticalement le sol pour sortir à l'air libre.

Comme les autres espèces d'iguanes, la population de Cyclura carinata est en déclin. Ils sont notamment menacés par la prédation d'animaux introduits sur l'île comme les chats et les chiens, malgré une législation visant à les protéger et des efforts locaux pour réimplanter des populations dans des zones où elles avaient disparu.

Anatomie et morphologie

Mesurant moins de  de long à maturité, Cyclura carinata est l'une des plus petites espèces de Cyclura (famille des Iguanidae). La couleur de base de ce lézard peut varier du vert au gris brunâtre, généralement marqué de motifs sombres. La coloration varie au fil de la journée, étant plus sombre la nuit ou au début et à la fin de la journée qu'en pleine journée. Il s'agit certainement d'une adaptation facilitant la thermorégulation de cet animal. Les différences de coloration peuvent également être importantes d'une population à l'autre. Les iguanes présentent également 9 ou  plus claires qui traversent leur corps. Ces motifs sont surtout visibles chez les jeunes, et s'estompent petit à petit avec l'âge. Cet iguane possède des épines dorsales plus grandes que les autres espèces d'iguane. Ces épines s'effacent au niveau de la croupe et au-dessus des épaules. Les 16 à 20 épines de la nuque sont nettement plus grandes que les 45 à  présentes sur le reste du dos, pouvant atteindre .

L'espèce ne présente pas de grandes écailles sur la surface supérieure de sa tête, caractéristique visible chez d'autres espèces de Cyclura. Les narines sont largement en contact avec le rostre, et les régions frontale, fronto-pariétale et occipitale sont couvertes de petites écailles irrégulières aux arêtes bien visibles. Les écailles situées autour des yeux sont plus petites que celles du reste de la tête. Cyclura corinata a une dentition hétérodonte, typique des iguanes. Les dents sont unicuspides au niveau de la symphyse et jusqu'aux prémaxillaires, puis les dents plus antérieures sont nettement tricuspides.

Cette espèce présente un dimorphisme sexuel bien marqué, plus encore que chez la plupart des autres espèces du genre Cyclura. Les mâles sont plus grands que les femelles (leur masse corporelle est en moyenne deux fois plus importante) et ont de plus grandes crêtes dorsales et des pores fémoraux plus marqués sur leurs cuisses, qui sont utilisés pour libérer des phéromones visant à attirer des partenaires et marquer leur territoire.

Biologie et écologie

Comportement

Cyclura carinata est un animal essentiellement terrestre, mais qui présente tout de même des mœurs arboricoles. Il grimpe dans les arbres avec une grande dextérité, et des jeunes âgés de moins de deux semaines ont déjà été observés dans des buissons à  de haut. Les iguanes montent aux arbres à la recherche de leur nourriture, mais également pour trouver des sites pour se réchauffer et assurer leur thermorégulation. Quand ils sont dérangés, ils peuvent descendre très rapidement de ces perchoirs, en se laissant tomber de plusieurs mètres de haut parfois. Cyclura carinata utilise un territoire d'une taille variable suivant les individus et les lieux, mais qui a été estimée à entre 7 et  par une étude d'Iverson. Comme beaucoup d'autres lézards, sa queue repousse lorsqu'elle est coupée, à une vitesse variable suivant l'âge de l'animal et l'endroit où a lieu la coupure.

L'activité de cet iguane durant la saison chaude est importante le jour, à l'exception des heures les plus chaudes de la mi-journée. Pendant les mois les plus chauds il peut effectuer de nombreuses sorties, traversant l'intégralité de son territoire en une seule journée. Son activité est moins intense pendant les mois moins chauds. Durant l'hiver, Cyclura carinata n'hiberne pas complètement mais réduit fortement son activité, ne sortant que durant les heures les plus chaudes, et principalement pour réchauffer son corps au soleil à proximité de son abri. Il peut compter sur ses réserves de graisse, notamment au niveau de l'abdomen, pour survivre durant la période froide en mangeant moins. L'iguane commence son activité quotidienne en se réchauffant au soleil, durant un temps variable suivant la température, puis va s'alimenter pour le restant de la journée. Cyclura carinata dispose d'une excellente vision qui lui permet de distinguer les formes et les mouvements à de longues distances. Sa vision est toutefois mauvaise lorsque la luminosité est faible du fait de son petit nombre de cellules en bâtonnets. Il possède des cellules appelées « doubles cônes » qui lui confèrent une bonne vision des couleurs et lui permettent de voir dans le domaine ultraviolet. Cette capacité est très utile lorsque l'animal cherche à absorber suffisamment d'UVA et d'UVB à la lumière du soleil pour produire de la vitamine D.

Cyclura carinata est un animal territorial. Les mâles dominants défendent un territoire comportant une ou plusieurs femelles contre les autres mâles, ainsi que de jeunes mâles subordonnés qui n'ont pas encore acquis de territoire. Comme les autres espèces d'iguanes Cyclura, les animaux de cette espèce communiquent entre eux essentiellement par des hochements de tête. Mais chez cette espèce ils ont la particularité d'être effectués essentiellement par les femelles et les jeunes plutôt que par les mâles, et rarement avec une intention d'agressivité. En règle générale les animaux hochent ainsi la tête quand un congénère plus imposant, mâle ou femelle, s'approche. Lorsqu'il est menacé, cet iguane prend une posture agressive caractéristique, les pattes tendues, s'élevant au-dessus du sol, le corps compressé, le dos arrondi pour bien montrer la crête épineuse et la région du fanon gonflée. Les mâles qui mettent au défi un congénère pour un territoire prennent une attitude similaire, mais avec de fréquents hochements de tête et avec la queue qui balaie le sol d'un côté à l'autre.

Alimentation

Comme toutes les espèces de Cyclura, Cyclura carinata est essentiellement herbivore, consommant des feuilles, des fleurs et des fruits de plus de 58 espèces de plantes différentes. Le régime alimentaire est variable suivant la période de l'année, car les animaux mangent surtout des feuilles en hiver et des fleurs et des fruits au printemps et en été. Il dépend également de l'âge, les jeunes mangeant plus de fruits que les adultes qui consomment surtout des feuilles. Les jeunes de l'année consomment principalement des fruits de Strumpfia, mais également d'Erithalis et d'Ernodea. Les adultes consomment également communément les fruits de Antirhea, Casasia, Coccoloba, Eugenia, Manilkara, Psidium et Thrinax. Ils sont aussi friands des feuilles de Ziziphus taylori, Guaiacum sanctum et Acacia acuifera, ainsi que des fleurs dErnodea. Pour digérer une alimentation très cellulosique, Cyclura corinata dispose de colonies de nématodes qui occupent une bonne partie de son cæcum. Son régime est très rarement complété par des insectes, des mollusques, des crustacés, des arachnides, des lézards, des fragments de peau et des charognes. Des analyses du contenu digestif de ces iguanes ont également révélé la présence de fragments de terre et de cailloux, sans que l'on sache si leur ingestion était intentionnelle ou accidentelle.

Les iguanes se nourrissent tous les jours, si le temps le permet. En revanche on observe qu'ils sortent plusieurs fois dans la journée en quête de nourriture pendant la période estivale, alors que l'hiver ils ne vont s'alimenter qu'une seule fois en général. On remarque que les femelles gravides réduisent leur alimentation pendant cette période, ne reprenant un comportement normal qu'après la ponte. De façon surprenante, Cyclura corinata utilise son odorat pour repérer sa nourriture, et est ainsi capable de trouver rapidement des fruits dans son environnement. Pour attraper leur nourriture, ils grimpent avec dextérité dans les arbres et les buissons, et cette espèce a été observée cueillant des fleurs et des fruits à une hauteur allant jusqu'à .

Une étude menée en 2000 par le docteur Allison Alberts au zoo de San Diego a révélé que ces animaux participent à la dissémination des graines de plusieurs plantes, et que les graines qui sont passées par leur tractus digestif germent plus rapidement que les autres. Ces graines contenues dans les fruits consommés par les iguanes ont un réel avantage adaptatif puisqu'elles germent avant la fin de la très courte saison des pluies. Cyclura carinata représente également un très bon moyen de dissémination de ces graines, notamment lorsque les femelles migrent vers les sites de nidification et, en tant que plus grand herbivore dans leur écosystème insulaire, ils sont essentiels pour maintenir un équilibre entre le climat et la végétation.

Comme les autres lézards herbivores, Cyclura carinata doit faire face à un problème d'osmorégulation : la matière végétale contient plus de potassium et moins d'éléments nutritionnels en proportion que de la viande, et les animaux doivent donc en consommer de plus grandes quantités pour satisfaire leurs besoins métaboliques. À la différence de ceux des mammifères, les reins des reptiles ne peuvent pas concentrer leur urine pour préserver l'eau corporelle. À la place les reptiles excrètent à travers leur cloaque de l'acide urique toxique. Dans le cas de Cyclura carinata, qui consomme beaucoup de végétaux, l'excès d'ions salés est excrété via une glande à sel de la même manière que les oiseaux.

Cycle de vie

Les mâles adultes sont sexuellement matures lorsqu'ils atteignent une taille de  du museau à la base de la queue, et un poids généralement compris entre 375 et . Cela arrive généralement à l'âge de . Chez les femelles, la maturité est atteinte à une taille de 180 à  du museau à la base de la queue pour un poids de 200 à , caractéristiques atteintes vers l'âge de . Les mâles sont territoriaux, défendant toute l'année une zone leur donnant accès à de la nourriture et des femelles. Les femelles ne deviennent territoriales que lorsqu'elles défendent leur site de nidification, au moment de la ponte des œufs et pendant plusieurs semaines.

Les mâles commencent à montrer de l'intérêt pour les femelles au mois d'avril, et on peut les observer en train de les suivre au sol, mais sans réellement faire de parade nuptiale. Les femelles, en réponse, hochent la tête puis s'éloignent de quelques mètres avant de s'arrêter et hocher à nouveau la tête. Ce scénario peut se répéter jusqu'à , et cette période de pré-parade nuptiale semble témoigner de la préoccupation des mâles de rester en contact avec les femelles avant la période nuptiale, à moins qu'elle n'ait un rôle également pour induire la réceptivité des femelles, mais cela n'est pas vérifié chez cette espèce. Les mâles montrent ainsi de plus en plus d'intérêt pour les femelles jusqu'à ce que celles-ci deviennent réceptives, au mois de mai. Au moment de l'accouplement, le mâle approche lentement la femelle, le corps près du sol, tandis que celle-ci hoche la tête à la vue du mâle. Une fois à proximité immédiate de la femelle, le mâle tourne la tête pour inspecter ses hanches, et hoche très rapidement la tête verticalement plusieurs fois avec une très faible amplitude, dans une sorte de « vibration » propre à la parade nuptiale de divers iguanes. La femelle peut alors refuser les avances du mâle en prenant une posture caractéristique, les pattes dressées, le corps gonflé, le dos arqué et la queue sur le sol, ou simplement en fuyant. Le mâle chevauche ensuite la femelle, et lui saisit le cou avec la gueule, puis il glisse sa queue sous celle de la femelle pour aligner les cloaques et procéder à la copulation. Celle-ci dure 40 à , puis les animaux se séparent. La copulation précède directement l'ovulation, et la ponte se déroule un mois plus tard. Cyclura carinata est une espèce généralement monogame, une femelle s'accouplant une seule fois chaque année, et vraisemblablement avec le même mâle d'une année sur l'autre. Par contre les mâles sont parfois polygames, s'accouplant avec plusieurs femelles.

La femelle ne niche pas toujours dans le territoire du mâle avec lequel elle s'est accouplée. Il faut surtout que les conditions pour faire un bon nid soient regroupées, ce qui est parfois difficile étant donné que les sols adaptés pour creuser un terrier sont rares, et que la densité d'iguanes peut être importante sur certaines îles. Le nid doit être creusé dans une zone au sol meuble suffisamment profond, entre la côte et les zones rocheuses à l'intérieur des terres. La disponibilité en sites convenables pour la nidification est certainement une limite au développement des populations. Une fois le terrier creusé, la femelle y pond de deux à neuf œufs en juin, généralement le matin. Elle obture ensuite la chambre contenant les œufs, en faisant une poche d'air aux conditions d'humidité particulières, qui pourraient faciliter la respiration des œufs. Alors qu'elles ne présentent aucun signe de territorialité le reste de l'année, les femelles se montrent à ce moment-là agressives, et défendent leurs terriers contre tout agresseur. Lorsqu'un congénère approche, elles prennent une posture d'intimidation, hochent la tête en ouvrant grand la gueule, et se jettent en avant.

Les œufs fraîchement pondus mesurent 46- × 28,5- et pèsent en moyenne  (entre 19 et 29,9). La coquille est alors relativement fine et translucide, et on peut voir à l'intérieur un embryon de 1,5 à  de diamètre. Rapidement la coquille s'épaissit et prend une couleur blanche immaculée. Au fur et à mesure de l'incubation, les œufs grossissent en diamètre et en poids, pouvant atteindre  juste avant l'éclosion. Ils éclosent en septembre après une période d'incubation de 90 jours. Les jeunes juste éclos mesurent généralement entre 76 et , avec une queue de 108 à  de long. Ils sont semblables aux adultes, mais avec une queue proportionnellement plus longue, une tête proportionnellement plus large, et des rayures plus marquées sur les flancs. Une fois éclos, les petits doivent s'extraire de la chambre d'incubation, ce qu'ils font en creusant verticalement jusqu'à atteindre l'air libre. C'est pourquoi le substrat choisi pour faire le nid est primordial pour la réussite de la couvée, un substrat trop dur empêchant la sortie des petits, et cela explique également le fait que les terriers creusés par les femelles soient peu profonds. La période de nidification correspond pour cette espèce à la saison des pluies. De cette manière, les risques de dessiccation des œufs sont limités, et les jeunes ont toutes les chances de trouver de la nourriture en abondance, notamment des fruits.

Cyclura corinata semble pouvoir atteindre couramment l'âge d'au moins , certains individus pouvant atteindre , voire dans des cas très rares jusqu'à .

Relations interspécifiques
De par sa taille, l'adulte n'a pas de prédateur naturel dans son aire de répartition, à part éventuellement quelques oiseaux qui peuvent à de rares occasions s'en prendre à lui. Le jeune est plus sujet aux attaques. Bien que l'on n'ait pas forcément recensé d'attaques, on peut imaginer qu'en plus des oiseaux, les jeunes iguanes peuvent être victimes des crabes ou du boa Chilabothrus chrysogaster. Mais les plus grandes menaces pour ces animaux sont les chats et les chiens importés sur l'île par l'Homme. Les chiens tuent des animaux jeunes comme adultes, sans forcément les consommer ensuite. Les chats par contre font de l'iguane un mets apprécié, qu'ils chassent en entrant dans leurs nids ou en les attendant juste à la sortie du terrier. Ils peuvent attaquer des iguanes mesurant jusqu'à . L'homme consomme également des iguanes, occasionnant donc quelques pertes. Lorsqu'il est menacé, Cyclura corinata se rue vers son terrier, ou se cache dans les buissons dans les zones à la végétation plus dense. Lorsqu'il est acculé, il prend sa posture de menace, et peut utiliser sa queue pour se défendre.

Quatre espèces de nématodes ont été retrouvées dans le tractus digestif de Cyclura corinata : Cyrtosomum mega, Travassozolaimus travassori, Macracis microtyphlon et Mamillomacracis cyclurae. Leur présence en très grand nombre chez la quasi-totalité des iguanes étudiés confirme la théorie suivant laquelle ces nématodes ne sont pas uniquement des parasites mais jouent un rôle dans la digestion de l'alimentation très cellulosique des iguanes.

Habitat et distribution

Cyclura carinata est une espèce endémique des Îles Turques-et-Caïques, un ensemble de petites îles situées dans le sud-est de l'archipel des Bahamas. On la rencontre sur entre 50 et  parmi les plus de 200 qui composent cet archipel. C'est en tout environ  adultes qui vivent dans l'archipel, formant ainsi 50 à  insulaires plus ou moins denses. Le territoire sur lequel on retrouve cet iguane ne représente que  sur les  de l'archipel, et il est principalement représenté sur trois grandes cayes : ,  et .  compte pas moins de  sur ses ; or, il s'agit d'une île privée où les activités humaines se développent. Autrement, les densités de population sont très variables. Les îles qui ne comportent pas de prédateurs comptent parfois jusqu'à 30 iguanes par hectare, tandis que ces animaux sont rares ou quasiment disparus sur les îles où vivent des mammifères prédateurs. Aux Bahamas, on ne trouve cette espèce qu'à , à  au large de l'île de Mayaguana. Sur cette île, la population d'iguanes, qui était importante en 1977 et 1988, n'est plus que d'environ 750 animaux.

Cyclura carinata vit dans les petites cayes, mais son aire de répartition a été réduite à seulement 5 % de son aire initiale, notamment du fait de l'introduction de prédateurs. Il vit dans les zones rocheuses et les habitats de sable, ce dernier élément étant nécessaire pour la nidification. C'est un animal diurne qui passe la nuit dans des terriers qu'il a généralement creusés lui-même, ou dans des retraites naturelles, dans ou sous les rochers. Le terrier a une importance capitale pour cette espèce, et les animaux semblent connaître l'emplacement de tous les terriers de leur territoire, mais également ceux des territoires voisins. Ils peuvent ainsi rapidement trouver un abri en cas de danger. S'il peut arriver que des animaux des deux sexes partagent le même terrier, ce n'est jamais le cas pour deux mâles adultes très territoriaux. Le terrier creusé par les mâles est généralement plus profond et plus long que celui creusé par les femelles, du fait de leur plus grande taille mais certainement aussi du fait que les terriers peu profonds sont mieux adaptés à une bonne incubation. Les animaux nettoient régulièrement leur terrier en en extirpant le sable, les feuilles et autres débris s'y accumulant.

Taxinomie
Cyclura carinata a été décrite pour la première fois par le zoologiste américain Richard Harlan dans Fauna Americana en 1825. Le nom du genre Cyclura, dont le nom vient de l'ancien grec  signifiant « circulaire » et  signifiant « queue », fait allusion aux larges anneaux bien visibles sur la queue de tous les représentants de ce genre. Son épithète spécifique carinata signifie « carénée » et se réfère aux écailles de l'animal. L'espèce est endémique sur les îles dans lesquelles on l'a retrouvée. Les animaux de  étaient pendant un temps classés comme une sous-espèce à part, Cyclura carinata bartschi, mais elle a été placée en synonymie par Bryan  en 2007. Les données morphologiques et génétiques indiquent que le plus proche parent vivant de C. carinata est C. ricordi que l'on rencontre sur Hispaniola, malgré sa taille plus imposante. C. rileyi, qui vit sur San Salvador dans les Bahamas, semble également très proche, et elle partage avec cette espèce une petite taille, de longues épines dorsales et l'absence de larges plaques frontales sur la tête.

Sauvegarde

Menaces
Comme la plupart des espèces de son genre, Cyclura carinata est en déclin. Dans le cas de cette espèce, cela s'explique principalement par sa petite taille qui la rend vulnérable aux prédateurs introduits tels que les chiens et les chats. Dans les années 1970 une population de  a été complètement détruite en  par une poignée de chiens et de chats amenée à  par les travailleurs de l'hôtel. La concurrence pour le pâturage avec le bétail domestique et sauvage est un facteur secondaire de cette mauvaise dynamique. Ainsi, une étude de 1995 fait état de la disparition de 13 sous-populations durant les  précédentes. Par ailleurs, environ 30 % de la population actuelle vit sur une île privée, ce qui rend sa sauvegarde incertaine. Toutes ces raisons justifient que l'UICN classe cette espèce comme en danger critique d'extinction.

Les mesures de conservation

Bien que  abrite plus de , Cyclura carinata a été anéanti des autres cayes de son ancienne aire de répartition.  est maintenant une réserve naturelle, et ni les chiens ni les chats ne sont autorisés sur l'île, afin d'assurer la survie de cette espèce en danger critique d'extinction.

En 2000, des scientifiques de la division de la Conservation et de la recherche pour les espèces menacées d'extinction (CRES) du zoo de San Diego, sous la direction du  Glenn Gerber, a transféré 218 iguanes de  et , où leurs populations étaient menacées, vers quatre îlots inhabités au sein de zones protégées des Îles Turques-et-Caïques comme , après éradication des chats sur cette île. À ce jour, ces iguanes ont connu un taux de survie de 98 % ; ils se sont adaptés aux nouvelles conditions et même reproduits avec succès l'année suivante. Les jeunes résultant de la reproduction des animaux transférés en 2002 dépassent la taille de leurs homologues sur les cayes, dont leurs ancêtres sont originaires, de près de 400 %. Ces résultats sont particulièrement encourageants dans l'optique de la reconduction future d'opérations de ce genre.

La législation visant à protéger les iguanes a été rédigée par le gouvernement des Îles Turques-et-Caïques en 2003. En outre, le National Trust des Îles Turques-et-Caïques dispose de l'intendance de  et doit s'assurer que ce site est correctement géré. Il a par ailleurs lancé un programme pour que soient éradiqués les chats sauvages à  et . À , la sous-population est protégée au même titre que les autres iguanes des Bahamas sous l'égide du  de 1968. Cette île, qui est aussi un refuge et un site de nidification pour de nombreux oiseaux de mer, a été proposée pour devenir une aire protégée. Par ailleurs, l'éradication des chèvres, qui constituent la principale menace pour les iguanes car elles détruisent la végétation endémique dont ceux-ci se nourrissent, y est planifiée.

Voir aussi

Articles connexes
 Sauriens
 Iguanidae
 Îles Turks-et-Caïcos

Bibliographie

Liens externes

Notes et références

Saurien (nom scientifique)
Iguanidae
Faune endémique des Antilles

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Annoyance Theatre readies for 'Shark Tank: The Musical (A Parody),' opening Jan. 12
The Annoyance Theatre is proud to announce the opening of its newest two-act comedy "Shark Tank: The Musical (A Parody)".
Ever watch the tv show Shark Tank and think "That show would make a great musical!"? Well, your friends at The Annoyance did.
An amazing cast of Annoyance regulars play your favorite sharks Mark, Daymond, Kevin, Lori, Barbara and Robert along with all kinds of characters and their crazy pitches as they try to land a deal. Come with some good ideas, because you just might find that you're pitching, too! Never seen the show? You'll end up a fan!
**Please note: this parody does not conform to the language requirements of the FCC for television.**
The show was written by Annoyance Executive Producer Jennifer Estlin and Annoyance / Second City performer and writer, Greg Ott. Shark Tank: The Musical was directed by Duke Harbison with music by Lisa McQueen and musical direction by Matthew Pollock. The cast includes The Annoyance Artistic Director Mick Napier (Kevin O'Leary), Jennifer Estlin (Lori Greiner, Barbara Corcoran), Dan Jessup (Robert Herjavec), Jonathan Keaton (Daymond John) Charles Pettit (Mark Cuban) and Ryan Livingston, Jon Matteson, Greg Ott, Brittany Flynn and Hannah Ingle as the cast of characters.
"Shark Tank: The Musical" Opens January 12th at 8pm with a special appearance by from former well-known Shark Tank contestant Steve Gadlin (I WANT TO DRAW A CAT FOR YOU).
"Shark Tank the Musical" runs on The Annoyance Main Stage at 8:00 PM January 12th and will continue to run on Friday nights until March 30th. Tickets are $20 / $15 Students. For more information, visit the Annoyance website www.theannoyance.com or call the box office: 773.697.9693. The Annoyance is located at 851 W. Belmont, Chicago, IL 60657.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


British police have identified more than 200 witnesses and are looking at more than 240 pieces of evidence in their investigation into a nerve agent attack on a Russian ex-spy and his daughter, UK interior minister Amber Rudd said on Saturday.
Ms Rudd told reporters after chairing a meeting of the government's Cobra security committee that more than 250 counter-terrorism police were involved in the investigation, which was proceeding with "speed and professionalism".
Former double agent Sergei Skripal (66) and his daughter Yulia (33) have been in hospital in a critical condition since Sunday, when they were found unconscious on a bench in the southern English cathedral city of Salisbury.
Ms Rudd confirmed on Saturday that the two remain in a critical but stable condition.
Nick Bailey, a police officer who fell ill after being part of the early response to the attack, remains seriously ill but is talking and engaging with his family, Ms Rudd also said.
Ms Rudd's comments came as Mr Bailey released a statement from hospital saying "he does not consider himself a hero" and was "merely doing his job".
Investigators had been summoned to the meeting at 3pm for emergency talks on the incident.
About 180 troops, including Royal Marines, RAF Regiment troops and chemical warfare specialists, are understood to have been deployed in the city on Friday after Scotland Yard requested specialist help.
A defence spokesman said armed forces personnel would return to Salisbury in similar numbers on Saturday as the cleanup operation continued.
Police turned their attention on Friday to the cemetery where Mr Skripal's wife and son were laid to rest.
Officers in hazmat suits were seen placing a blue forensic tent over his son's memorial stone before appearing to stuff items in several yellow barrels. His son, Alexander, was cremated last year.
The grave of Mr Skripal's wife Liudmila, who was buried in 2012, was also cordoned off at the London Road Cemetery.
Apparent fears of chemical contamination have also seen Mr Skripal's home cordoned off while detectives attempt to pin down the origins of the substance used to incapacitate him.
A short distance away, a convoy of military vehicles rolled into the car park at Salisbury District Hospital to recover a police car.
Suspicion is mounting that Russia carried out the attempt on Mr Skripal's life as an act of revenge against the former intelligence officer, who was convicted in Russia in 2006 of selling state secrets to MI6.
He was later released as part of a spy swap with the US.
The Kremlin denies responsibility and British ministers have urged caution over apportioning blame until the facts become clear.
Defence minister Tobias Ellwood said the military's presence reflected the "seriousness" of the situation, adding: "We mustn't get ahead of ourselves but we must have a robust response and it's something that we'll be discussing with our Nato partners and with the forthcoming summit in Brussels in July.
Meanwhile, Salisbury's Tory MP John Glen, also a British government minister, attempted to reassure his constituents that a "whole range of tools are at our disposal" once it was established who was behind the incident.
"The government will not be acting precipitously in response to what has happened. Now is the time for cool heads and a rational examination of the facts," he said.
Ms Rudd had earlier visited Salisbury and the hospital where Mr Bailey is receiving treatment.
Lord Blair, a former Met commissioner, suggested on the BBC's Today programme that Mr Bailey had visited Mr Skripal's home.
He said: "There obviously are some indications the officer, and I'm very sorry that he has been injured, has actually been to the house, whereas there was a doctor who looked after the patients in the open who hasn't been affected at all.
The figure includes members of the public and emergency staff, some of whom have had blood tests.
The attack is being treated as attempted murder.


text:
Internet Blocking & Regulation
Came across to this article in Indonesia Matters, read below for the full article:
The Indonesian Government efforts to regulate the internet and block access to porn websites.
On 25th March a new law on information and electronic transactions (UU Informasi Transaksi Elektronik, ITE) was passed by the parliament in Jakarta. Much of the interest in it focuses on what is forbidden by the law, which is set out in Section 8, Articles 27 to 37.
Article 27:
anyone who deliberately and without rights distributes/transmits/makes accessible electronic information/electronic documents with content that
violates decency (kesusilaan)
involves gambling
is libellous
is threatening
Article 28 forbids the spreading of lies over the internet (1) and hate speech (2) directed towards particular groups, based on racial, ethnic or religious differences (SARA).
For both articles violations of the law may lead to imprisonment of up to six years and fines up to 1 billion rupiah ($110,000).
Blocking Sites
Muhammad Nuh, the minister for Information, said three methods to block "unhealthy" (pornographic, hateful, violent) sites could be used: [1] [2]
educate people to avoid them
provide people with "nanny" software to block them
restrict the internet access of schools, campuses, offices, etc (involving blocking direct connections from abroad by using a gateway)
These specific measures against porn sites and others are expected to be set out in one or more ministerial edicts, and due to come into effect in April or May. The "nanny" software is already available for download from the Information ministry website.
However he says that the plan to block adult sites is more of a "moral vision" and that the government is limited in what it can do and needs the help of ISP's and internet cafe operators.
If the ISP's and warnets only succeed in restricting access [to inappropriate sites] by about 15-20% then that's okay, the point is we have made an effort to minimalise access.
He said the government intends to make a list of "negative sites" that are meant to be blocked, and that these websites will be those that are pornographic, hateful, or violent. The list will be continually updated and ISP's and warnets informed of any changes. [3]
Previously Nuh had said that the new law was needed now because the government intends to massively increase the proportion of the population with internet access, particularly in villages.
Download and view UU ITE.
Internet Cafe Raids
In Bogor, West Java, policeman Subur Rahardjo says the police will routinely raid warnets, or public internet cafes, looking for people accessing porn web sites.
He says it will be part of a new campaign against social diseases such as prostitution, liquor drinking, and VCD porn films, and done in support of the the Pornography Law (UU Pornografi), and to make sure the situation was conducive for the coming gubernatorial election in West Java. [4]
And in Bojonegoro, East Java, the police and the regency government intend to coordinate efforts to deal with internet cafes that provide folders of pornographic images on their computers. There are said to be 17 warnets in Bojonegoro, and so far one of these has been caught allowing the storing of porn. [5]
1. ↑1 tempo
2. ↑2 antara
3. ↑3 detik
4. ↑4 republika
What happen with reformation and democracy?
Why can't government let us be mature person by letting us to choose what's good and what's bad.
What you say about this issue?
Labels: daily mumbles, Indonesia
This looks like an attempt to close an open society in the name of a crackdown on pornography. In the worst case scenario this actually could mean the end of freedom of speech in blogosphere.
I wonder however how the authorities intend to maintain these new laws. To me it looks pathetic. Will a special police squad raid the houses of bloggers and enter and break into one's PC, for instance?
I am sorry, are we talking about China here?
It is very typical. They do like to play the paternizing game. They treat their people like children. I guess that's why they still can't behave themselves.
The best thing to do is maybe - just my opinion - widen propaganda on children education on the "bad" topic. Increase awareness on parents and young adults. Things like that at least can have a bit of impact.
In the end, nobody can restrict anything these days. Those are self-indulgence rules made by character who are so clueless, up to the point of ignorant.
@ Colson: I'm curious on how they're going to do this. Knowing Indonesia government ;)
@ Andi Summerkiss: We're talking about Indonesia government dear, sad isn't it. I also thought that we have our freedom for the Dutch and even from Suharto regime, I guess not.
Ah... you know it's like any other proposed regulations. It's big propaganda, but then nothing happens. Remember when everybody was raving about the regulation of dressing properly? Remember Rhoma Irama and his campaign against Inul? What's the reality and result of all those?
rimafauzi said...
finally woken, it is now not only proposed but enacted. the bloody UU ITE is an enacted law.
ecky, I guess the democracy and reformation of the newer order that replaced the oppressing new order somewhat originates from the 'red' (get it, right?)
I just worry that this kind of public stupidifiance (is that even a word?) will continue in a way that really harms our nation. i hope not, though.
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