Bee Venom
-Are pesticides to blame
The US initiative to protect endangered bee species has become a talking point worldwide. In South Africa, bees have not yet been afforded similar protection.
Stephan du Toit, beekeeper and CEO of Du Toit Honey Farms near Vredefort in the Free State, says that South Africa needs to improve the protection of its bees.
Du Toit says that improved communication between farmers, beekeepers and crop protection companies could help strengthen bee populations.
-READ Biological pest control basics
“What often happens is that beekeepers talk to the farmer where hives are stationed about their spraying programmes, but not to other neighbouring farmers. You have to find out about the spraying programme of neighbouring farms too,” he says.
-Sting in the tail
Beefore we leave you on your bee hunting journey, we should discuss native bee stings. Unlike the honeybee, native bee stingers aren’t a one-time-only affair. Yes, you read that right, native bees don’t leave their stinger in their victim.
The good news? Native bees are very reluctant to sting (even if their nest is disturbed), and their stings are reported to be less painful than a honeybee’s. Because native bee stings are so rare, little is known about allergic reactions but as long as you don’t go out and start grabbing native bees with your bare hands, you should be right.
-Where – and when – do I look
Our beeautiful native bees are as diverse in their habitats as they are in their appearance. From sand dunes to tropical rainforest, you can find bees in almost all parts of Australia. While highly social bees are usually active all year round, many Australian bees are solitary (each female creates her own nest without any help) and tend to have limited seasons of activity.
As you might expect, many floral specialists are most active when their flowers are in bloom. Bees are like people; they don’t want to be out working when the weather’s bad. So, regardless of your location in Australia, if you go outside on a nice sunny day with low winds and pick a cosy spot near some native flowers you’ll be in for a beautiful sight. If you live somewhere particularly dry or hot, your best bee spotting time is at dawn before all the nectar dries up.
-Monocropping: A threat bee’s to health
Lezanne van Zyl, a small-scale beekeeper and honey producer, says that monocropping is a risk to the health of bee populations.
“Putting a beehive into a land of canola would be similar to a person eating only bread,” he says.
Bees need a variety of food sources to strengthen their immune systems, which is why many beekeepers in the Western Cape station their hives in fynbos areas.
