Busy bees around the Bosch

The humble honeybee epitomises the age-old saying, “dynamite comes in small packages”.

Dr. Theresa Wossler, a lecturer at the Department of Botany and Zoology at Stellenbosch University, says that the importance of bees lies in their ability to pollinate a wide range of indigenous flowering plants. Their role in pollination is important in maintaining plant biodiversity and is crucial for agricultural food production.

According to the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), these unassuming creatures are responsible for pollinating over 50 different crops in and around the country.

Pollination services provide 50% of a commercial beekeeper’s revenue while honey and other bee-related products make up the rest in the Western Cape.

Horticulture

The Apis mellifera capensis, commonly known as the Cape Honeybee, has the mammoth task of pollinating a multitude of deciduous fruits in the region. These fruits range from apples and apricots to plums and berries. Managed bees – bees that are managed by beekeepers in an apiary, do the bulk of this pollination.

The Cape Honey Factory, located in Klein Nooitgedacht on the R304, keeps most of its bees in the regions of Riviersonderend, Overberg, Wellington and Malmesbury. Honey is harvested from around 900 hives twice a year while 4000 hives are used in crop pollination.

Viticulture

Although grapes are not pollinated by honeybees, Ryno Barnes, manager at the Cape Honey Factory explains that wine estates like Boschendal and Blaauwklippen keep hives on their farms to pollinate other crops, as well as for eco-tourism and educational purposes.

Both Boschendal and Blaauwklippen bought hives from the Cape Honey Factory. Barnes encourages wine and fruit farms to invest in hives “to help the bees and encourage biodiversity”.

Bees under stress

Ruan Veldtman, Dr in Entomology and SANBI Research Associate at Stellenbosch University since 2002, said that genetic variation has ensured a generally healthy, robust bee population in the Western Cape.

However, despite its hardy character, Veldtman warns that the Cape honeybee is overworked and under stress.

Eucalyptus or “gum trees”, are often targeted for removal with alien clearing programmes. Veldtman highlights that forage (food) for the bees is a controversial conundrum due to eucalyptus being a major source of food for the Cape honeybee in an already food-scarce Western Cape.

Demand/supply stresses are the second problem Veldtman touches on, especially with the increase in sales of blueberries in the Western Cape.

“The major problem is the demand side. More and more colonies are needed, and I don’t think the environment can carry it, so we’ll reach a stage where the demand is far more than the supply,” comments Veldtman.

According to an info sheet by SANBI, agricultural production will need to increase by 60% in 2050 to accommodate the ballooning demand.

Another stress factor includes drought. A drought situation means fewer flowers are available for bees to pollinate, so beekeepers must make up for the shortfall in forage by feeding them sugar water.

Barnes recounts how the drought in the Western Cape was a painful sting for the Cape Honey Factory. At the end of 2014, the harvest averaged 20 tonnes of honey.

In 2015, they lost up to 900 colonies due to the severe drought, which caused a harvest deficit of 17 tonnes. While only 3 tonnes were harvested that year.

Steps to ensure sustainability of the bee population

Bees form an integral part of South Africa’s biodiversity and ecology. The Western Cape deciduous fruit industry alone is worth approximately R10 billion per year.

A dwindling honeybee industry not only puts South Africa at risk of not meeting the country’s pollination demands but also at risk of not meeting the increasing national honey demand.

Wossler proposes that we “support the local honeybee industry by buying locally produced honey and bee products which will feed back into the local bee industry.”

Veldtman says it is about “being aware”. Despite various groups lobbying to have alien plant species removed, the public should be made aware that there are some alien species, like the eucalyptus tree, that need to stay in order to keep a healthy bee population.

“I think if people are just aware that honeybees are very important and that they need certain forage and what those forage sources are,” adds Veldtman.

Barnes encourages planting bee-friendly flowers, whether it be on farms or in back gardens, for bees to forage on. This includes any indigenous plant with a flower containing sap or pollen.

Barnes says that things are a buzz in the hives once again. “This is the first year [since the start of the drought] that we’ve got a good harvest season from eucalyptus because there’s a little bit of water in the ground and there are flowers flowering again that we didn’t see last year,” he comments.

So the next time you reach for a punnet of berries or a bunch of flowers, remember, you have our fury, black-and-yellow-striped friends to thank.

3 health benefits of honey

1. Honey for sleep – mixing 2 teaspoons of honey into your hot beverage before bed helps with sleep;
2. Honey for a sore throat – mixing 1 teaspoon of lemon juice with 2 teaspoons of honey in a glass of warm water soothes a sore throat;
3. Honey for sinus – mixing 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of honey into 250ml of warm water soothes congestion;

(dailyhealthgen.com)