Although South Africa’s agricultural sector is prospering, our beekeeping industry seems to be on the backfoot, as many beekeepers are struggling to keep enough bees to service our agricultural needs. The availability of bee forage and safe, viable land to place hives have become challenge most beekeepers have to face daily. Has our neglect over this one little component, left us vulnerable?
The loss of eucalyptus trees in South Africa has had an immense effect on the beekeeping industry. PHOTO: Anke Nothnagel
As Spring arrives over the South African landscape, macadamia cultivars in the Lowveld are met with the buzzing sound of thousands of bee colonies that are ready for the crop pollination period. “At this stage we place about two to three hives per hectare for macadamia,” says Kobus Visser, a beekeeper situated between Barberton and Graskop. Depending on the variety of the cultivar, he would ideally introduce his hives to the orchards just as the flowers start to bloom. After five to seven weeks, just before the bees have finished foraging in the crop and most farmers start with intensive crop spraying, he takes his hives out. He times it perfectly.
However, Visser is not as cool-headed as he might seem. Like many other beekeepers he worries that there is not enough bee forage available and that there is no safe, viable land to keep his bees, due to theft and vandalism.
“You have a combination of factors. Limited forage and the practical use of forage, which is limited by the theft and vandalism of the hives,” Visser says. “Precisely during this time of the year in the Lowveld, we have a problem, because there is not a lot of areas with enough food available for the bees.”
“In an ideal world you would want to have food available for bees constantly,” says Nick Hitge, a member of the Western Cape Bee Industry Association and beekeeper in the Western Cape. PHOTO: Alexis Mora Angulo/Unsplash
A changing world
The amount of bee forage is determined by the availability of natural habitat, trees and vegetation, says Mike Allsopp, a senior researcher at the Agricultural Research Council.
Every time trees are cut down, the amount of forage available to all pollinators – including honey bees – is getting less and less, says Allsopp.
This is particularly true, due to the loss of the Eucalyptus species, also known as gum trees, in South Africa.
“The loss of the gums has been enormous in South Africa – and its impact [on the bee industry] huge,” says Allsopp.
One of the contributing factors to this loss has been the Working for Water programme that has been implemented by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) to eradicate alien invasive species such as eucalyptuses.
“A big eucalyptus tree can absorb about a 1 000 litres of water per day,” says Stiaan Kotze, head of the DEA’s Natural Resource Management Compliance unit.
Because South Africa is a sub-Saharan country and water is scarce – especially Cape Town – the project only eradicates eucalyptus trees that are invasive to our water sources and that are considered to be fire hazards, says Kotze.
According to Kotze, of the 700 eucalyptus species only six of the species are listed in the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act that needs to be eradicated or be managed.
“We try to avoid eradicating eucalyptus trees, because of the beekeeping industry. Insect pollination is worth over R10.3 billion per annum to South Africa,” Kotze explains.
Mike Allsopp’s research bees at the Agricultural Research Council in Stellenbosch, Western Cape. PHOTO: Anke Nothnagel
Yet, many beekeepers feel that the public’s lack of knowledge about eucalyptus trees are troublesome, as most of them are still being removed – no matter the type of specie or whether it is a threat or not.
“Farmers do not know the difference between the different eucalyptuses,” says Nick Hitge, a member of the Western Cape Bee Industry Association.
So, trees that are not on the banned list still get cut down, Hitge explains.
“And that has happened at a rapid pace – and is still continuing,” says Hitge.
However, Allsopp believes that the loss to eucalyptuses has not merely been due to the Working for Water project, but for the most part it is because the world has changed and the eucalyptus South Africa grew changed.
“In the 70s, and in even into the 80s, we used to grow a lot of hardwood eucalyptus that was planted for timber – particularly for mining,” says Allsopp. “Mining is becoming less and less significant, so we do not grow hardwood eucalyptus in plantations anymore and forestry changed.”
Today, the vast majority of eucalyptus is a softer timber that is used to make paper, which is not as attractive to honey bees, Allsopp says.
“There is a limited amount of eucalyptus that really produce a surplus of nectar – and we do not grow those,” Allsopp states.
According to Visser, most plantations also have a shorter rotation time.
“The Eucalyptus grandis does not start to flower in its first year,” Visser says. “So, you have less trees with flowers.”
Allsopp says that the eucalyptus in the Western Cape is significant, not just because of the amount of nectar that it produces but also when it flowers.
During the dry summers of the Western Cape, there is nothing substantial in terms of forage – except for the eucalyptus, says Allsopp.
How it started: The history of South African beekeeping. “We like to think of ourselves as a beekeeping country – but we really are not,” says Allsopp. GRAPHIC: Anke Nothnagel
A demanding world
“As the human population increases and our demand for food increases, our demand for honey bees increases to serve our needs,” Allsopp says.
Globally, honey bees are 95% to 99.5% responsible for all commercial pollination, Allsopp says.
According to Kulani Siweya, an agricultural economist at AgriSA, the demand for agricultural production in the country has increased, due to the growth in population.
“The South African population, since 2009, has been increasing at a rate of 2.5% on an annual basis,” Siweya says.
However, Allsopp explains that it has become almost impossible to keep as many colonies as are needed, due to the shortage in forage.
“We are needing to keep more honey bees in the Western Cape for pollination purposes, than there is food available in the Western Cape to keep these honey bees alive,” Allsopp says.
Currently, the Western Cape needs approximately 80 000 to 120 000 bee colonies for pollination, says Allsopp.
“Honey bees are not threatened in any way. The problem is that globally we are struggling to keep enough honey bees to service our needs,” says Mike Allsopp, a senior researcher at the Agricultural Research Council. PHOTO: Anke Nothnagel
In White River, Mpumalanga, Visser has a demand for 8 000 to 10 000 colonies to pollinate macadamias, however he cannot sustain more than his 2 500 colonies, because there is not enough food.
“This problem, right now, is at a critical point. The demand for commercial honeybees is going to double by 2025. We already do not have enough honeybees,” Allsopp says.
A vulnerable world
Allsopp’s biggest concern is that South Africa’s agricultural industry has become vulnerable.
“If we have something that goes wrong with our bees, we do not have the infrastructure, we have no one monitoring and no research capacity,” says Allsopp. “We have basically bet a R100 billion industry on the fact that we have a healthy bee population – and we have always had a healthy bee population.”
But things can change overnight, and South Africa will have no capacity to respond, Allsopp says.
“If we get to a situation where we will need more bees than we are able to sustain and we only produce through farming methods, we will enter a whole new level of vulnerability,” Allsopp says.
An increase in the number of bees – above what the natural habitat allows – will create possibilities for diseases and outbreaks, as most of these bees will have to be fed with supplements and nutrients, he explains.
However, there has been little success in getting the message across, as forests are being destroyed, more trees are being cut down and the availability of the eucalyptus has declined – resulting in the ongoing decline of bee forage availability each year, says Hitge.
“We are on the backfoot. Agriculture is doing so well, and they are expanding so much – especially in the Western Cape. But there is one little component that is quite important …,” says Hitge.
Six out of the 700 Eucalyptus species are listed in National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act. Information provided Stiaan Kotze, head of the Department of Department of Environmental Affairs’ Natural Resource Management Compliance unit. INFOGRAPHIC: Anke Nothnagel