“BEE GRATEFUL”
While the Eastern Free State mountains tower into Lesotho forming an impenetrable wall of sandstone cliffs, and steep valleys and deep ravines create an oasis for wildlife and game, such as Eland, Kudu and Oryx, the flats, surrounding this impressive geographical masterpiece, form extremely arable lands. The staple crops which are planted and harvested annually are sunflowers and maize. While the abundance of water and extensive food source create the perfect storm for birdlife such as duck, geese and rock pigeons, this post is a tribute to our impressive bee population.
While bees around the world continue to come under threat, the Eastern Free State continues to be the Garden of Eden for these extremely important critters. Bees pollinate roughly 30% of the food we eat and 80% of the world's flowering plants. Major food sources such as several vegetables rely entirely on fertilization by our bees through pollination.
Globally, bees are disappearing as they face a number of threats from habitat loss due to lethal pesticides. However, bees in our area continue to thrive and can, unfortunately, do so to the point of becoming a nuisance by inhabiting feeding troughs, homestead roofs and anywhere that is dark, restricted and dry.
We, Southern Kings Safaris, play an important role in removing feral hives, relocating them into our handcrafted bee boxes and then farming them sustainably. In doing so, we protect our surrounding bee population, enable them to naturally thrive, harvest surplus honey and, ultimately, distribute this delicious treat to the people within our community.
The abundance of food provided by the sunflower fields, the blue gum trees and the black jacks ensure that our bee population thrives. Extensive studies have been conducted by actuarial scientists and their research suggests that the average yield of seeds on sunflowers can be increased by over 40% provided large numbers of bees are placed amongst the fields to increase pollination.
This has resulted in mutually beneficial agreements between bee farmers and sunflower farmers. While traveling on safari to your hunting destination, you may well see a large number of beehives amongst the extensive sunflower fields in order to increase pollination for the crop farmer and, at the same time, ensure a large honey harvest for the bee farmer.
Bees in our area can, in some ways, be compared to the warthogs that inhabit the mountains, valleys and ravines you will be sure to hunt on your next safari with us. This comparison is the perspective in which they are viewed by the people who share an ecosystem with them. Like warthogs, bees can be viewed as a serious nuisance forming hives in unwanted areas and stinging unsuspecting people while they go about their daily business. However, like the warthog, the honeybee plays an instrumental part in food security by pollinating crops and providing us with delicious honey.
From a food security perspective, the honeybee plays a far more important role than any other species you may encounter on the African continent, as well as, arguably, worldwide. This is due to their vast contribution to the fertilization process. Thus, on your next safari, be sure to look out for these beautiful creatures and do enjoy a bottle of our home-harvested, organic honey that will most definitely be on the breakfast table in camp.