#honeybees

5 Practical Tips to Help Save the Bees

Our world’s food supply depends on honey bees. One of every three bites of our food originates from bees pollinating the flowers that produce our fruits, nuts, vegetables and even coffee–coffee production has been found to double when purposely pollinated by honey bees. Each one of us benefits from a healthy honey bee population. Honeybee populations have been declining for decades, (due to colony collapse disorder and other stressors) and they continue to struggle for survival. Honey bees are biological indicators, meaning that honey bee health reflects the general health of the environment. Bee losses are possibly a symptom of a much greater environmental problem. Some organizations and governments have taken steps to try to reverse the trend but it’s not enough. Here are 5 things you can do to help Save the Bee: Rethink the manicured lawn Dandelions and clover could not be any easier to grow–all you have to do is nothing. Let dandelions, clover, and other bee-friendly plants grow in your garden and yard. Community gardens The benefits of a community garden go way beyond helping to Save the Bee. They help improve air and soil quality, increase plant and animal biodiversity, and when you plant fruit, vegetable and grain crops, you will have a source of fresh food that does not need to be “trucked in” to your community. Keep away from toxic chemicals Bees do not stand a chance against toxic chemicals designed to kill weeds and pests. You can actually see the effects of spraying toxic chemicals on a bee or a beehive–the bees die. What you don’t see right away are the effects on you, your family and your pets. Weed killers and pesticides are marketed as being safe as long as you follow the instructions and allow the chemicals to dry before permitting children or pets to enter the area where the chemical has been applied. But, there is plenty of evidence that these chemicals are not safe for any living things, and some have been linked to certain cancers. Organic weed and pest control is a safer and healthier choice for you, your family and the bees. No-kill bee removal solution When bees nest inside your home you might be inclined to grab a can of pesticide and get them out. Or, you might call an exterminator who will use toxic chemicals and wipe out the entire colony. Consider instead a bee-friendly option that will save the bee–humane bee removal. Many pest removal services are educated about the plight of the honey bee and now offer humane bee removal. They’ll save the bee without using toxic chemicals and they’ll remove the honeycomb, which if left intact, will create a mess and attract other animals and insects. Contact your local beekeeping association or search online for “humane bee removal” or “live bee removal” to find a local service. Find out where your honey comes from CCorn-basedsweeteners are spectacularly energy intensive in growth and production, and cause a plethora of ethical problems. Honey is a great alternative but cheap, highly processed honey is very likely to be manufactured by companies that are not concerned about the treatment of their bees and the quality of the honey. The honey you can get from small local beekeepers is typically raw honey in its sweet, pure, most natural state. It’s unfiltered, minimally processed and contains protein-packed bee pollen and enzymes. Source credit: www.countrylife.co.za Images: Pixabay.com

Emdoneni News

Gorgeous Acacia Honey coming soon!

Exciting news! Gorgeous acacia honey coming soon! The beekeeping sector is a vital component of the agricultural industry of South Africa and contributes directly into the biodiversity needs for a sustainable economy. Bee inspections were recently carried out at Emdoneni Lodge to help us protect the honeybee and we received some good-, some great- and some exciting news! Our number 1 hive is phenomenal! From a small colony that moved in during winter and through a dearth period, they have exceeded expectations massively! Our number 2 hive, is very strong and very healthy, packed with happy, working bees. Not even one hive beetle have been seen! The local eucalyptus plantations are just coming into flower, from now until April/May – there should be a rich abundance of nectar available to the bees in every direction! Facts about honey bees 1. Honey bees are super-important pollinators for flowers, fruits and vegetables. This means that they help other plants grow! Bees transfer pollen between the male and female parts, allowing plants to grow seeds and fruit. 2. Honey bees live in hives (or colonies). The members of the hive are divided into three types: Queen: One queen runs the whole hive. Her job is to lay the eggs that will spawn the hive’s next generation of bees. The queen also produces chemicals that guide the behaviour of the other bees. Workers: these are all female and their roles are to forage for food (pollen and nectar from flowers), build and protect the hive, clean and circulate air by beating their wings. Workers are the only bees most people ever see flying around outside the hive. Drones: These are the male bees, and their purpose is to mate with the new queen. Several hundred live in each hive during the spring and summer. But come winter, when the hive goes into survival mode, the drones are kicked out! 3. What are these buzzing bugs most famous for? Delicious honey! But did you know they produce honey as food stores for the hive during winter? Luckily for us, these efficient little workers produce 2-3 time more honey than they need, so we get to enjoy the tasty treat, too! 4. If the queen bee dies, workers will create a new queen by selecting a young larva (the newly hatched baby insects) and feeding it a special food called “royal jelly“. This enables the larva to develop into a fertile queen. 5. Honey bees are fab flyers. They fly at a speed of around 25km per hour and beat their wings 200 times per second! 6. Each bee has 170 odorant receptors, which means they have one serious sense of smell! They use this to communicate within the hive and to recognise different types of flowers when looking for food. 7. The average worker bee lives for just five to six weeks. During this time, she’ll produce around a twelfth of a teaspoon of honey. 8. The queen can live up to five years. She is busiest in the summer months, when she can lay up to 2,500 eggs a day! 9. Honey bees are also brilliant boogiers! To share information about the best food sources, they perform their ‘waggle dance’. When the worker returns to the hive, it moves in a figure-of-eight and waggles its body to indicate the direction of the food source. Cool, huh? 10. Sadly, over the past 15 years, colonies of bees have been disappearing, and the reason remains unknown. Referred to as ‘colony collapse disorder’, billions of Honey bees across the world are leaving their hives, never to return. In some regions, up to 90% of bees have disappeared!

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