Motorists bugged by aggravated bees
Experts believe the bees were aggravated due to the heat and emission gasses from passing cars.
MBOMBELA – If you drove with open windows on Samora Machel Drive on Wednesday afternoon and did not feel a few bee stings, consider yourself lucky. Motorists and pedestrians travelling on this road from Mataffin toward the city were pestered by a colossal swarm of bees.
Victims of the insects spread the message of the swarm’s presence on Nelspruit Concerned Citizens’ (NCC) Zello Channel around lunchtime, warning road users not to drive with open windows, especially not if they were allergic to bee stings.
Mr Willem Swart also fell prey to the bees. “It was a massive swarm of bees which just hung around the traffic light in Graniet Street. I got stung, but it really wasn’t that bad for me.”
Mr Simon du Plooy of Kishugu tried in vain to capture the swarm in order to conserve it. “We believe it is the same swarm which we noticed near Rob Ferreira Hospital earlier the same day, but we cannot be sure. I returned to the spot near Graniet Street where the motorists indicated, but except for a couple of lost worker bees, could not locate the entire swarm.”
What caused their presence?
He ascribes the bees’ appearance to the change in season. “The area recently experienced an increased amount of flowers falling from trees. In the Mataffin area, there are still plenty of flowers on the macadamia and and mango trees. Because of the new season, the bees travel around, looking for a new place to start a hive.”
Why were they aggravated?
Although bees will not necessarily sting humans for no reason, Du Plooy thinks this swarm was especially aggravated because of the heat and the high amount of emission gasses from the cars on that busy road. “they abhor the smell of those chemicals, which may have caused them to be a bit more aggressive than usual. Also, the general level of aggression in each swarm is often determined by their genetics.”
Why do we need to conserve bees?
Du Plooy wanted to save the swarm because, he said, bees are vital to the survival of, not only humans, but each and every specie on earth. “Not only are bees crucial for pollination, but their honey and propolis serve as an important antibiotic in nature.”
Kishugu have undertaken the task of educating those in rural communities, as well as children, about the importance of bees on earth. “People need to understand that killing just a single bee, eliminates a link in a very important ecological chain – a chain which is vital to the survival of life on earth. When the last bee dies, the rest of life on earth will follow in less than seven years.”
What should we do?
Du Plooy urges the community not to kill bees. If anyone is plagued by an unwanted beehive or a resident swarm, they are encouraged to call Du Plooy on 082-789-4789 or his colleague, Mr Hein Krause on 074-643-0545.
No one was seriously was seriously affected by the bee stings and the swarm left on their own accord. “Luckily for the road users in the area, the bees decided to leave and our intervention was not necessary,” Du Plooy concluded.
