Lowveld buzzing for World Bee Day
It is World Bee Day, and the Lowveld is showing its appreciation for all hard-working honey producers.
The Lowveld Beekeepers’ Association, which forms part of the South African Bee Industry Organisation, ensures that the Lowveld’s bees are protected and celebrated. The association brings together bee farmers in the region and is lead by Inge Lotter.
Bees are incredibly important to the ecosystem, as they are pollinators. “They contribute significantly to the quality and availability of many of our foodstuffs. Of note is the importance of honeybee pollination on crops in the Lowveld, such as macadamia and avocados,” said Lotter, who – true to form – spoke to Lowvelder over the phone while at a honey competition in KwaZulu-Natal.
“Without bees, the profitability of these crops would be drastically reduced.”
Honey takes on the flavour of the plant from which a bee made it. The variety of plants and crops grown in the Lowveld means that we get a variety of honeys, and these are enjoyed across the country.
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“Most honey produced on the crops and plantations of the Lowveld is of the highest quality and in great demand. Macadamia honey, for one, is a firm favourite of many consumers, and our saligna eucalyptus honey is very sought after,” explained Lotter.
May 20 was proposed by Slovenia as World Bee Day as it is the time of year the northern hemisphere goes into spring and sees bees develop. Meanwhile, in the southern hemisphere, as the weather gets colder, hive products are harvested and the honey season begins.
Pollinator-friendly gardening is a specific type of gardening that caters to bees and other pollinators. Lotter said you can make your garden more bee-friendly by planting herbs like basil and sage; bees love these once they start to flower.
