A guide to being bee-autiful

As an assortment of flowering plants bloom for the season one is more likely to see an increasing number of bees in their garden.

So it is imperative we know the importance of these winged insects so one can best guard against them, while protecting them too. With that being said, ever wondered what you should do if you find a beehive on your property?

The Northcliff Melville Times chatted to local, Edd Scott, a beekeeper who has an apiary in the Northwest and joined the Beekeeper Association about 35 years ago. He shared how to safely remove them should you find a hive on your property.

Firstly, the Roosevelt Park resident explained bees are extremely important to our ecosystem for cross pollination of our crops, such as ‘fruit crops like citrus, apples, pears, peaches, blueberries, litchis raspberries, spanspek, watermelon, food crops like onions, beans, peas, avocados and seed crops like sunflower, macadamia and so on.”
He added that its beeswax is also used in cosmetics, hand creams and in art forms like candles.

Scott said bees thrive in shady areas where it is cooler and in residential areas, bees will most likely swarm and relocate in a hole in a tree, water manhole, compost makers, cavity walls, nesting logs, owl boxes, water fountains, eaves of roofs and the likes.

“When a beehive is discovered on a property, the owner should contact a registered beekeeper to go and assess the situation in order to rescue the bees into a proper hive which can then be managed by the beekeeper.”

Bees are, however, not allowed to be kept in an urban area without a permit from the Department of Health. Scott said the current legislation provides for a beekeeper to be registered with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Beekeepers Association and South African Bee Industries Organisation and must be an approved removals expert, certified by the association.

How would these bees be removed? Well, according to Scott, the humane way to rescue a swarm of bees is to lightly smoke them to calm them down so that the beekeeper can work comfortably with them. “This can only be done after dark as the risk is too great during the day as they will definitely get out of hand and go into a stinging frenzy.”

Also, the way to remove a hive from a property would be to gently place the bees and their combs into a proper hive, working after dark, and immediately relocate them a minimum of 5km away or they will fly back to the original spot.