Nedbank Green Trust Project aims to conserve Cape honeybee with Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF)
One bee produces one drop of honey in its lifetime of 45 days - this is why the WWF aims to protect and conserve them.
Bees, Wikimedia Commons
Clarence Ford speaks to Shelly Fuller, Sustainable Agriculture - Fruit and Wine Programme Manager for the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF).
‘In South Africa, over 50 agricultural crops that are essential for food and job security, and worth over R10.3 billion per annum to our economy, are pollinated by honeybees' – this is according to Fuller.
Fuller is leading a Nedbank-funded Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) Nedbank Green Trust project aimed at conserving the Cape honeybee (Apis mellifera capensis) in the Cape Floral Kingdom of the Western Cape through sustainable hive management and indigenous forage restoration.
Honey bees produce honey, beeswax, pollen and royal jelly.
Some beekeepers raise queens and bees to sell to other farmers.
Beekeepers also use honeybees to provide pollination services to fruit and vegetable growers.
Without honey bees, these crops would experience dramatic reductions in production, leading to severe economic and food insecurity.
However, some harrowing bee statistics include:
- To produce one jar of honey, the honeybee must visit two million flowers.
- One bee produces one drop of honey in its lifetime of 45 days.
Honeybees are important for food security, job security, and the environment in many ways, including:
Food security
Bees are the most common pollinators, and up to a third of the world's food production depends on them. Without bees, many plant-based foods would be less accessible or available.
Job security
Beekeeping and farming are jobs that contribute to food security and reduce poverty.
Environment
Bees are part of the biodiversity that's essential for survival. They also help protect the environment from pollution.
Products
Bees provide high-quality food like honey, royal jelly, and pollen, as well as other products like beeswax, propolis, and honey bee venom.
History
Humans have been keeping bees and hunting honey for over 4,500 years.
"We're passionate about the work we do in terms of raising awareness about Cape honeybees and honeybees in general and around our role as individuals to remain informed to contact your local beekeepers through the Western Cape Bee Association..."
- Shelly Fuller, Sustainable Agriculture, Fruit and Wine Programme Manager - Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF)