And you think bears are bad ?? Look out when the elephants attack.

[Jim134]

   Just something to think about.. If you're a farmer in Kenya..

https://youtube.com/shorts/aSaBYHZhks8?si=86NPHQGIvlJ-_0qr

      BEE  HAPPY  JIM134   

[The15thMember]

Except the bees keep elephants away, they don't draw them in like bears!    I heard an interview with someone with this organization or a similar one on the 2 Million Blossoms podcast.  They are called Wild Survivors, and they work with farmers in Africa to put up bee fences around farmland to protect crops from elephants, plus the bees provide the farmers with an additional source of income.  This also helps protect the elephants from poaching, because the farmers are often approached by poaching rings looking for elephants that are easy marks, and the farmers are usually willing to oblige because the elephants are a nuisance.  If you've got the time, I'd highly recommend a listen, it was extremely interesting.  https://www.2millionblossoms.com/wild-survivors-african-elephants-and-honey-bees-019/

[BeeMaster2]

Jim,
That is really interesting. I wonder if the number of hives is too high to allow each hive to make excessive honey. If the area can support that many hives it would bee a really good win win.
The bees must not be as bad as our Africanized Bees for them to bee able to work the fields right next to the hives.
Jim Altmiller

[Occam]

That's a very clever solution, I like that. Thanks for the share Jim. That may also help minimize or eliminate the damage permits do the woodenware over there. I was listening to a Treatment Free Beekeeping podcast on Spotify and his gues was recounting his time working with beekeepers over there. They would make top bar type hives but cast them with concrete. The langstroth type hives they put up on legs and used glass coke or beer bottles to deter the termites from climbing.

I am curious about the ability to work the field right next to them though. In the same podcast he indicated the bees were very aggressive starting to bump and warn them when they were a few hundred feet away, sometimes more, and get more aggressive as they got closer. The people he was working with wore several layers of clothing to prevent stings since they didn't have suits. Didn't sounds like a pleasant experience.  Thankful for my gentle bees no matter how "aggressive" or upset they get.