Windhoek
The world’s bee populations are dying out fast and that is not good for the human race, which depends on bees for pollination of plants.
Namibian beekeeper David “Mr Bee” Smith tells New Era Weekend a shocking tale of what is happening to the bee population of Namibia, and the efforts being made to save them and ultimately the inhabitants of the country.
Smith says that one of the biggest dangers of all facing humans is the loss of the global honeybee population. The consequence of a dying bee population impacts man at the highest levels on our food chain, posing an enormously grave threat to human survival. Since no other single animal species plays a more significant role in producing the fruits and vegetables that we humans commonly take for granted yet require daily to stay alive, the greatest modern scientist Albert Einstein once prophetically remarked, “Mankind will not survive the honeybees’ disappearance for more than five years.”
Since 2006 beekeepers have been noticing their honeybee populations have been dying off at increasingly rapid rates.
Smith says that although researchers have been scrambling to come up with an accurate explanation and an effective strategy to save the bees and in turn save ‘homo sapiens from extinction, both harsh winters (in other parts of the world) and drought in Southern Africa have been instrumental in decimating the honeybee population by up to 70 percent in some areas.
Major factors threatening honeybees health are parasites and pests, pathogens, poor nutrition, and sub-lethal exposure to pesticides.
Smith says a honeybee lives on average 39 days and in winter up to 45 days and the queen can lay up to 2 000 eggs per day.
This sounds like mass production, and it is, but what worries Smith most of all is that Namibians in general have no clue about the vital role honeybees play in providing food for the masses.
“The current severe drought and dry spells since 2012 have become big factors driving both Namibia’s honey yield and bee numbers down, as less rain means less flowers available to pollinate. What is scary is that many Namibians and especially children have not been educated about the bee’s role. I am available 24/7 to lecture children at any school about this, but so far interest in the subject has been poor. It is as if we still regard honeybees as dangerous killer bees as they have been portrayed for decades. I almost daily see Namibians destroying beehives by smoking the bees out or throwing the hives down with stones. This is irresponsible behaviour and as honeybees are a protected species, the perpetrators should be punished by law,” Smith insists.
Honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), as this bee loss phenomenon has been called, is currently recognised as one of the most urgent crises worldwide.
Livestock and crop farmers in Namibia have been urged to reseed their fields with eco-friendly crops to develop healthier habitats for increasing the national bee population.
During a visit to his Brakwater plot last week, Smith explained the complex process of how honeybees produce their “own gold”, saying honey, estimated to be more than 3 000 years old and in pristine condition, was discovered in jars in a pharaoh’s tomb in Egypt last year.
Smith explains that more than 130 fruits and vegetables that make up a nutritious diet are cross-pollinated by honeybees. “Raising commercial bees for pollination purposes along with wild bees are responsible for pollination of an estimated 80 percent of all food crops and therefore it is sad that we still destroy beehives. I lost a total of seven hives worth N$2 500 each this year due to vandals that destroyed the hives to get to the honey,” explains Smith as he puts on his special protective suit to demonstrate the art of removing honey from the hives.
Apart from protecting honeybees, he also sells his fresh honey and even uses it for medicinal purposes. “I have a long waiting list of customers who want fresh, undiluted honey. Some importers of honey dilute their products with glucose and the watery honey can easily be spotted in jars on the shop shelves,” says the man who has studied and kept bees for the past 15 years. He says he also has clients from as far as Oshakati who use this fresh honey to especially relieve asthma symptoms. The medicinal properties of honey have been long known to mankind and was widely used for many ailments by the Egyptians thousands of years ago.
It is estimated that in the last half decade alone some 30 percent of the national bee population has disappeared and nearly a third of all bee colonies have perished.
With so much at stake, efforts to investigate and uncover reasons for this sudden global pandemic have been robust. New studies blame a combination of factors for the mysterious and dramatic loss of honeybees, including increased use of pesticides, shrinking habitats, multiple viruses, poor nutrition and genetics, and even cellphone towers. Research studies concluded that while honeybees are important and obviously responsible for the multimillion-dollar global honey industry, wild bees are believed to be just as important in pollination of plants throughout the world.
“More research centres designed to learn effective new and innovative methods to facilitate restoration of bee populations throughout the world are sorely needed,” he observes.
He also recommends implementing programmes that teach and train urban residents to become amateur beekeepers. “Educating urban populations about plant diversity in municipal gardens will enhance both bee habitats and bee health. With increasing interest and awareness in the profound importance of nurturing a much larger bee population globally, the progress dividends for both humanity and the planet will prove immeasurable,” he comments.
– This story was first published in New Era Weekend edition of August 13.