A sweet solution to a mammoth problem
Using bees to foster coexistence between people and elephants in South Africa
It's true; elephants are surprisingly afraid of bees.
It’s hard to believe that these goliaths are afraid of a small insect, but this fear may help save their lives.
Even though their hides are essentially immune to bee stings, the soft, sensitive tissue inside an elephant’s trunk, mouth, and around their eyes means they will flap their ears, stir up dust, trumpet loudly, and flee in terror when they hear the buzz of a beehive.
This vulnerability is now being used in the elephant’s favour, by enterprising and innovative groups like South Africa’s Elephants Alive.
In 2015, Elephants Alive began its pioneering ‘Bees, Trees, Elephants and People’ programme to investigate ways of reducing the impact of elephants on iconic large trees.
Guided by successes in east Africa that utilized beehive fencing to protect farmers’ crops, Elephants Alive pioneered hanging beehives in iconic tree species.
This experiment has proven highly successful, as not only do elephants avoid these trees, but the bees help pollinate the trees, thereby providing the additional benefits of honey and beeswax production.
Close-up of elephant eye. Photo: Christin Winter/Elephants Alive
Close-up of elephant eye. Photo: Christin Winter/Elephants Alive
Becoming bee-lievers
The mission of Elephants Alive is to foster coexistence values between people and elephants.
Since 2015, the ‘Bees, Trees, Elephants & People’ programme has expanded, and the Elephants Alive team are now training the award-winning, all-female Black Mambas Anti-Poaching Unit to become beekeepers.
The Elephants Alive team share their headquarters with the Black Mambas and, by training these women to become ‘bee-lievers’, they are working to diversify their skillsets, improve food security, and earn extra income from honey and wax sales.
This work is also helping to ensure the safety of wildlife within protected areas in South Africa.
To date, 100 beehives have been installed, and the Black Mambas are being trained in beekeeping, honey production, and horticulture.
An essential part of this work is implementing Ubuntu.
In South Africa, the term Ubuntu refers to expressions of compassion, reciprocity, justice and community-building.
This partnership between Elephants Alive and the Black Mambas explicitly incorporates the nurturing role of women to care for the environment, whilst honouring Indigenous knowledge and experience around beekeeping, permaculture farming and elephants.
Women unite
Everjoy Mathebula, Black Mamba. Photo: Rivoni Mkansi
Everjoy Mathebula, Black Mamba. Photo: Rivoni Mkansi
Elephants and bees are both bound by cohesive matriarchal societies.
These species are emblematic of how female leadership can serve as a guide for working cooperatively and solving problems collectively - ensuring that benefits of diverse ecosystem services are shared.
The Elephants Alive team and the Black Mambas are following suit – serving as strong female role models bound by cooperation and coexistence.
The sky is our limit. Photo: 3.D.E.Studios
The sky is our limit. Photo: 3.D.E.Studios
Fostering coexistence values between people, bees, crops and elephants enables long-term sustainability, mitigating potential conflict in a proactive rather than reactive manner.
Magnificent matriarchs
Celebrating new life with Qolile Mathebula, a member of the Black Mambas team. Photo: Michelle Henley/Elephants Alive
Celebrating new life with Qolile Mathebula, a member of the Black Mambas team. Photo: Michelle Henley/Elephants Alive
Worker bees and the queen bees are all hard-working females. Photo: Michelle Henley/Elephants Alive
Worker bees and the queen bees are all hard-working females. Photo: Michelle Henley/Elephants Alive
Pachyderm protection: Elephant mothers around baby. Photo: Michelle Henley/Elephants Alive
Pachyderm protection: Elephant mothers around baby. Photo: Michelle Henley/Elephants Alive
Promoting a world of harmony
We live in a world of conflict, where people and wildlife often compete against each other for resources.
During times of scarcity, this conflict can escalate.
Living close to the land should be a bonus, and not a burden to communities that share their land with wildlife.
Big tusked elephant: Ezulwini the big tusker, shares his home with the Black Mambas in Balule Private Nature Reserve. Photo: Michelle Henley/Elephants Alive
Big tusked elephant: Ezulwini the big tusker, shares his home with the Black Mambas in Balule Private Nature Reserve. Photo: Michelle Henley/Elephants Alive
Trailblazing elephants that travel across administrative boundaries that bisect protected areas, often crossing over international borders, are frequently killed when they traverse rural farmlands.
Like elephants, bees are threatened by rapidly diminishing habitat and the rise of monoculture crops.
The ‘Bees, Trees, Elephants and People’ programme works by connecting diverse and essential conservation entities to allow elephants to cross international boundaries, illuminating sites for community-owned coexistence corridors.
By using bees to protect iconic trees and food crops from elephants, the project produces honey and pollinates plants so communities can thrive.
‘We have chosen to fill our hives with honey and wax; thus furnishing mankind with two of the noblest of things, which are sweetness and light’
Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)
Sweetness and light
The ‘Bees, Trees, Elephants and People’ programme follows the example set by elephants and bees.
Elephants show great compassion towards each other, with societies built on female cohesion and cooperation.
Hive health and maintenance. Photo: Michelle Henley/Elephants Alive
Similarly, the sweetness (honey), light (wax) and medicine (propolis) that bees produce are manifestations of the unity and cooperation within their hives.
Colorful bee bread parcels of diversity. Photo: Nicole Borton
Colorful bee bread parcels of diversity. Photo: Nicole Borton
Two embodiments of this spirit of unity and cooperation are Jessica Wilmot and Nocry Mzimba.
Jessica is Elephants Alive’s Coexistence Garden Manager, and Nocry is a sergeant within the Black Mamba Anti-Poaching Unit.
Jess and Nocry exhibit the best of teamwork – as do the bees they monitor. Photo: Michelle Henley/Elephants Alive
Both Jess and Nocry have been associated with Elephants Alive for more than five years.
Nocry first started helping feed the bees with pollen and nectar supplements in 2016, as part of the programme’s efforts to use bees to protect marula trees from elephants.
“I used to be scared of bees and kill them if they came into my house. Since helping Elephants Alive with the bees I am no longer scared of them. You can gain a lot from them. Honey is one product. Instead of being scared, we have to get knowledge from the bees. They can’t sting you if you don’t make them angry. It is the same with people.”
Nocry Mzimba. Photo: Michelle Henley/Elephants Alive
Ethical consumerism offers a sweet solution
Overall, the programme typifies eco-ethical consumerism.
The products that flow from the synergy between Elephants Alive and the Black Mambas, and which represent the fruits of Jess and Nocry’s labour, come in the form of pure, raw honey.
Liquid gold. Photo: Lacy Wittman
Liquid gold. Photo: Lacy Wittman
These rewards are made sweeter by the fact that they are obtained whilst protecting iconic trees, food, and medicinal crops from elephants.
An added benefit is that bees increase the productivity of local crops through their pollination services, thereby improving the food security of local communities.
Moreover, the Black Mambas have also received training to develop entrepreneurial skills as part of the programme.
Sweet rewards: Elephants Alive honey ready to sell. Photo: Aida Ettayeb/Elephants Alive
"World Bee Day reminds people about the importance of bees. Bees pollinate over 90% of our food. Without bees we would really struggle. Already monocrop farmers need to rely on bringing in bees to pollinate their crops. Keeping bees will diversify your income stream and buffer you during challenging economic times such as presented by Covid-19. As women, who are often left with the financial responsibility of child rearing, beekeeping empowers you with more knowledge and more skills to start a small business enterprise."
Hive health and maintenance. Photo: Michelle Henley/Elephants Alive
Hive health and maintenance. Photo: Michelle Henley/Elephants Alive
Jess and Nocry exhibit the best of teamwork – as do the bees they monitor. Photo: Michelle Henley/Elephants Alive
Jess and Nocry exhibit the best of teamwork – as do the bees they monitor. Photo: Michelle Henley/Elephants Alive
Nocry Mzimba. Photo: Michelle Henley/Elephants Alive
Nocry Mzimba. Photo: Michelle Henley/Elephants Alive
Sweet rewards: Elephants Alive honey ready to sell. Photo: Aida Ettayeb/Elephants Alive
Sweet rewards: Elephants Alive honey ready to sell. Photo: Aida Ettayeb/Elephants Alive
Resilience in Wildlife Community Grants
This project was supported by The Lion’s Share and the Small Grants Programme (SGP), a corporate programme of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) that is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
In April 2020, recognizing Covid-19’s world-altering effects, The Lion’s Share and SGP made a call for proposals to support communities dependent on wildlife-based tourism.
White Rhino, Sabi Sands Game Reserve, Kruger National Park, South Africa. Photo: Gregoire Dubois
The Elephants Alive team is one of the nine successful recipients of grants from the ‘COVID-19 Response: Resilience in Wildlife Communities’ initiative, who were selected from over 1,600 proposals by organizations across 106 countries.
Leitah Mkhabela, Black Mamba. Photo: Rivoni Mkansi
These grants, and the projects they’ve facilitated, have been working to build resilience in communities in wildlife-rich areas and support the continued protection of threatened wildlife in their remaining strongholds, despite pandemic hardships.
White Rhino, Sabi Sands Game Reserve, Kruger National Park, South Africa. Photo: Gregoire Dubois
White Rhino, Sabi Sands Game Reserve, Kruger National Park, South Africa. Photo: Gregoire Dubois
Leitah Mkhabela, Black Mamba. Photo: Rivoni Mkansi
Leitah Mkhabela, Black Mamba. Photo: Rivoni Mkansi
African Elephant, Timbavati Game Reserve, South Africa. Photo: Gregoire Dubois
African Elephant, Timbavati Game Reserve, South Africa. Photo: Gregoire Dubois
Pollination for conservation
Introduced by Sir David Attenborough in 2018, The Lion's Share is an innovative solution to raising critical funding for wildlife and communities on the front lines of conservation.
The Lion’s Share offers brands an opportunity to make a contribution to global biodiversity and wildlife conservation, creating a new stream of financing for nature.
30 years of action
SGP provides financial and technical support to civil society and community-driven initiatives that address global environmental issues while improving local livelihoods. This year marks the programme’s 30th anniversary: since its inception in 1992, SGP has delivered over US$720 million to >26,000 community-based projects, changing countless lives in 136 countries.
For information on SGP’s global portfolio, visit the global SGP website.
For more details on Elephants Alive, visit their website here.
Permaculture earth-pods and the Black Mambas. Photo: Aida Ettayeb/Elephants Alive
Permaculture earth-pods and the Black Mambas. Photo: Aida Ettayeb/Elephants Alive
Story by: Story by: Michelle Henley, Andrea Egan, Ana Paula Canestrelli, with input and support from The Lion's Share team and SGP South Africa team.
Visual layout: Andrea Egan
Header photo: Bees to protect trees: Three suited people inspect hive in tree. Photo: Aida Ettayeb/Elephants Alive
Location: South Africa
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