BEEKEEPING
Fancy keeping bees? Here’s how to start
W
elcome to the
wonderful world
of the honeybee,
and the most fascinating
occupation and branch of
farming named beekeeping.
This is a farming system that
starts in the back yard, and
extends far beyond just
keeping bees, but also into
the vast, beautiful flora of our
The first in a series of articles by Eastern
Highveld Beekeepers Association chairman
Peter Clark aimed at encouraging Gauteng!s
smallholders to keep bees on their plots
country, and into the
pollination of many crops.
The beekeeper has all these
features at his front door to
enjoy. He becomes a friend of
every farmer he meets and is
the most
sought after
person when
he has to
remove
troublesome
bee swarms
from rooves,
eaves, holes
in trees, or
manholes,
etc. In cases
where he
Beekeeper’s essential kit: Clockwise from top left:
offers a free
Combined veil and hat, smoker, bee scoop made from pollination
an old milk bottle, rubberised gloves, bee brush and
service for a
hive tool all lying on a white zip-front overall.
bee site he is “baie welkom.”
So love your bees, and you
will develop a passion for
these creatures that will carry
you well into your dotage.
Beekeeping is successful and
most enjoyable when one,
with some knowledge of the
bees, can work with confidence and determination that
can only be obtained when
working with a beekeeper. It
is this “hands on” learning
that is not attainable from
books or classroom lectures.
The craft is capital intensive
and requires a costly outlay to
build up a successful business.
However it is an undertaking
where one can start small and
grow at one's own pace. Most
beekeepers started small,
25
www.sasmallholder.co.za
some folk remained as
hobbyists and others have
developed over the years and
operate 300 hives and others
even more than 3 000 hives.
Mostly beekeeping work is
outdoors, often late into the
night and early morning. One
must be healthy and fit and
not suffer from back ailments.
One becomes attuned to the
demands and needs of the
bees and to discipline oneself
to these situations, spells great
Continued on page 28