Gauteng Smallholder Gauteng Smallholder September 2017 | Page 25

From page 15
complicated undertaking.
move is achieved by simply
Close the hive down by
moving the hive in the
smoking first, allow a few
desired direction 1 m daily.
seconds for the bees to drive
To move the hive 3m to 5m
the smoke out and plug the
to the left or the right, facing
entrance with a plug made of
the entrance in the same
wire gauze, which allows air
direction the hive can only be to enter the hive without
moved only 500mm every
smothering the bees. Close
second day.
any other small holes that the
bees use as entrances using
To move the hive from one
contractor's acrylic for this
side of your plot to the
job, and make sure the lid is
opposite side is a more
From page 21
BEEKEEPING
away. Remove the gauze
sealed down properly and all
holes and gaps closed. Wide
brown box tape does this job
best.
Make sure that the bottom
floor is fixed to the bottom of
the brood chamber and if the
lid is not secured by the bees,
strap the hive to avoid the lid
from being dislodged during
the move. The hive must be
loaded aboard a vehicle and
moved to another site 3 km
SMART SMALLHOLDERS
recently able to use this for a
crowd funding campaign to
buy more equipment. The
campaign met and exceeded
its target and Native Nosi will
now be able to expand its
production and move into
further markets.
Native Nosi uses the internet
to allow consumers to order
the product online, for
shipping countrywide. In
addition, the company has
contracts with a few restau-
rants that purchase small
amounts each month.
Most importantly, perhaps,
Mabela says she is having a
lot of fun. She wants to
encourage young black
women to enter the
beekeeping and honey
industry. She wants to help
educate on the importance of
bees and help eradicate the
stigma around bees, particu-
larly in black communities.
She hopes that Native Nosi
will continue to grow and that
the business will inspire other
small beekeepers and honey
farmers.
“It has been a lot of trial and
error, but I am determined to
get it right ~ for my father, for
my family and for the
environment.”
For more information, or to
order Native Nosi honey:
Moloko Mabela tel 072 501-
5825 or www.native -
nosi.co.za
23
www.sasmallholder.co.za
plugs to allow the bees to fly.
After a duration of seven days
return to the new site on the
plot.
During the loading and
moving avoid bumping and
thumping the hive. Do not
forget to remove the gauze
plugs!
To move a number of hives
over a distance of 50 km,
close down as above but
insert a match thickness
between the brood and the
super chamber at the back of
the hive to create a small gap
for additional air for the bees.
Excited bees, during a
Continued on page 26