Gauteng Smallholder July 2015 | Page 32

WILDLIFE The role of bats in your ecosystem C hances are that you have seen bats flitting about your plot at dusk, but how much do you know about them? There are at least 19 species of bat in Gauteng, with 56 in From page 30 mother queen. This larva receives royal jelly for eight days before the cell is capped. Enough royal jelly is packed into the cell for the larva to develop into a pupa and later into a new queen. After a further five days the new queen chews her way out. So powerful is the nutrient value of royal jelly that a strong queen can develop after 13 days from laying of the egg from which she developed. First to hatch of the six or eight cells devel- total throughout South Africa. Of the 75 species found in the sub region of southern Africa, 20 species of insectivorous bats and 2 species of fruit-eating bats are listed as threatened in the IUCN Red List of threatened Animals. Bats have many important roles to play in support of biodiversity. They are the major predators of night-flying insects, including mosquitoes and many crop pests, so BEEKEEPING oped, she sets about eating a hole into the remaining cells to destroy the unhatched rival queens. At first a light lemon colour, as she starts laying her colour turns to orange and as she ages her colour turns to light brown. Into her third year, and quite dark by now, beekeepers list her as a beetle. The new virgin queen takes a number of short orientation flights to familiarise herself with the surrounding terrain, before she sets off for her mating flight, when she is mated by about 40 drones while in flight. There is great excitement among the bees for the new queen in welcoming flights and light melodious humming. She soon thereafter starts her life of nothing but egg laying for the next two to three years, and life among the bees goes on again. Article by Peter Clark, author of his book Tales of an African Beekeeper at 011 362-2904, and member of Eastern Highveld Beekeeper's Association, Secretary Mike Alter at 011 965-6040. 31 www.sasmallholder.co.za smallholders and farmers should be encouraging them. Many bats spread seeds for new plants and trees. Many plants bloom at night, using unique odours and special flower shapes to attract bats. Bats also bring about pollination, particularly the fruit and nectar eating bats. There are four species of fruit-eating bats that typically occur in South Africa but only two of these species occur in Gauteng, namely the African straw-coloured fruit bat and Continued on page 32