Bee colony successfully relocated from Singani Colliery
The bee colony has been successfully relocated to Muisvlakte Farm
As pollinators, bees are integral to all aspects of the ecosystem. They support the growth of flowers, nuts, berries, seeds and fruit trees, which serve as food and habitat for creatures large and small. Bees contribute to complex, interconnected ecosystems that allow a diverse number of different species to co-exist.
“Bee populations continue to decline, and this will cause the production of food crops to decrease, as bee pollination is necessary for several important crops. Humanity needs to work together in saving bees, not only for their honey, but for the undeniable vital role they play in our lives and for planet earth,” states Canyon Coal Compliance Officer Arjen Nell.
At the former opencast Singani Colliery located 30 km from Middelburg, which is currently in the final stages of being rehabilitated, a large beehive was discovered in one of its boreholes. The obstruction of the borehole by the bee colony and their honeycombs prevented groundwater monitoring to continue uninterruptedly and posed a significant health and safety risk which is why Canyon Coal appointed specialist bee removal company Better Buzz to safely remove the bee colony and relocate them to a more appropriate location.
Better Buzz Owner Thinus Barnard, who is a second-generation beekeeper, has been removing and relocating bees since 2012. Thinus says he has safely relocated many bee colonies to date. “The bees were relocated to our farm, Muisvlakte, which is located in Tonteldoos, in Mpumalanga. It is about 70 km from Singani,” explained Thinus. He reports that the relocated bee colony is doing well and is growing in numbers daily.
Relocation Process
Removal and relocation of the bees were done in one night, on 4 May 2022, with the removal process starting at sundown. “The removal of the bees from the borehole at Singani took about 3 hours. The bees were put in a beehive directly after removal and transported to their new home at Muisvlakte. In any bee colony, there are on average between 30 000 to 80 000 bees,” Thinus states.
He explains that bee removals are generally done in the evening, especially with settled colonies. Generally, during the day most of the bees in the colony are out foraging, hence it does not make sense to try and remove the swarm during the day. Additionally, Thinus notes that it is potentially dangerous to do so as bees are very protective of their home and may become aggressive.
“Bee removers who remove swarms during the day, other than migratory swarms, usually do so without doing what is best for the bees and will most likely destroy the hive, as the bees will not be able to resettle and their infrastructure as a working family may be irreversibly disturbed,” he points out. Removing the bees in the cool of the evening when it is possible to calm them and move them into a catch box for later relocation into a new beehive is the best practice for bee removal and relocation.
Thinus notes that one of the tools a beekeeper should have is a bee vacuum. This is a specialised piece of equipment that ensures the safe and effective removal of a bee colony without harming them. The bees are sucked up into the Bee Vacuum box and are then ready to be transferred into a brood box or swarm catch box, once the beekeeper returns to the apiary.
Arjen adds that the successful removal and relocation of the bee colony from Singani was done without unnecessarily killing any bees. “This is in line with Canyon Coal’s mission to protect and preserve the natural environments in which it operates,” he concludes.
