Honeybees have the potential to cause damage to the structure of homes. The honey and wax produced by bees can melt under certain circumstances, like when the colony dies or during hot weather.
Tlou Masehela, South African National Biodiversity Institute
Honeybees are crucial for pollinating crops and plants. They need good forage resources to do this and these resources are under threat in South Africa.
A single colony of bees can have 60,000 bees in it. Together, they can visit up to 50 million flowers each day to collect pollen and nectar. They’re not called ‘busy bees’ for nothing!
Past research has shown honeybees can add, subtract and even understand ‘zero’. But according to new findings, they can’t tell four flowers from five in natural settings.
Tlou Masehela, South African National Biodiversity Institute
Beekeeping cannot depend on a single forage source. This makes the business of ensuring bees have what they need to stay healthy a precarious business.