Someone once said that Einstein remarked, “If the bee disappeared from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live.”
Sayings and rumours resemble a swarm of bees.
In celebration of World Bee Day, we reviewed some scenes from our films and discovered they have featured in several of our documentaries, often as significant irritants to big cats. Enjoy this short clip we have placed on Dereck and Beverly Joubert’s Wildlife Films YouTube channel for you.
In the Selinda Reserve, we once watched as some young lions waited out the heat of the day in the shade. A bee arrived, flew past, turned, and went straight up one lion’s nose! The immediate sneeze sent the bee on its way again.
Across Botswana’s Okavango Delta, at Duba Plains, we watched as leopard cubs discovered a beehive. Back at Zarafa Camp, when the sausage tree flowers emerge in September, we see more bees. And more leopards.
Bees are ever-present, yet they are diminishing. Air pollution, light pollution, war leading to fewer crops, and our general impact are dramatic. This is why, through our Great Plains Foundation, we have initiated bee projects and will be expanding them into all regions.
In Kenya, we fund the Naboisho Women’s Group and their beekeeping efforts. This will be replicated in Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Our ‘ladies of the bees’ are achieving great successes because they are as caring and nurturing as our bees. Of course, there is a sting. Last week, over 120 goats and sheep were killed by stings near Kilimanjaro due to a honey raid by herders, resulting in a massive retaliation from the bees against their livestock.
Respect, kindness, and understanding show that we gain more from bees than just honey. This week’s World Bee Day is worth celebrating, as Great Plains, we are dedicated to this cause.
All the best
Dereck Joubert
