HONEYBEE HEROES

By Abigail Baker

The great caretakers of our planet come in all shapes and sizes. Although their roles vary, their purpose remains the same - nourish the earth and allow it to bloom. All are noble creatures - from the beautiful butterfly to the skinny spider - but none so noble as the heroic honeybee.

But as the heat rises, deforestation continues, and habitats are defaced in the name of progression and modernity, it is actually the honeybees themselves that are in need of heroic intervention due to their dwindling population. Honeybee Heroes has heard their plight and taken up arms.

Based in the farm-filled Cape Overberg, Honeybee Heroes has created a sanctuary for the Western Cape Apis mellifera capensis honeybee in an effort to help reverse their decline.

In order to see the resurrection of the honeybee population in the next decade, Honeybee Heroes has cultivated a three-pronged strategy:

Ethical Conservation

The organisation aims to protect the South African honeybee by ethically and sustainably taking care of their own hives, as well as those that the environmentally-conscious folk who support them have adopted. Their beekeeping practices include extracting honey only from the strongest hives, which have a surplus of honey, as well as only harvesting honey at times that won’t disturb the colony. As a result, their bees will thrive and reproduce as nature intended.

Female Upliftment

Honeybee Heroes provides training and facilities to upskill women from low-income households in small-scale beekeeping. They foresee this mentorship of a new generation of ethical beekeepers as not only a way to upskill their community, but also to inspire ecoconsciousness and a love for little bee-ings that’s handed down to generations to come.

Consumer Education

Honeybee Heroes aims to cultivate and nurture mindful consumerism through education and advocacy for bees and local bee products, both within their community and through partnerships with retailers like Wellness Warehouse. They hope to inspire consumers to adopt the eco-friendly habits and alternatives that can help to bring about a cycle of upliftment and discontinued environmental degradation.

How Can YOU Bee a Hero? By purchasing your honey at Wellness Warehouse, you’re supporting South African beekeepers who take care of their bees and produce honey that is: - Raw - High-quality - Free from additives - Ethically produced - Badger-friendly

Adopt a Hive Honeybee Heroes provides consumers with the opportunity to directly engage and protect the environment by funding a home for a new colony of busy, buzzing honeybees.

Once a hive has been adopted, the team creates a personalised beehive and places it on their farm, or in a private nature reserve. About 30 000 honeybees will be able to live safely in one of these hives!

What’s more, hive adoption includes a welcome bundle of 3 kg (about 6 jars) of deliciously ethical honey, an official adoption certificate, a honey dipper, and an opportunity to visit the farm and take part in one of their beekeeping experiences.

SCAN THE QR CODE TO LEARN MORE AND SHOP ETHICAL, SUSTAINABLE HONEY

Did You Know? The Capensis is the only honeybee subspecies that can reproduce without the presence of a queen bee.

Did You Know? Raw honey is naturally rich in vitamins and antioxidants.

Honeywood Farm’s honey is made by happy bees in conservation areas that off er them safe sanctuary. Th e honey is collected by a second-generation beekeeper, John Moodie, who has kept bees for more than fift y years on the family farm - Honeywood Farm. Raw honey comes straight from the comb to the bottle. Choice Grade is gently heated and strained. Both are bottled in glass to honour the work of the bees.

Honeywood also off ers beekeeping courses, weddings, workshops, yoga retreats, birding, hiking and swimming. For more information visit www.honeywoodfarm.co.za or call John Moodie on 083 270 4035

HoneyWood Farm