BEEKEEPING
How hives are moved season by season
From aloes to gum trees to soya fields ...
s one becomes a
serious beekeeper one another in our series on beekeeping by
will constantly be on
Peter Clark of the Eastern Highveld
the hunt for good spots to
house one's hives. Such spots Beekeepers Association
usually are on a farm run by the need protect the bees
and theft and, particularly
a farmer who understands
from harmful chemicals, fire
blessed with an abundance of
plants that offer up good
amounts of pollen and nectar
to the foraging bees.
Among such plants are aloes,
and among such beekeepers
are veteran East Rand bee
expert Peter Clark and his
helper Larry.
So here's how Clark and Larry
go about migrating their bees
A
Aloe dayviana
to the aloes.
Says Clark: “The aloe we
speak of is Aloe dayviana, a
low growing aloe found
mainly in the mixed acacia
thornveld belt 80 to 120km
north of Pretoria and stretching from Zeerust in the west
to about Nebo in the east.
“Each plant puts up one or
two flower spikes that grow to
900mm to a metre in height.
The flower heads are 150mm
to 200mm long and the
florets, eighty to ninety on
each spike, open from the
bottom upwards. The aloes
are peaking when the
overall crop reaches
maximum inflorescence
before the very top
florets open.
“The flowers are a deep
pink to red and most
beautiful when the fields
are in full bloom. The
flowering period is about
six to eight weeks.
“The pollen is orange to
red, and the honey from
which it is derived a light
amber.
“The farm we use
belongs to the Prinsloos
and is in the Dennilton
area bordering on the
citrus growing irrigation
area. The farm covers
300ha and is rather
overgrazed and over trampled
by the cattle over the previous
seasons, resulting a thick
carpet in places of aloe plants.
“After a visit in early June to
assu ɔ