Gauteng Smallholder December/ January 2018 | Page 31

BEEKEEPING
Why bee removals are so costly
W
ith the arrival of
warmer weather
and swarms of
bees moving about looking for, and taking up, new
residences ~ often in
unsuitable places ~ home-
owners are often alarmed,
From page 27 government service centres.
Other types of products the
programme produces include
coffins, fencing, benches,
when they contact a bee
removal expert, to find that
they will be expected to pay
sometimes more than R1 000
to have the swarm removed.
“Why,” they ask, “should we
pay such money when the
bee remover will be able to
make money from the honey
and wax that the swarm will
produce?”
office furniture, tables and
chairs, chess pieces and chess The answer, quite simply, is
tables, walking sticks, key
that the sometimes simple act
holders and photo frames.
Continued on page 31
ALIEN SPECIES
include felling and tree
processing through the use of
chainsaws.
The timber is then
processed through the
wet mill, where the
logs are planked,
before being placed in
kilns to dry, and then
to the dry mill, where
the planks are
processed.
The factory utilises the School desks made from alien trees
processed planks to
make the four wooden
components of the desks ~
the seat, back, front and the
top. These components are
processed, spray-painted and
wrapped, ready for sending
out. The steel frames are sent
separately by the suppliers,
and the desks are assembled
at the schools.
Each factory currently
produces 200 school desks
per day, as well as some
additional value added
products. The intention is to
increase the desk production
to 400 per day.
The programme further aims
to explore the range of
products needed for institu-
tions such as hospitals, clinics,
community centres and other
29
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