BEEKEEPING
Know the
pitfalls
To be successful a beekeeper must be aware
of the many problems he or she may
encounter with bees, hives and sites.
Article by Peter Clark, chairman of the
Eastern Highveld Beekeeper!s Association
B
ecause of the high
initial cost of hives
and equipment and
the many disturbing factors
around keeping bees, it is
necessary that an aspirant
keeper be aware at the
outset of the many pitfalls
that he could encounter.
One purchases beehives as
assets to earn an income and
to declare a profit at the end
of the day, but beware: these
so called assets can also be
liabilities and here are some
of the pitfalls that turn assets
into liabilities.
K Overstocking. Do not
overstock with beehives.
When starting beekeeping, start with the number of
hives that you can manage
properly, and as you grow
your market, so you increase
the number of hives. Do not
overstock the bee sites with
hives. A site can only carry a
certain number of hives. In
the case of a eucalyptus site
on the Highveld, depending
on the number of large
nectar yielding trees, 20
hives should yield a good
honey crop of 300 kg, from
600 large flowering trees.
Inspect the trees for the
previous season's fruit to
determine whether they are
good flowering trees, as
From page 17 the same aquifer, over
pumping your hole could
cause his hole to dry up.
The best way to find out
what your borehole can
deliver is to have a recog-
nised yield test done by a
professional. This is usually
carried out when the
borehole is drilled, especially
if the borehole water is
being used in a mine
dewatering project, a large-
scale farming irrigation
scheme, or to supply
drinking water to a town, for
example.
Source: “Is my borehole
running dry?”, Borehole
Water Journal Online,
http://bit.ly/2pSuWTP by
John Tonkin, Editor of the
Borehole Water Journal
Online, a publication of the
BWA (bwa.co.za), edi-
[email protected].
WATER
was being put back. This
situation is not sustainable.
By gathering this type of
information, the borehole
owner can take remedial
action to prevent the
borehole from drying up
completely. Reducing the
pumping rate is the most
obvious first step, but expert
advice should be sought to
manage groundwater
effectively in these situa-
tions.
How do you know how
much water can be safely
pumped out of your
borehole?
Each borehole will have its
own characteristics.
Boreholes that are only
metres apart can have
completely different water
levels and delivery capabili-
ties. But, if you and your
neighbour are pumping from
18
www.sasmallholder.co.za
Continued on page 20