Pollination’s bitter truth
Farmer Giovanna Secco stands in silence among the sweet-smelling macadamia and papaya blossoms on her farm in Lows Creek, Mpumalanga. “Where are the bees?” she asks. It should be one of the busiest times of year for pollinators on the farm, but despite the fact that Secco has hired around 300 hives, at R90 000/month, the bees and their comforting buzzing are absent.
Secco has reason to be concerned. Studies show that without bees, nut set of macadamia trees would reach only 30%. The industry is therefore desperate for bees, and it’s not the only one. The Mpumalanga Lowveld is also a hotspot for avocado, citrus and papaya production, and it is estimated that twice as many bees will be needed here within a decade to pollinate the growing orchards, all of which flower at the same time.
A recent, chilling study by Dr Hannelie Human of the University of
