The Western Cape Beekeeping Association has launched an urgent survey to assess the full extent of beehive losses following devastating wildfires earlier this month.
The fires, which affected areas including Gansbaai, Pearly Beach, Stanford and Elim, destroyed numerous commercial and residential hives while destroying critical Overstrand forage areas. Early reports indicate at least 19 hives destroyed.
“The impact has been devastating on local beekeeping livelihoods,” said a spokesperson for the association, which is collecting damage reports through an online survey that does not require beekeepers to reveal exact hive locations for security reasons.
Beyond direct hive destruction the fires have created what experts describe as a “green drought”, a situation where surviving hives face starvation due to the loss of natural food sources. Large areas of fynbos, the region’s indigenous vegetation that provides essential nectar and pollen, were destroyed in the blazes.
Honeybee Heroes, a conservation organisation that has operated in the Overberg for six years, was forced to make emergency relocations of hundreds of hives to prevent further losses – training people from low-income communities as beekeepers while protecting the endangered Cape honeybee, it managed close to 1 000 hives before the fires struck.
“Keeping the hives in the area was no longer an option,” the organisation stated, describing urgent evacuation efforts for saving their colonies.
“The Overstrand Municipality is working alongside the Western Cape Beekeeping Association to assess total damages and coordinate recovery efforts,” said the Municipal Manager of the Overstrand Municipality Dr Dean O’ Neill. “Affected beekeepers are seeking urgent assistance to replace lost equipment and rebuild their operations. Beekeepers throughout the Western Cape who suffered fire-related losses are encouraged to submit their information to help authorities understand the full scope of the disaster and plan appropriate support measures.
The survey collecting loss information can be accessed at: https://forms.gle/ajy359oD2yqTdFCEA
