Hello to all in our hive! We hope you are finding a sense of harmony in your daily lives, and remembering to breathe consciously, as MamaQueenzieBee taught, when it gets a bit stressful (which, let’s be honest, can happen a lot!) 😯🐝 I’ve found myself doing this more often lately, and I’m so grateful to have this ancient technique in my life skills toolbox.
Jazianzza and I are excited to tell you about a phenomenal project that some dear friends of ours alerted us to. In Africa and Asia, beehives are being used to help keep the wild elephants from devastating life-giving crops! Dr. Lucy King — a zoologist and Coexistence Director for Save the Elephants and The Elephant Crisis Fund based in Kenya — came up with this remarkable idea.
Jazi wants me to tell you about how bees, though seemingly tiny, can terrify huge elephants. How can this possibly be? Bees love anything moist, and what is moist on an elephant? Their trunks, eyes, and mouths! Can you imagine the distress an elephant would feel to have a tiny bee crawling up its long trunk, or buzzing into their eyes? They simply have no defense for this, except to stay away from bees. And elephants have long memories, memories which are passed down generationally, so that they don’t have to get stung or have a situation with bees to know to stay away.
This project has been going on with great success for over 10 years. The beehive fences have been shown to reduce elephant crop raiding by an astounding 80%, which not only saves the farmers’ crops but the elephants themselves — who were previously being killed to protect people’s livelihoods. It’s a beautiful solution that turns a conflict into a coexistence. Additionally, this has become a viable way for the farmers to earn a much better living by selling the honey produced by these beehives. And on top of that, it’s a brilliant way to help women become financially independent. Here’s what Kalahari Honey, located in Botswana, reports:
Kalahari Honey offers beekeeping training to women at farms with bee fences and helps them sell the resulting honey through her business. The benefits go beyond extra income. “We have seen the decline in the numbers of the gender-based violence cases as women are more empowered and have jobs,” says Nduchwa, who employs more than 1,500 female farmers. “It might sound crazy, but a jar of honey saves elephants and feeds more families.”
What an extraordinary solution that benefits so many. And all beecause bees, though small, are definitely mighty! This short video explains it well. We are able to spend a bit of time with the elephants, the bees, and the people who are using these beehive fences. Enjoy!
The harmony we see in this remarkable human-bee-elephant relationship reminds us that balance and coexistence are possible — and that’s true in our inner lives as well as the natural world. May is Mental Health Awareness month. Jazi’s memoir, Bee-Coming Strong, offers techniques for becoming calmer under stress, and highlights the reality that kindness comes from strength, while bullying is born of fear and insecurity. Now, more than ever, we believe it’s crucial we focus on these truths so that our children can grow into strong, kind, and inclusive adults.
Wishing you a month of peace, of new awareness of how awesome Jazi and her cousins are, and possibly a new relationship with elephants! 🐘 🐘
PS: During the beginning of Covid, I found HERD Elephant Orphanage and watched tons of videos about these precious animals. You and your young ones might enjoy this wonderful site as well:
“The truth is: the natural world is changing. And we are totally dependent on that world. It provides our food, water, and air. It is the most precious thing we have and we need to defend it.”
— Sir David Attenborough
(And he just turned 100!!!)