It's vital to know other beekeepers and grow the skill's bank for beekeeping in SA and the world!

We are so excited!
The Honey Tasting is happening at the Centurion Shop this weekend from 09h00 - 11h00!

Check out the Event Now!

What makes Aloe Season so good? 

The Aloe Davyana is the strongest source of local indigenous pollen in South Africa. What does this mean for your bees?

More info about the AMA-ZING ALOE!     
The Aloe greatheadii var. davyana (Asphodelaceae) is the African honeybees best friend! Why? Because not only is it likely to be the first and maybe only source of pollen around just out of the June/July winter months of dearth but they pack a massive punch too!

Frank, a well known semi-retired 80 year-old beekeeper from Gauteng, when operating his apiary full time, was able to "make increases" or otherwise called "splitting" of hives from 1st August to 28th August to the tune of over 1600 colonies in that short space of time. How?

In short, using the supreme pollen and nectar supply provided by the Aloe Davyana, Frank used to get those types of outputs 20-30 years ago but says it is unlikely today...

Excerpt from a study by Human H, Nicolson SW:

Aloe greatheadii var. davyana is the most important indigenous South African bee plant. Fresh, bee-collected and stored pollen of this aloe was collected and analysed for its nutritional content, including amino acid and fatty acid composition.

Highly significant differences were found between the three types of pollen. Collection and storage by the bees resulted in increased water (13-21% wet weight) and carbohydrate content (35-61% dry weight), with a resultant decrease in crude protein (51-28% dry weight) and lipid content (10-8% dry weight).

Essential amino acids were present in equal or higher amounts than the required minimum levels for honeybee development, with the exception of tryptophan. Fatty acids comprised a higher proportion of total lipid in fresh pollen than in bee-collected and stored pollen.

There will be less production of new colonies when trying to use the Aloe Davyana these days and this is due to the lower numbers of Davyana in and around urban areas as well as the Capensis bee which can now invade Scutellata starter hives while colonies are weak due to the "splitting process."

Nevertheless, if you are a beekeeper and have bees in the lowveld with access and exposure to the Aloe Davyana zone, you have gold! But be ware! The honey bee 'drunk' on Aloe nectar and pollen becomes aggressive to the extent they can be highly defensive.

They will dive bomb your head and shoulders like kamakazi Japanese fighters with no letting up. So be warned. Rather leave your bees alone when they are on the Aloes or suffer the consequences. (If you choose the latter, make sure your bee suit is made, like ours is, from denim cotton and wear a second basic overall underneath. Wear a golf cap under your veil as well to offer more protection for forehead.)

The tubular corolla of A. greatheadii var. davyana restricts evaporation and nectar is available all day at constant concentration. The deepest nectar, in the basal bulb of the flowers, is inaccessible to bees, but there is no significant stratification. Bees are therefore not collecting superficial nectar that has been subject to evaporation. But it does mean bees are foraging on the aloes all.day.long!

Final note on Aloe honey: It tastes amazing however due to the high content of natural sugars it will crystalise very quickly and will likely have higher ratio of pollen as well than other local honey. It is delicious and well worth all of the effort!

What about the Honey Tasting?

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