The researcher Karin Sternberg continues to write the most fascinating articles about wild bees, which she is currently studying in the Wolwekraal Nature Reserve outside Prince Albert in the Karoo.
They appear on her website Wild Bees, subtitled ‘Field Notes on the Conservation of Wild Bees and their Natural Habitat in a Small Karoo Town in South Africa’. Among others, she makes the foundational argument that farming with bees threatens wild bees in their natural habitats, and is ecologically harmful and misguided.
In ‘About Bees, Naturally’, she writes:
‘Nature possesses a remarkable intelligence and a fragile balance that we must strive to protect. We should be cautious not to unintentionally contribute to ecological loss through changes like hive introductions in finely tuned environments. Instead, by planting indigenous flowers and veld types and allowing some areas of our gardens to remain wild, we can invite nature in and help create vibrant ecosystems.
‘Just as Wolwekraal serves as a unique ‘laboratory’ for observing nature, our gardens can also become spaces for wild bees and other creatures, revealing the wonders of biodiversity season after season, and allowing us all to become bee-keepers of a different kind.’