With the UN having declared May 20 as World Bee Day, South African real estate investment trust (Reit) Emira Property Fund (Emira) has highlighted its programme of bee conservation. The Reit currently hosts 14 beehives at five of its properties, the result of a programme that was started in 2020 and once embraced eight properties – the reduction in number to five was the result of the sale of three of these properties.

“The beehive project was chosen to highlight the decline of global bee populations, because bees and other pollinators are under serious threat, yet they contribute so much to society, as well as to the biodiversity of our properties. Our hives provide a safe place for honeybees to live and breed,” highlighted Emira COO Ulana van Biljon. “Our bee conservation project is a holistic approach to reducing the impact of environmental degradation, which goes beyond planting trees.”

According to the UN, more than 75% of the world’s food crops, including fruits, nuts and seeds, as well as vegetables, and 35% of the world’s agricultural land, depended upon animal pollinators. And the most important of these pollinators were bees, of which there were 20 000 species, globally.

Emira’s beehives were situated in accordance with the welfare needs of both the bees and humans. The hives were in secured, controlled environments, clearly signposted and away from the areas most frequented by people. The beekeeping activities were done at night. These precautions were implemented even though, as van Biljon pointed out, people actually live in harmony with bees, every day, with natural bee swarms in every South African city.

The first beehives were installed at Knightsbridge Office Park in Bryanston, and Hyde Park Lane in Sandton, both in Johannesburg. Further hives were installed at Wonderpark, in Pretoria North, Albury Park, which was also in Sandton, and One Highveld, in Highveld, in Pretoria.

These beehives did produce honey, although natural processes meant that the hives did not produce honey all the time or at the same time. In March, for example, four of the sites produced a total 106 kg of honey. This was divided into 19 kg from Knightsbridge, 16 kg from Hyde Park Lane, 18 kg from Albury Park and 53 kg from Wonderpark. Natural processes in action meant that no honey could be collected at One Highveld.

The honey that was collected was shared between Emira’s staff and tenants, the promote the awareness of biodiversity. As the bees collected nectar from plants within a radius of about 3 km from their hives, and as the different locations were surrounded by different types of plants and flowers, each site produced honey that differed in taste from the other sites.

Emira has also started supporting the capture and removal of bee swarms that occupy unsuitable sites, near its properties. These swarms were rehoused at suitable, safe, sites.

The bee programme was part of the Reit’s commitment to best environmental, social and governance practices. These included its No Net Future Loss programme, to conserve and promote biodiversity across its portfolio.

“The country’s natural ecosystems are threatened by land use change, degradation and invasive alien species,” pointed out van Biljon. “Climate change worsens these threats, but healthy ecosystems offer natural solutions that increase resilience. They protect communities from extreme weather events and enhance natural resources, livelihoods, food security and habitats for animals and plants.”