A History of Bees and Beekeeping in South Africa

This book is the first to be published on the history of bees and beekeeping in South Africa. The contents are well researched and richly illustrated with various photographs and maps and it contains a comprehensive index.

 Formal beekeeping in South Africa was apparently not practiced until the second half of the 1800s. Many reasons could probably be advanced for this strange phenomenon. One of the most probable is to be found in the fact that honeybees, are indigenous to the country. Honey seems to have always been there to provide in the immediate needs of both the country’s indigenous people, as well as the early settlers on trek.

Although it would take a long time to finally take root, the invention of the movable frame-hive had, like elsewhere, a  revolutionary impact on South African beekeeping. Together with the other three major inventions – the wax foundation, the centrifugal honey extractor and the bellows smoker – beekeeping in this country was transformed from an opportunistic activity to an industry.

The author went to great lengths to glean information from the lives of some, by now, long forgotten “bee personalities”. The American deserter, Joshua Penny and the English nobleman, Henry Barrington are among those who feature prominently here. Joshua Penny, during the 1790’s, spent fourteen months in solitary circumstances on Table Mountain where he obtained sustenance almost solely from honey, sorrel and meat. Barrington, on the other hand, was presumably the first person to import honeybees and beehives into South Africa.

Other major topics include discussions on the role of honey at Van Riebeeck’s Castle; the early travellers and their encounters with the honeybees of the Cape; the importation of honeybees into South Africa; the role of bee pasture down the years; the history of beekeepers’ associations and South African beekeeping literature; constraints relating to South African beekeeping as well as some joys and woes of South African beekeeping.

The book will appeal, not only to the student of apiculture, but also to the commercial beekeeper, hobbyist and nature lover. Over and above all, this is a book to enjoy.

This book is an essential addition to the serious beekeeper's library.