Near a roaring practice line and casual market in Gugulethu, the sudden sound of bees buzzing may be heard from a close-by highschool. But these should not wild bees. They belong to Vuyo Myoli, who has set himself up with a small city beekeeping business.
“I’m a farmer by day and artist by night,” says Myoli, a musician who began beekeeping two years in the past.
Myoli has a small honey business referred to as Beez Move. He has two lively hives on the Gugulethu Intshukumo Comprehensive High School, alongside a neighborhood backyard.
“The idea is to give a free pollination service to these market gardens,” says Myoli. With the hives positioned close to the gardens, bees nourish and pollinate the crops.
With the information he has gained from mentors over the previous three years, he additionally needs to coach his neighborhood. He runs workshops in agriculture and beekeeping.
“They think bees are enemies,” says Myoli. “Bees are friendly. They react to what you are doing. They don’t just attack you.”
Myoli mentioned he fell right into a deep melancholy round 2014, due to the ups and downs of the music business. “I needed something that would keep me grounded,” he says.
In highschool, he learnt about agriculture. These classes got here again to him, and in 2017 he began with small gardens in his neighborhood. It helped him out of his melancholy.
“To touch soil is therapy,” he says.
When he reconnected with an previous musician buddy from Stellenbosch, who’s a beekeeper, he was launched to apiculture.
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Myoli says most individuals suppose gardening is for previous individuals. “They don’t realise that is a very important thing. It’s part of our food security.”
Apart from honey, bees produce wax which can be utilized for medicines, cleaning soap and hair merchandise. Bees additionally produce a product referred to as “propolis” which they create as a way to tightly seal the hive and which has medicinal worth.
As an artist, Myoli says that honey is critical backstage to “clean your throat” and “boost your vocal chords”.
When he began, his first bees died. “I removed them in winter,” he says. He wasn’t positive what they wanted to eat.
He has additionally needed to take care of vandalism. Recently, somebody jumped over his fence and tried to steal his hive.
“when you’re keeping bees in the wild you’re worried about baboons. I thought that we’re safe in the township until the incident happened, ” he mentioned.
In Gugulethu, area is a matter for retaining bees.
“Not a lot of people will allow you to place bees in their areas,” he says.
He says he has by no means been stung by a bee, however the volunteers he works with have. “I don’t know … maybe they know my smell,” he says.
There are prices in organising as a beekeeper, he says. A swarm of bees can value R1,000; the beehive R1,500; the security gear R1,200. Myoli sells his honey for R100 for a 500g jar. He can rise up to 25kg of honey in a season.
He largely sells to early childhood growth centres by the Violence Prevention by Urban Upgrading and the Cities Expanded Public Works Programme of which he is part.
In spring, Myoli can be transferring his operation to Manelisi Urban farm in Gugulethu. His purpose is to develop his business to 40 hives and begin producing wax and propolis merchandise. To do that he wants hives, extractors and a container to accommodate his business.
This article first appeared on GroundUp and was republished with permission. Read the unique article here.
