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Kyle Gordon

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Kyle was born and raised in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. His childhood was spent scurrying barefooted along the banks of various rivers and dams, fishing rod ever-in-hand, enjoying the beauty and freedom of outdoors. Kyle obtained a degree in construction from UCT ...

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on On Bees

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Thanks Kyle, very interesting. I’ve heard in some parts of the world bees are under threat from a particular type of hornet, which will decimate a hive. Does this occur in southern Africa?

Hi Suzanne, I have done some looking and I believe those hornets are a problem for Asian Honeybees.

Kyle, thanks for the pictures. Bees are truly the engineers or spreaders of diversity in nature. Evolution at its core keeping everything they touch healthy and strong.

Exactly!! Such a crucial part of our ecosystems AND our (in the broadest sense) evolution.

Hi Kyle, who doesn’t love bees? I guess this blulos is loved by anyone. Very interestingly bees and bumble bees can pull strings to obtain pollen, they arr smart little creatures. All big ones depend so much on them. Thank you for this charming piece!

Thanks Francesca,I’m glad you enjoyed it!

Great photos!
Fascinating, the interactions between bees and the flowers and this UV-light.
It was really kind of you, to not take the honey from the beehive the honeyguide found for you and himself. I hope, he will forgive you and not lead you astray and into danger next time.

The UV light relationship blew my mind! Definitely hoping he will take it easy on us!

Wow Kyle, first the birds observations and now the bees. Is there a hidden message or a proclamation of Spring around the corner! BTW, are G & A still on track and who’s minding the store at Granite these days? Anyone we’ve met? Also, our rendezvous is July not June, but couldn’t get the “new moon” window as suggested.

hahaha spring has most definitely sprung and the birds and the bees are all buzzing! G&A have unfortunately left us, Guy, just a couple of weeks back. Definitely a blow for everyone but they have some big plans and I am sure they have great things in store for them going forward. Ash Smart now minding Granite, I don’t think you’ve met but she’s a legend. No matter about the new moon, I’m sure we’ll make it work!

Fantastic photos Kyle and such informative content. Bees are fascinating and although their numbers have diminished around the world, hopefully nature specials and conservationists will renew interest in the current generation. I love that Simon, manager of Founders Camp, is producing honey from his hives, doing his part.
By the way I think your rationale concerning the Honey Glider makes total sense.

Thanks Denise, I hope the rational holds! Fully agree that it is awesome what Sie is doing, I must look into it myself. My Grandpa kept bees and I’ve always wanted to try my hand at it.

Kyle your experience on that walk brought us good information on the bees. I never knew what happened to the bees in the winter months. I am glad you did not extract any honey from the hive and getting stung in the process. Not to talk about the myth about the Honeyguide that wants her honey for showing you the hive. These little creatures are amazing workers, never lazy and on top of their business as usual.

Thanks Kyle! I also love the little animals in the bush. Good to know that there are still ‘wild’ honeybees around. Here we do get the bumblebees and some solitary honeybees, but we are actually losing them. So now we are trying our best to make sure there is enough food for them as well as nesting space. But somehow it doesn’t seem to really work, I think the pollution here is too much. There is also a lot of bees from beekeepers and the competition might be a bit much as well.

Hi Irene, it’s great that you guys are trying to do your bit in providing food and habitat for these guys, they are so crucial to so many systems, I’m sure there are many that we don’t even know of. The reality may seem grim i.e. pollution etc but the few will hold down the fort until realisation dawns on the masses that we need to change. I hope.

I am amazed and grateful every time learn something new like this. Bees see in UV? Flowers help them for their pollination? 😳 Thanks for this wonderful post!

Thank you Kyle, that was really interesting. What a fabulous close-up of the bee carrying pollen. I especially appreciated the info about the UV light.. I had no idea! Amazing creatures.

Senior Digital Ranger

Excellent discussion! I really like your research into these fascinating creatures. I actually learned a bit more about them.

Wonderful photos and a super interesting read Kyle..always something new to learn from you all 👌🏻💗

Nice story, Kyle. Are these the bees they call the African bees we call the Killer Bee, here in the USA? If so, maybe it’s good you didn’t mess with the hive. However, maybe you in South Africa have evolved not to be alergic to their stings? I’m sure you have hives of regular honey bees, as well, as I know some of the your fellow staff keep bees. So, what is the difference in these 2 bees and why does the one have Americans running for shelter?

So Killer Bees are a hybrid of African honeybees with various European (and maybe American?) honeybees! It seems like an experiment gone rogue that just can’t be reversed. But even with these bees you’d definitely still get a few nasty stings; I’ve seen local Bayeyi people in Botswana gathering honey and they always take a few hits!

Sorry to take so long to catch up with the blog. I have been too busy lately. But, now I’m catching up. Thank you for answering my question. Too bad we have to mess with things that are already working. We humans can’t seem to leave well enough alone. I look forward to reading your response to my comments on your treatise on the universe.

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