A beehive fence is a

fence A fence is a structure that encloses an area, typically outdoors, and is usually constructed from posts that are connected by boards, wire, rails or net (textile), netting. A fence differs from a wall in not having a solid foundation along its ...

which is built to deter

elephants Elephants are the Largest and heaviest animals, largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant (''Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian ele ...

based on their natural fear of

bees Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamil ...

. The fence is set up off the ground at chest height and contains hives spaced every 10 metres. If an elephant disturbs the fence, then the hives shake and the bees become agitated, and the elephants are deterred. Elephants communicate the presence of bees to other elephants and thus tend to avoid the area. The approach has been largely successful, reducing conflict between humans and elephants by up to 85%. In addition to minimising conflicts between humans and elephants, the beehives can also serve as an additional source of income via the sale of the

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

produced. Beehive fences were invented by Lucy King, a zoologist at Save the Elephants, who noticed that elephants avoided acacia trees that had bee colonies. The inventor received the 2013

St. Andrews Prize for the Environment The St Andrews Prize for the Environment is a prestigious international environmental award funded and administered by the University of St Andrews in Scotland, United Kingdom. Prior to 2020, the American exploration and production company ConocoP ...

. Like electric fences, beehive fences require maintenance. Criticisms of beehive fences include difficulties and costs involved in maintaining large colonies of bees, as well as the potential for ineffectiveness if there are too few bees or if the elephants knock over beehives while advancing. The species of bee used is also important, with one honeybee subspecies commonly kept in Asia believed to be less aggressive to elephants. Work continues to refine approaches to optimize the design of the beehive fences for different regions.

References

{{Elephants Mammal pest control Elephants Beekeeping Fences

See also

References