This Zoologist's Solution to African Crop Damage is Absolutely Genius

by N/A, 9 years ago | 2 min read

There's a reason it's got people buzzing - it benefits everybody.

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For many farmers in east Africa, protecting their fields from elephants without going to great lengths is near impossible.

After losing much of their crops to them, many are forced to build large, dangerous fences, or dig massive trenches to deter elephants. Sadly, these defenses often times end up severely injuring, and sometimes killing them.

So after thinking big for so long, zoologist Lucy King decided to think small, and came up with the perfect solution: bees.

As it turns out, elephants are incredibly scared of bees, due in part to the extreme pain they experience when stung on the trunk. So naturally, when they hear bees, they don't stick around for long.

After partnering up with the "Disney Conservation Fund" and "Save the Elephants," King and the rest of her team are installing "beehive fences" all around farms in east Africa.

The initiative, appropriately named, "Elephants and Bees" now has fences installed in Kenya, Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, and even Sri Lanka.

Since their trial period in 2009, these beehive fences have not only saved farmers unthinkable amounts of crops and unnecessary work...

They've also become a reliable additional revenue stream for them, as they're able to harvest and sell the honey their peace-keeping bees produce.

Not only do King's beehive fences solve a large problem, they benefit everyone involved - the mark of truly brilliant idea.

To learn more about the great work "Elephants and Bees" is doing for farms across Africa, check out their website.