Developing the Next Generation of Conservationists

The Kasiisi Project has been studying honeybees for years to better understand their efficacy as elephant deterrents. There is a healthy population of elephants in Kibale National Park, and elephants regularly venture into forest-edge farms to feed, which can cause sigificant damage to crops and property and presents a danger for community members, as elephants can be aggressive. Elephants are known to avoid bee hives (and their associated stings), however, so beehive fences are one solution people can use to deter elephants from entering their farms. But hives must be in good health for this to work, and hive health is specifically what we have been investigating. We want to know whether local hives are healthy enough to not only deter elephants but also to bring adequate honey for beekeepers. We directly manage 57 hives on our farm and partner with beekeepers in 9 villages to monitor an additional 443 hives.  

Our Wildlife Clubs have been helping with this project and learning a lot about bees in the process! They are using the iNaturalist app to record and identify plants used by bees to help us track bee foraging activities. Students first learned how to use a tablet and the app then had fun tracking bees and taking photos of where bees were feeding. In addition, students learned about the importance of pollinators-such as bees but also bats, butterflies, and birds-to the forest and local crops.