By Maile Matsimela
African Farming Digital Editor Maile Matsimela recently interviewed Boitumelo Tau, founder of Sefodi Farms in Ga-Rankuwa, north of Pretoria, to explore the dynamics of bee farming. Tau shared valuable insights into the art and science of beekeeping, the challenges faced and her vision for the future.
Tau, who started her beekeeping journey in 2021, explained beekeeping involves comprehensive care of the hives. “Beekeeping involves taking care of bees, ensuring the hives are maintained properly, ensuring they’re disease-free and ensuring they have adequate forage,” she explained. “It’s essentially ensuring the bees are kept in the right environment.”
Her fascination with bees stems from their remarkable productivity. “I’ve always been fascinated by it, because I’ve always felt these small insects have so much to offer in terms of the outputs they produce. Not only honey, but there’s beeswax, there’s propolis, there’s royal jelly and there’s also pollen,” Tau shared.
Starting with just six hives, Tau now has expanded her operation to nearly 200 hives. However, the journey hasn’t been without challenges. “The challenges I would say are pests. There are certain pests like American foulbrood. There are also other pests that attack the hives, including wax moths,” she said. Additional challenges include climate factors and access to equipment and knowledge.
One particularly interesting aspect of the interview was Tau’s perspective on the occupational hazards. “The not-so-positive aspects would be the fact that I’ve been stung multiple times. I think that’s just a hazard of being a beekeeper,” she admitted. However, she observed that “over time, one becomes gentler towards the bees, one becomes more knowledgeable, and then I found the number of times I actually got stung was much reduced.”
Sefodi Farms primarily produces honey, harvesting “at least two, maybe three times in a year,” according to Tau. They also collect beeswax and propolis, which they transform into various products.
Looking ahead, Tau has ambitious plans for growth. “My goal with beekeeping is to grow this much further than it is at the moment. I would like to have more hives, thousands of hives,” she stated. She aims to diversify into more bee products, including beeswax candles, leather polish, lip balm and even royal jelly, which she describes as “a very, very valuable product”.
Beyond personal success, Tau expressed a desire to develop the industry across the continent. “I would like to create employment, and I’d like to bring more youth and more women into beekeeping, because at the moment there are very few that are doing this,” she emphasised. “It’s a very, very lucrative industry, but it’s one that’s not well explored in Africa.”
Tau also highlighted the ecological significance of her work, mentioning her interest in providing pollination services to other farmers in the future, underscoring the vital role bees play in agriculture beyond honey production.
