Happy ending for parrots, bees at Amorentia
Amorentia Estate have been trialling different kinds of artificial parrot breeding boxes for the last few years to see if they can get the highly endangered Cape Parrot to breed in the Politsi Valley.
They have had the parrots investigate the nest boxes, but have been unsuccessful mainly due to 2 factors:
They couldn’t get the boxes installed high enough and bees kept invading the boxes within days of installation.
Through many hours of research between Amorentia Estate and Explore Trees, they came across research that has been done by Caroline Efstathion from the University of Florida and through her they were put in contact with funders of such environmental projects.
Their project was approved and was funded by various institutions, such as the University of Florida.
The Loro Parque Foundation, The Parrot Fund and Susan Hilliard.
The funding covered the manufacture of 20 parrot nest boxes and 40 bee boxes as well as all the travel, accommodation and meals for some of the experts that are joining them for 14 days and some other smaller expenses like bee keeping equipment.
On May 4 and 5, two researchers from the University of Florida, 4 tree climbers from UK, 2 tree climbers from New Zealand, 1 tree climber from Scandinavia and a film crew of People’s Weather arrived at Amorentia Estate and started the project.
There are 20 sites that has been identified on and around the Estate.
Each site will have one parrot nest box installed as high as possible in the canopy of the tree and will be accompanied by two bee boxes in the same tree or nearby, but at 2 lower levels.
The team from Florida has been very successful in using what they call a push-pull method.
Basically the parrot boxes are treated with a chemical that repel the bees and the bee boxes are treated with a pheromone that attracts bees.
The bees then stay away from the parrot boxes, leaving it available for the parrots to breed in.
Some of the locals as well as Amorentia employees will be trained by the researchers in bee keeping, as this is one of their specialties.
The bees will be removed from these trap boxes and moved into hives in the orchards for pollination.
At the farm school, one of the classrooms is being converted into a small factory.
The school will employ a local person that will lead the project at the school and the children will be involved in the afternoons.
All honey will be bottled and wax will be used to make candles.
The equipment is partly funded from the USA already.
They will develop their own brand and start marketing it around the area for funding to the school.
‘If all goes according to plan we will therefore help the parrots, the bees, the farmers and the children.
Long term the goal for the school would be to build a hostel for the children,’ said Wynand Espach from Amorentia.
