Farmers often have to defend their crops from pests. While these pests can range from microbes to insects to avians, imagine trying to prevent crop losses when the nuisance in question can tip the scales at 15,000 pounds, might be more than ten feet tall and is highly intelligent.

This is a problem that’s routinely faced by the small-scale subsistence farmers who live on the borders of Ruaha National Park in Tanzina. Wild elephants have learned how to raid crop fields, erasing months’ worth of work in mere hours and imperiling the farmers’ livelihoods.

A solution to this gigantic problem has been found in the comparatively miniscule honeybee.

Sarah Maisonneuve first became aware of the problem of wild elephants destroying crops in 2010, when she was conducting research for her PhD.

“Elephant raids create a lot of animosity among the affected farmers,” Maisonneuve said. “It’s similar to a rancher dealing with wolves that stray outside a national park’s borders.”

Maisonneuve’s research led her to become acquainted with Dr. Lucy King, who had learned that elephants have a natural aversion to bees. King pioneered a fencing system that uses beehives to help prevent elephants from damaging crops.

Maisonneuve later started a nonprofit called The Wildlife Connection. In 2014, her organization initiated a pilot project to educate Tanzanian farmers about the construction and the benefits of beehive fences.

“It took some effort to convince the farmers that elephants are afraid of bees,” Maisonneuve said. “But a bee in the trunk can be catastrophic for an elephant.”

Farmers were taught how to construct fences from hollow logs that had been repurposed as beehives. The log hives are suspended between two posts with a wire. The hives are positioned roughly 20 feet apart.

“If an elephant brushes up against a hive it will be greeted by the sound of a horde of angry bees,” Maisonneuve said. “Some of the hives that are part of the fence are dummy hives that have been smeared with beeswax. Just the smell of beeswax is often enough to repel elephants. We have also installed some fences that are made of spicy hot chili peppers. But we have learned that elephants are less likely to become habituated to beehive fences.”

In addition to crop protection, the beehive fences supply the farmers with honey.

“Honey harvested from the hives is another source of livelihood for the farmers. The honey isn’t of a saleable quality, but it’s perfectly fine for household use and for sharing with the farmers’ neighbors,” Maisonneuve said.

Community involvement has been a key factor in The Wildlife Connection’s efforts.

“Instead of doing things from a top-down perspective, we have partnered with local communities,” Maisonneuve said. “The farmers must have buy-in and agree to maintain the fences. This has given the farmers a sense of ownership and has helped make our beehive fencing project a success. And by making use of natural barriers such as mountains or rivers, one fence can protect hundreds of farms.”

Among the rules that must be followed is one that stipulates that the beehive fences cannot block elephants’ access to water. The Wildlife Connection also won’t work with farmers who have cleared forested areas to create new farms.

In addition to its fencing program, The Wildlife Connection has developed an education curriculum.

“Our education program reaches as many as 3,500 people each year,” Maisonneuve said. “Part of our efforts involves taking the farmers for a visit to Ruaha National Park. Even though they live on the park’s boundaries, many of the farmers have never been inside of it. They had simply assumed that the park is a hunting reserve for foreigners. Our education program has made a tremendous difference. It has changed many farmers’ attitudes regarding wildlife conservation. It has also helped them learn about additional ways to create a livelihood such as through chicken farming or by raising goats.”

Word has gotten out about The Wildlife Connection’s efforts.

“We have the largest beehive crop protection project in all of Africa,” Maisonneuve said. “There has been a lot of demand now that people have seen how effective beehive fences can be. This dovetails with our goal of reducing conflicts between humans and elephants and conserving the endangered wild elephant population.

“People are much the same the world over,” Maisonneuve said. “We all have our own struggles, and we all want to do what’s best for our families. In this instance, what’s best for the farmers and their families also happens to be what’s best for the world’s largest and most majestic land animal.”

— Jerry’s book, “Dear County Agent Guy” can be found at www.workman.com and in bookstores nationwide.