Bees are neighbours: beekeepers’ mission to convince Hong Kong that vital pollinators shouldn’t be exterminated

“Our main goal is bee conservation because Hong Kong is not very bee-friendly. Many people tend to spray insecticide to eliminate them whenever they see bees,” shared Wong, who in 2020 founded Beetales, a social enterprise in Hong Kong dedicated to bee conservation.

“What we want to do is educate the public that we don’t need to be too afraid of honeybees; they are our neighbours,” he said.

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On social media, Beetales helps people identify different bee species and deal with the ones that enter their homes. Through educational workshops and vocational training, the group teaches people to appreciate the bee’s vital role as pollinators in the ecosystem. Beetales also trains volunteers to safely relocate beehives away from populated areas.

“We hope to save the beehives that are close to residential areas. We release some of them into nature while raising others in our conservation centre,” Wong explained.

Wong’s co-founder Jill Kong Pui-wa, who is in her 20s, began pursuing beekeeping while she was in her third year studying environmental science in university.

The female beekeeper believes the public needs a fresh perspective on this industry: “We often hear that the job is for retired or elderly men, or that beekeepers ... make a living solely by selling honey.”

“We want to revitalise the profession and ... [show] that the job of a beekeeper can have a new image.”

There are more than 20,000 species of bees around the globe, and they are essential to life on Earth. Without them, many plants would not grow and reproduce – meaning we would not have food to eat.

According to the UN Environment Programme, bees pollinate about 71 of the crop species that provide 90 per cent of the world’s food.

In recent years, climate change has been a leading contributor to the loss of bee colonies. Wong noted that longer, hotter summers posed problems for bees’ health.

“The time for bees to face their natural enemies like wasps also becomes longer,” Wong explained, adding that prolonged summers also affected when flowers bloom.

“When confronted with a different blooming season, it becomes difficult for them [bees] to rely on their traditional way of life to survive.”

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“We are exploring ways to improve the health of the bees, since their conditions in the last few years are not so good,” Wong added. “Honeybees are experiencing more diseases and facing a population decline.”

The group tries to do their part in protecting bees, no matter if they are in the city, in the wild, or in their conservation centre. And the beekeepers are keen to clarify some misconceptions surrounding these insects.

While Beetales’ operations are partially supported by the sale of lip balm, soap and other products made with their bees’ honey, Wong emphasised that these animals should not be seen as moneymaking tools.

“In Hong Kong, the [honey] harvest season lasts only about eight weeks in a year. However, we take good care of the bees throughout the remaining time,” Wong said, adding that raising bees required strenuous work.

Some people also mistakenly believe that taking honey from bees means depriving them of all their food. But the beekeeper explained that this was not true.

“Each time we harvest honey, we carefully calculate the amount we should leave behind to ensure their continued well-being and survival,” Wong noted.

The biggest misunderstanding that Beetales hopes to clear up is that bees are dangerous. But as long as you do not disturb their hives, most bees will leave you alone.

“Many people believe that bees are prone to launching attacks. But as you can see, they primarily focus on their work and are not as dangerous as most people would think,” he said.

Before transitioning into beekeeping, Wong worked as an arborist, managing trees for 10 years. But four years ago, a trip to Madagascar inspired him to pursue bee conservation in Hong Kong.

“While researching the skills and systems I could contribute to Madagascar, I realised the strong connection between bees and agriculture, urban development, and the environment. This realisation sparked my interest and led me to give beekeeping a try,” he recalled.

“As I continued to learn more about it, I became aware of the demand for beekeepers in Hong Kong,” Wong shared, adding that he picked up the necessary skills from the city’s experienced beekeepers and online tutorials.

For Kong, the job has been a rewarding way of giving back to the environment, and she enjoys raising awareness: “At an annual event for social enterprises, I had the opportunity to share my experience as a speaker. I realised that many people are interested in bees.”

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The duo has seen this interest reflected across all age groups, as they have held more than 100 workshops, teaching everyone from kindergarten pupils to the elderly about the role of pollinators. Their educational efforts also extend to social media, where they share content about their mission to rescue bees.

“Many people think that being a beekeeper is only about raising bees and harvesting honey. But because our goals are diverse, we also need to communicate well with schools and the public,” Kong said.

“It makes us very happy whenever people say they become less afraid of bees because of our page.”

With funding from the Hong Kong EX Foundation, the group recently launched a programme to train volunteers on how to safely rescue beehives that are found in the city.

For Wong, one memorable moment was when a group of trainees took on the challenging task of saving a swarm of bees that were resting on a fire hydrant in Sheung Wan.

“Normally, those bees would leave in about two days. But the city won’t wait for two days and would kill them straight away,” Wong pointed out.

He didn’t expect the volunteers to be able to handle this case, but they did, and because of their work, those bees were protected from extermination.

Beetales’ founders hope more Hongkongers will join their efforts to recognise the beauty and value of bees.

“In the past, people viewed bees solely as tools to collect food, but that’s not the case. It’s about working together with them for a mutually beneficial coexistence,” Wong said.