Durban - Honey appears to be the bee’s knees in KwaZulu-Natal this year after “Show me the honey” was chosen as the theme for the Hollywoodbets Durban July, and now preparations are under way for a honey festival in Pietermaritzburg.
The substance once revered as sacred by the ancient Egyptians and buried with the pharaohs will be displayed in all its forms at the annual honey festival, which takes place at the Royal Showgrounds in Pietermaritzburg next Sunday.
Stalls are being built and entries for the honey art competition have already opened.
Children and adults have been urged to participate in the art competition, which includes different bee-related themes for each age category.
Janice van Eck from the KwaZulu-Natal Honey Bee Farmers Association says they will accept drawings, paintings, sculptures and pottery.
And while the rest of the world has raised concerns about the possible extinction of bees and the impact it will have on food security, Van Eck says locally, most of our bees are still in the wild.
She said the bees found here also seem to be more resilient than those found in other countries and it appears there is a plant – or more than one – which has built up their immunity and prevented their numbers from dwindling.
“In South Africa our bees are also more aggressive because they have a lot to contend with in the wild. They are defensive and usually if they sting people, they have lots of honey or babies to protect,” she said.
Van Eck said most people were not aware that bees could not hear and so instead of waving your arms and seeming aggressive when they fly around you, she said it was much better to just walk away.
This year’s honey show will feature several guest speakers as well as award-winning chef Jackie Cameron.
While there will be plenty to eat and drink, cooks and bakers will display their prowess by entering their muffins, cupcakes, loaves or anything else cooked with honey into the baking competition.
Those keen to enter the honey competition will also have the chance to show why their light, medium, dark, granulated or creamed honey is the best.
Van Eck also issued a word of caution about the price of honey. She said while some people gravitated to the cheaper brands, anything found in a shop under R90 was most likely not pure honey.
She said honey under that price would probably have been mixed with sugar syrup, which meant it wasn't pure and the health benefits were lost.
“Then you might as well buy golden syrup,” she said.
For more information on the honey festival go to www.kznbeefarmersassociation.co.za or call 082 307 2587.
The Independent on Saturday