A ground-breaking, nine-year study has revealed that elephants approaching small-scale farms in Kenya avoid beehive fences housing live honey bees up to 86% of the time during peak crop seasons, helping to reduce human-elephant conflict for local farmers and boost income. The findings, published in the journal Conservation Science and Practice , offer promising insights into using nature-based solutions to protect both livelihoods and wildlife.
A beehive fence in a sunflower field in Tsavo. Image credit: Jasper Scofield/Save the Elephants The research was conducted as a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the research charity Save the Elephants (STE) the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI), and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
Kenya is facing rapid human population growth, with a 59.4% increase between 2000 and 2020, which has led to the shrinking of elephant habitats as human settlements and infrastructure expand. Finding sustainable ways for people and elephants to coexist is becoming an urgent challenge.
Beehive fences , introduced in 2007 by STE and KWS, in partnership with the University of Oxford, offer an innovative approach. These fences consist of a series of live beehives strung together between posts, creating a physical, auditory, and olfactory deterrent to elephants. The elephants' natural fear of being stung keeps them away, while the fences also benefit farmers by providing pollination services and generating income through honey and wax production.
The study monitored 26 farms protected by beehive fences in two villages near Tsavo East National Park, and analysed nearly 4,000 incidents of elephant approaches. Elephants roam freely in and out of the park throughout the year as they look for mates, food, and water, but can be attracted by the smell and nutritional richness of agricultural crops.
Lead author Dr Lucy King, with a farmer in Sagalla, Tsavo. Image credit: Lama Kabani.During six peak crop-growing seasons (November to January 2014-2020), 3,027 elephants approached the farms and the beehive fences successfully deterred an annual average of 86.3% of elephants from raiding crops. Across all seasons and the entire study period, including a drought, the fences deterred an annual average of 76% of elephants.
However, challenges such as drought-which reduced hive occupation by 75% during 2017 -negatively impacted honey production and profits both during the drought and for three years after. Despite this climatic shock, the 365 beehives used in the study produced one ton of honey, sold for $2,250.
Dr Lucy King (Department of Biology, University of Oxford and Save the Elephants), who led the study, highlighted the effectiveness of beehive fences but warned of future risks. 'Beehive fences are very effective at reducing up to 86.3% of elephant raids when the crops in the farms are at their most attractive, but our results also warn that increased habitat disturbance or more frequent droughts could reduce the effectiveness of this nature-based coexistence method.'
Honey harvesting in Kajire in Sagalla, Tsavo 2023. Image credit: Meha Kumar/Save the Elephants.Dr Patrick Omondi, Director of the Wildlife Research and Training Institute, emphasised the importance of continued research and funding for sustainable solutions. 'Kenya is facing increasing challenges with human-elephant conflict, and solutions like beehive fences empower communities to manage their own farm protection. We need more research and support for nature-based solutions to help our communities live better alongside wildlife.'
Previous research by the University of Oxford, Save the Elephants, and KWS in partnership with bioacoustician scientists from Disney's Animal Kingdom® has shown that elephants respond strongly to bees, running away from disturbed bee sounds and exhibiting behaviours such as head-shaking, dusting, and rumbling to warn others . While elephants' thick skin usually protects them, disturbed honey bees target sensitive areas like the eyes, mouth, and trunk, where their stings cause discomfort. This natural fear of bees has been harnessed as a practical tool to keep elephants away from farms , helping to promote coexistence between humans and wildlife. To date over 14,000 beehives have been hung as elephant deterrents in 97 sites across Africa and Asia.
The study 'Impact of drought and development on the effectiveness of beehive fences as elephant deterrents over nine years in Kenya' has been published in Conservation Science and Practice .
