Building beehive fences is highly effective in preventing elephants from approaching small-scale farms, an Oxford University study found. The nine-year study was conducted in collaboration with the charity Save the Elephants (STE), the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI), and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). It offers a new nature-based solution to protect both livelihoods and wildlife.
In 2007, people began building fences made of a series of live beehives strung together between posts. 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. To date, over 14,000 beehives have been hung as elephant deterrents in 97 sites across Africa and Asia.
Kenya is facing rapid human population growth, with a 82.2% increase between 2000 and 2024, 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.
Dr Lucy King, who led the study, explained the complexities of the issue in her recent TED talk: “It’s a massive challenge. I mean, how do you keep seven-ton pachyderms, that often come in groups of ten or twelve, out of these very small rural farms when you’re dealing with people who are living on the very edge of poverty? They don’t have big budgets. How do you resolve this issue?”
While 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, King also warned against future risks: “Our results also warn that increased habitat disturbance or more frequent droughts could reduce the effectiveness of this nature-based coexistence method.”
Director of the WRTI, Dr Patrick Omondi, 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.”
Looking forward, King is hoping to develop more options for humans and elephants to coexist. She said that they are trying to “get farmers, and women in particular, to think differently about what they’re planting inside their farms”. They are looking at planting crops that elephants don’t particularly want to eat, like chillies, ginger, Moringa, sunflowers.
