Apart from being a production animal, bees are assumed to deter wildlife passing by due to their defensive behaviour and painful stings.
In a study from Zambezi Valley in Zimbabwe, no reduction in elephant (Loxodonta africana) damage was noted when beehives were placed around maize (RR = 0.83), sorghum (RR = 0.90), or cotton (RR = 1.08) fields (Karidozo and Osborn 2005). An Indian study (Nair and Jayson 2016) placed a beehive fence around a field with various crops including pineapple, plantain, jackfruit, areca nut and rubber to prevent damage from Asian elephants (Elaphas maximus). In fields that were protected by the beehive fence, 40 % less intrusions from elephants occurred. However, there were cases with repeatedly intruding animals that may have skewed the data.
