- 6 weeks ago
Scared of bees? Or have you ever spotted a hive and immediately thought of calling pest control?
What if those buzzing insects are far more important to our lives than we realise?
In Episode 3 of the Life & The City podcast, hosts Aida Ahmad and Farid Wahab explore the fascinating world of bees, conservation, and biodiversity in conjunction with World Bee Day on May 20.
Joining them are My Bee Savior volunteer Raja Mohd Soffian Raja Ismail and the non-profit’s president, Dr. Mohd Norowi Hamid, a retired biologist. The conversation follows Soffian’s journey—from discovering a hive in his backyard to becoming a passionate bee rescuer.
The guests also discuss the vital role bees play in food security and ecosystems, common misconceptions, and how urban development threatens their survival. Listeners can also expect practical tips on handling hives safely and creating bee-friendly spaces in cities.
The Life & The City podcast series airs twice a month, spotlighting issues that matter to urbanites. Catch the full episode on www.youtube.com/@thestaronline/podcasts or www.thestar.com.my/metro
What if those buzzing insects are far more important to our lives than we realise?
In Episode 3 of the Life & The City podcast, hosts Aida Ahmad and Farid Wahab explore the fascinating world of bees, conservation, and biodiversity in conjunction with World Bee Day on May 20.
Joining them are My Bee Savior volunteer Raja Mohd Soffian Raja Ismail and the non-profit’s president, Dr. Mohd Norowi Hamid, a retired biologist. The conversation follows Soffian’s journey—from discovering a hive in his backyard to becoming a passionate bee rescuer.
The guests also discuss the vital role bees play in food security and ecosystems, common misconceptions, and how urban development threatens their survival. Listeners can also expect practical tips on handling hives safely and creating bee-friendly spaces in cities.
The Life & The City podcast series airs twice a month, spotlighting issues that matter to urbanites. Catch the full episode on www.youtube.com/@thestaronline/podcasts or www.thestar.com.my/metro
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LifestyleTranscript
00:03Farid, did you know to produce just 450 grams of honey, a colony of bees must visit roughly
00:112 million flowers and fly over 88,513 kilometers. That's equivalent to flying around the world
00:19twice for just one jar of honey. That's amazing, isn't it? And also, a honeybee's wings beat
00:27about 200 times per second. And this is what creates their famous buzz. So even if they
00:34stop flapping for a second, they just don't glide, they just drop. Why are we talking about
00:40bees? It's World Bee Day on May 20th, celebrated annually to raise awareness of the vital role
00:48that bees play in our environment. Now, these pollinators are, of course, very important
00:54to our ecosystem and food security. Three years ago, I did this interview where I met
01:02a bee saver. He saves bees and he is so passionate about it. And I did a story about the
01:11NGO called
01:12my bee saviour. And I interviewed Rajasofian. And he is here with us today with Dr. Norowi. And we'll
01:24have them. Thank you very much for being with us today, guys, to talk about World Bee Day.
01:29Thank you. And they even brought props. This should be interesting. Have you seen these props,
01:33Farid? No, I don't think we've ever had props on our podcast before. So this is a first.
01:40Yes. Why don't we introduce our guest, Farid? We have Raja Muhammad Sofian Raja Ismail, who
01:47will talk to us about his transition into becoming a rescuer and now a dedicated conservationist
01:54for bees. Thank you for coming. And also we have Dr. Muhammad Norowi Hamid, eritite biologist.
02:04He will also walk us through this, I hope what's going to be a very fascinating topic about bees
02:12and their importance in our ecosystem. So welcome. Thank you for coming. Thanks for inviting us.
02:19So three years ago, Sofian, I met you and we talked about my bee savior. I even went to your
02:25house in Kajang.
02:26Okay. And you are a part of my bee savior which has now about 300 activists nationwide. Is that still,
02:35has the number of activists increased? Yes, they have 300 people and my bee savior. I think the active
02:45guy, er, more than 20 lah. They're active. Including yourself, kan? Yes, including myself. Okay.
02:52Um, Dr. Norowi, er, maybe you can start with telling us how did my bee savior come about? Okay. Thank
03:00you for
03:01inviting us to this event. Actually, it started when I was a researcher MRD, er, where I'm also is one
03:12of the
03:12delegates to, what I call this, negotiate in the, er, Convention of Biological Diversity. So, I think that
03:21time, when I was involved, it's the importance of, to save our bees lah, because, er, they are in decline.
03:28And then,
03:29people start, er, feeling the effect, the, or the impact of the decline of bee population, related to our food
03:36security,
03:37and ecosystem conservation. So, then, since that, we have, er, what I call this, er, come out with the, er,
03:47er, internationally, er, work plan. And then, the first one is, er, the implementation of, er,
03:54international pollinator initiative, which is in, that one is, er, to monitor our own, er, pollinator bee, especially.
04:02And then, after that, er, I think, er, er, the, er, because the big milestone is in 2016 lah, where
04:11it's, er, er,
04:12in fact, is, er, er, was held in Malaysia. It is intergovernmental, er, er, er, intergovernmental platform for the,
04:22what we call this, er, biodiversity and ecosystem service, where it's definitely, that is, we need to conserve bee.
04:29Er, er, then, er, what started from there, er, so I think, even in 2017, then, come to the declaration
04:36of the World Bee Day.
04:38And then, we, er, er, in Malaysia, initiate the, er, er, effort to conserve bee. That's why we, er, er,
04:47er, what we call this, er, NGO,
04:49establish an NGO. It's my bee savior. That is when I started MRD lah. And then, later on, we get
04:55together all this, er, when I retired.
04:57It's more, what we call this, er, enjoy. In fact, I more enjoy. Because, just like, like, like me, this
05:02Suprihan,
05:03it's not biologist and there is accountants. And then, this is really, what we call this,
05:09feeling good lah, er, to, to, to, to, to work more and to pay more attention to conservation or bee.
05:16Okay. And we can talk later.
05:18Dr. Norawi, er, I suspect a lot of our listeners, like me, may not be familiar with why bees are
05:25important. So, maybe, as a biologist, you can explain to our
05:28listeners, why are bees important? I mean, what functions do they serve in our ecosystem?
05:33Dr. Because, er, this is, as I said, because from the assessment study, eh, there is, er, conducted all over
05:41the world. We know that the bee
05:43decline. But when the bee decline also is our food is decline. Because it's 75% of our crops, food
05:51crops, eh, related with this is, er, fruit, nuts, everything is, is neat.
05:57Somehow, it's neat to be pollinated by the pollinator. And then, er, which is 80% of the pollinator is
06:05bee. So, that's why bee is important.
06:07Actually, the whole thing in the whole picture is pollinator lah. And then, 80% is, is, er, contributed by
06:14the, er, bee. And then, that is in terms of, we're talking about food security.
06:19No bee, no pollination, no food, no chocolate, no coffee. So, you can imagine, eh, the, the life without chocolate,
06:28coffee.
06:29Yeah. So, you, you mentioned that the bees are in decline, or were in decline. What, what contributes to that?
06:35Er, there is, er, actually, it's, it's because of our effort to increase our food, eh. For example, it's, er,
06:43in the, in the, after the World War II, eh, there is, er,
06:46er, regulation in a culture, eh, where it's introduced, insecticide introduced, monoculture introduced. So, in other words, it's-
06:56Industrialization.
06:57Industrialization. Removing of the habitat for the bees and other lah. And then, also, it's, er, er, er, uses, what
07:04you say, er, er,
07:06insecticide indiscriminately. Er, and then, also, it's the, people traveling and then bring the disease, all those things. So, that,
07:14that's why it's declining.
07:15And then, also, it's, people say that it's, er, er, like, it's, we are over-depending on the bees. You
07:22know, like, for example, in US, eh,
07:23it's transported from the Florida to California to Polynes, er, orange, er, nuts, all those things, eh. So, that, er,
07:32er, bees also become tired. So, that's why it's, it's declining. And then, because it's also, er, the first part
07:38I said just now is the important of inter-food security.
07:41But the second part is the more important is the ecosystem, conservation, or, like, conserve our rainforest.
07:48Without pollination, without pollinator, no rainforest, no rainforest, no elephant, and then, lastly, no earth.
07:56That's how important it is to conserve. Yeah. Let's go back to 2021 when I met you, Sofian.
08:03And, um, you found, the story is you found a beehive in your own house, in your backyard, in Raoq,
08:10Pahang, which is where you're from, kan? You're from Pahang.
08:12Yeah. Okay. Um, most people's reaction when they see a beehive tu, they'll be scared. Yeah.
08:20Takut or they'll run away. Yeah, betul. But you did the opposite. So, tell us about that first time.
08:25Okay. Er, first, er, ada bee datang dekat saya punya rumah tu. Er, first, I, I, I fikir, er, macam
08:31mana I nak relocate bee tu.
08:33Then, then, then, sebab I tengok ramai orang, er, bakar buah ni, bakar, kita racun. Then, I rasa, er, I
08:43cuba search, I cari dekat Google, I cari dekat Facebook.
08:46Then, I, I, I jumpa my beehive tu. Time tu yang handle, er, ilmi lah. Then, I, I, er, cakap
08:54dengan dia, how can I to relocate the bee, kan? Then, he. Relocate safely. Yeah.
08:59Then, dia give saya, er, apa ni? Macam, cara lah. I, dia, maknanya, I belajar ni, online saja dengan dia.
09:08They just ajar. Then, I, I try.
09:10Because, I have, er, the suit lah. For the, er, beekeeper lah. Then, I try. First, I nervous lah. I
09:19rasa macam, eh, dangerous ni.
09:20I rasa, I nervous, nervous. I takut. Then, I try. I try. Then, I, first, I do. Wah, I, I,
09:27I try ok lah. I berjaya lah.
09:29So, I try masukkan dalam hive. I try slowly. I tak nervous slowly. Then, I try. Then, I berjaya pindah
09:36dalam box.
09:37Then, I relocate. And then, I letak tempat lain lah. Then, I rasa, then, ilmi pun, dia stay contact dengan
09:44I.
09:45So, dia kata, er, how, bagaimana? Dia kata, berjaya tak? I cakap dia berjaya. Then, dia, dia invite saya lah
09:54untuk join my beehive tu.
09:56Oh, then, er, first lah. First, the case I, I do lah dekat I punya tempat lah.
10:03Okay. So, your background, Sofian, er, more on the technical side. Again, what Dr. Noroi said, you, you are not
10:09from the science background.
10:11Technical side, you have background engineering. Yeah. Kan? So, er, using the protective suit. Yeah.
10:19No other equipment kan? Your first time rescuing this beehive. Yeah. So, what happened after that?
10:25And what, what, apa, led you to becoming more active in my beehive?
10:30Okay. Er, first, because I, dekat kampung, I ada blestingless beeh. Then, I have a suit lah.
10:36Then, I try, er, then, bila I berjaya, I rasa, oh, oh, saya, er, I can do it. So, I
10:44can do it.
10:44So, I, I, I dah save kan, satu koloni, bees. Then, er, after that, er, bila ilmi invite, I join,
10:54then, I try first case lah.
10:57In PK, er, time PKP, in Bangi lah. I try, er, no, no people join me. I join, only one
11:04go.
11:05Because the PKP, kita tak boleh keluar kan. No, I, I, I try pergi sendiri. Then, I try, try, try.
11:13Er, sampai sekarang lah. I, I still, I still doing. Then, after, er, sometime, after I going back to office,
11:22er, my office, I, I do juga.
11:24Malam ke, weekend ke. Every day, I, cerita pasal lebah. Dekat my Facebook pun, er, er, the people thinking, eh.
11:33Dia kata, you ni kerja apa? Haa, dia tak, dia ingat kerja lebah ke? Haa, what you, what you doing?
11:42Dia kata, I dah berhenti kerja ke? Buat lebah je. So, macam benda tu, I rahsiakan I punya kerja, I
11:48more kepada lebah ni.
11:50So, people kenal I, sebab I, I, er, bagi mesej pada semua melalui Facebook, TikTok.
11:57So, people, contact lah, ada lah yang contact saya melalui, ada yang melalui neighbor-neighbor, ada yang melalui TikTok, Facebook.
12:05Then, I, mesej tu, I dah sampaikan. Pada masyarakat lah.
12:09Because I was following your social media page kan, er, betul ke there, you, you receive calls from people outside
12:16of Malaysia to come and rescue, B, ada tak?
12:19Er, dia bukan untuk rescue, maknanya, the outside people, dia datang untuk, dia nak, dia nak buat kajian.
12:26Dia nak tengok, dia, kita punya lebah ni. So, dia kata, lebah kita ni, different. So, api cerana ni, dia
12:35small lah, from the apis melifera lah.
12:38Because, er, er, I think tak ramai yang bela api cerana ni. Sebab api cerana ni adalah lebah kita yang
12:45lokal.
12:46Mengapa kita nak biarkan, nak hapuskan? Mengapa kita tak hargai apa yang kita ada ni?
12:51Sebab saya dah try buat. Saya dah nampak dah apa yang ada ni.
12:55Okay. Can you explain the species of bees we have here in Malaysia?
12:59Okay. Dekat Malaysia ni, kita ada yang paling besar sekali, api dor sata. Api dor sata, er, lebah tualang lah.
13:06Api dor sata ni, er, kita akan nampak kebanyakan dia, dia akan mengelilingi satu Malaysia ni, bergantung kepada, er, season,
13:15flower lah.
13:15So, dia akan balik semula ke hutan, apabila bunga hutan tu ada.
13:21Then, dia akan terbang. Kadang-kadang, dia akan ingat dia bangunan-bangunan tower lah, bangunan-bangunan besar.
13:27Tapi, kadang-kadang, orang kita ni terlalu panik. Dia nampak macam, oh, ini ancaman kan dia?
13:31Sedangkan lebah tu menumpang sahaja. Sebelum, sebab apa lebah ni banyak datang ke bandar-bandar ni?
13:37Disebabkan, kita ada landscape, kita ada, apa, maknanya taman-taman.
13:44So, bunga-bunga yang kita tanam ni, telah menarik minat-minat lebah.
13:49Mengapa kita nak hapuskan sedangkan kita yang memanggil lebah tu datang?
13:53Betul? Because of some loss of habitat kan?
13:56Betul.
13:56Okay. This is when you step out, like for us who live in condominiums, kita,
14:01kalau ada balcony tu, buka pintu and then suddenly dekat aircon van tu macam,
14:06there's a big hive and then rasa pucat lah.
14:10Don't know what to do, but actually, kita tak buat apa-apa pun.
14:14Just let it be there because it will eventually fly off.
14:18Yeah.
14:20Have you seen a beehive in your balcony or in the city, Farid?
14:25I have seen plenty, plenty a number of times.
14:28You know, when I was in school, I saw some, I was like,
14:29okay, I'm gonna run away.
14:34I'm not as brave as Mr. Sophia and I, who would go and, you know,
14:37figure out how to remove it safely.
14:38I would just run away.
14:40Because you don't know, when you know it better, then you love it more.
14:45So, yeah.
14:46Just like Sophia.
14:47Betul. So, Sophia, you dah belajar banyak about the bees, perangai,
14:52the temperament, semua tu kan?
14:53Tell us about that.
14:54Okay. Air lebah ni, bagi air, macam air selamatkan lebah tu,
14:59dia sebenarnya atas diri kita.
15:02I rasa macam, kadang-kadang orang kata,
15:04eh, kenapa kita perlu bazirkan duit kita isi minyak tul untuk pergi selamatkan lebah?
15:09Bagi saya, benda tu dah sebati dalam hidup saya.
15:11Then, I rasa, bee ni dah sebahagian daripada diri saya.
15:15So, I pergi pun atas rasa, takpelah.
15:17Kita dapat tolong orang, kita dapat tolong lebah.
15:20So, kita tahulah, kita akan dapat dua benda sebenarnya kita tolong.
15:26So, bagi saya, lebah ni, kita perlu selamatkan.
15:30Kita jangan bakar, kita jangan bunuh.
15:32Kadang-kadang saya pergi bila saya rescue bee,
15:34sambil-sambil tu saya nasihatkan kepada pengadu ni.
15:38So, apa manfaat lebah ni?
15:41Kadang-kadang saya tenangkan dia, jangan panik, jangan takut.
15:44So, dia jadi tenanglah, dia tak panik, dia tak takut.
15:50So, oh, sebab apa?
15:51Kita punya information about the bee masih kurang.
15:56Masih lemah.
15:57Masih lagi menganggap lebah ni sebagai ancaman.
16:00Sofian, masa saya interview Sofian, in 2023,
16:05you said you rescued more than 50 beehives.
16:08So, until now, dah berapa sarang lebah yang dah diselamatkan?
16:14I think dekat 200, maybe.
16:16Wow, that's amazing, isn't it?
16:18He is one of our active activists.
16:23And you intend to continue doing this for as long as you can?
16:27I can continue. If I can do it, I can do it.
16:31Because I can, macam dia cakap, sebab apabila kita kadang-kadang,
16:38benda ni kita tak jangkalah, apa,
16:42kalau kita dapat tolong lebah ni,
16:44mungkin kita dapat sampaikan mesej kepada semua orang
16:47akan kepentingan lebah.
16:48Mengapa saya, background lain saya boleh menceburi bidang lebah ni?
16:52Sebab apa? Sebab kita rasa tanggungjawab kita sebagai masyarakat,
16:55kita kata, kita cintakan hutan, cintakan sungai.
16:59Tapi, sedangkan lebah, kita bunuh, kita bakar.
17:02Kita tak, apa manfaat dia.
17:04Sebab benda ni berkait.
17:05Alam ni berkait sebenarnya.
17:09In a week or a month, how many calls do you get?
17:12How many calls does my bee savior get to rescue beehives?
17:17I think, more than 20 lah.
17:20That's a lot.
17:22Okay.
17:23So, a month or a week?
17:25They depend on the months lah.
17:28Like, for example, this March, April, May,
17:31it's banyak, kan?
17:33So many.
17:34Because about torture?
17:35Because that is the time they start to separate,
17:39I mean, swarming.
17:40They call it, from one colony, that's split to become two.
17:44That is the time.
17:45Because earlier you said it also depends on the weather, kan?
17:47Yeah, yeah, betul.
17:48Okay.
17:49Can you explain that?
17:50So, kalau kita perasan,
17:52dalam bulan 3 hingga bulan 4 ni,
17:54so, cuaca kita sangat panas.
17:56So, bila cuaca panas ni,
17:58dia bunga, musim bunga, kan?
18:00So, kebanyakan lebah ni,
18:03dia akan swarming,
18:04dia akan pecah colony.
18:05So, banyak case lah.
18:09Kadang, kadang saya sampai,
18:10sampai tak,
18:11kita banyak receive group,
18:13eh, banyak receive report lah.
18:15Kadang daripada group,
18:17sometimes dekat Facebook,
18:18kadang-kadang dekat TikTok.
18:20So, I,
18:21pasing-pasing lah dengan kawan,
18:23kadang I ambil,
18:24kadang I balik kerja,
18:25I pergi ambil.
18:25Kadang malam pun,
18:27pergi ambil.
18:27Ada sekali tu pukul 10 lebih.
18:29Dekat-dekat toilet,
18:30dia kata urgent lah.
18:31Tak apa, I pergi juga.
18:32I pergi.
18:33Sebab apa?
18:33Sebab saya rasa,
18:34kalau I,
18:35sebab I tengok case macam tu,
18:36bila dah macam tempat tu,
18:38orang selalu nak pergi.
18:39So, bila kita lambat take,
18:41memang habis lah,
18:42memang orang akan bakar lah.
18:44Biasa,
18:45case-case ni banyak,
18:47apa ni,
18:48di rumah-rumah lah.
18:49Biasa,
18:50case-case yang urgent,
18:51macam case-case yang,
18:53di laluan orang.
18:54Laluan yang kita selalu guna,
18:56bilik yang kita selalu guna.
18:57So, orang dah tak ada pilihan.
18:58Kadang-kadang,
18:59masyarakat ni tak tahu.
19:00Dia panggil orang lain tu,
19:02dia ingatkan untuk selamatkan,
19:03laluan rupanya bakar.
19:04Terkejut.
19:04Ramai yang cerita kat saya.
19:05Dia rasa,
19:06dia rasa,
19:07oh sedih ni.
19:08It's traumatizing.
19:09Dia trauma.
19:10For the bees and for humans as well.
19:12Dia kata,
19:13tak sangka macam ni,
19:14kata dia,
19:14mengapa?
19:15Dalam dia cerita kat saya,
19:16saya cakap,
19:17saya cakap,
19:18apa?
19:19Kita sama-sama lah,
19:20sebab kita yang panggil dia,
19:21kita sama-sama yang tanggung benda tu.
19:23So, when you rescue the beehives,
19:26where are these bees relocated?
19:29Okay.
19:30Biasanya,
19:31the bee,
19:32I can bring my place lah,
19:34in the bangi lah.
19:35Because I stay at the kampung lah,
19:37bangi.
19:37Then,
19:38I can put dekat I punya kampung.
19:42Biasanya,
19:42kebanyakannya,
19:44yang,
19:45apa ni,
19:46macam lebah apis floria,
19:47yang jenis,
19:49liar ni,
19:49kita akan gantung balik-balik pokok lah.
19:51Macam apis cerana ni,
19:52kita boleh,
19:53masukkan dalam hive.
19:55So,
19:55Apis floria,
19:56apis cerana,
19:56dia 3 species kan?
19:594 eh?
20:00In Malaysia.
20:004,
20:014 producer ni.
20:03Apis floria,
20:04apis cerana,
20:04apis cerana,
20:05apis dosata,
20:07and apis melefora,
20:08which is important.
20:10Biasanya kalau macam apis...
20:11And then of course,
20:12stoop dulu lah.
20:12Okay.
20:14Stingless bees.
20:15Stingless bees.
20:18So,
20:19in conjunction with World Bee Day,
20:22maybe both of you can answer this question.
20:24What does the average Malaysia need to know about,
20:29find,
20:30about,
20:31how to handle a situation when they find a beehive,
20:35in their backyard ke,
20:36in their kondo,
20:37balcony ke,
20:40what should they do?
20:41They need to call my bee savior,
20:43to help,
20:46relocate the beehives,
20:48ethically,
20:49and safely,
20:49so as to not harm the bees.
20:51Correct?
20:51Correct.
20:52Okay.
20:52Is there,
20:53is there a,
20:54hotline number they can call,
20:56or just visit their social media pages?
20:58They can,
21:00they can,
21:01see at the TikTok,
21:02we have a my bee savior lah.
21:04My bee savior.
21:05My bee savior,
21:06Facebook,
21:07TikTok.
21:09Over there,
21:09we put the number lah,
21:11contact number,
21:12the admin.
21:12I think the three people lah.
21:14Okay.
21:14Can receive the report.
21:16Then,
21:17some,
21:18mereka akan minta gambar,
21:20location,
21:21so,
21:22jarak,
21:22so,
21:23untuk memudahkan kita lah,
21:24untuk discuss,
21:25dengan pengadu,
21:27kalau ada report yang sampai lah.
21:30Are there any like,
21:32initial do's,
21:33or don'ts,
21:34that,
21:34that you can,
21:35tell our listeners,
21:36like,
21:36some advice,
21:36when you see this,
21:37don't do this,
21:38or do this instead?
21:39Dr. or Encik Sofian?
21:41Basically lah,
21:43when you,
21:44when you,
21:45when you found,
21:46or met,
21:47the,
21:48nest,
21:49of the,
21:50bee,
21:52you just,
21:53first,
21:54don't disturb.
21:55It just,
21:56just like,
21:56a Rajah Sofian say,
21:58it just come to stop for a while.
22:00And then,
22:00if it's good,
22:01then it will stay.
22:02Depend on the,
22:03what kind of,
22:04bee lah,
22:04what species of bee.
22:05That's the most important thing.
22:06Don't disturb.
22:07Don't disturb.
22:08Don't take a stick and poke it.
22:10Yes, yes.
22:11Just don't disturb it.
22:12Yes.
22:12And then,
22:13first is,
22:14I think,
22:15is,
22:15I,
22:16just,
22:18wish lah,
22:19I just,
22:20hope that,
22:20all the,
22:21Malaysian,
22:22I mean,
22:23particularly Malaysia,
22:24just when you look,
22:25be,
22:26that is,
22:26it's not going to harm you.
22:28It brings,
22:28the,
22:30life,
22:30to us.
22:32love them.
22:33By doing that,
22:34you can save the bee.
22:36First,
22:36then,
22:37call us.
22:38I mean,
22:38like,
22:39my bee savior.
22:40Just like,
22:41I just said,
22:42there is,
22:42no,
22:43we,
22:43we have the standard already,
22:44please give the picture,
22:45so that we can,
22:47at least,
22:47we know the,
22:48what's the species is,
22:50how high it is.
22:51And then,
22:52so it's,
22:54the distance from the,
22:55which location,
22:57actually.
22:58And then,
22:59with that,
22:59and I think is,
23:00we have,
23:00the nearest activist,
23:02to go to,
23:03to,
23:03to the location.
23:05Okay,
23:05so most importantly,
23:07when you see a beehive,
23:08whether in your backyard,
23:10in your landed property,
23:11or,
23:11at your balcony,
23:13in a high rise property,
23:16most importantly,
23:16I ask this question,
23:17because,
23:18there are people,
23:19who are allergic,
23:20to bees,
23:20kan.
23:21So,
23:22is it correct,
23:23say,
23:23if you see it,
23:25close your,
23:25if you have a sliding door,
23:27that's,
23:28accessible to your,
23:29balcony,
23:30or backyard,
23:30close the door,
23:31take a photo,
23:32of the beehive,
23:33kan,
23:33and contact my bee savior.
23:34Is that correct?
23:35Okay,
23:36correct.
23:37Okay,
23:38what else?
23:39Yeah,
23:40actually,
23:41just now,
23:42I mean,
23:42like,
23:43Raja Sofianis mentioned,
23:44that,
23:44Elmi,
23:45Elmi,
23:45Elmi is actually our,
23:48secretary,
23:49he's compiled all the,
23:51this information,
23:52and he's,
23:53the IT person,
23:55you know,
23:55he's one of the,
23:57earliest activists lah,
23:58in fact,
23:58now,
23:59we're training the other activists,
24:01so,
24:01then,
24:02after compile it,
24:03then,
24:04we put in the group,
24:06when the group,
24:07saw it,
24:08then,
24:08they,
24:09they will go lah,
24:10who's the nearest,
24:11who's the available at that time,
24:13but,
24:13sometimes,
24:14as I said,
24:15these are the,
24:16NGO,
24:17that is,
24:17we have other jobs,
24:18like Raja Sofianis said,
24:19but,
24:20that's why I said,
24:21it's not many just like him,
24:22you know,
24:23who can go by night,
24:24some of,
24:25it's,
24:26you know,
24:26take for,
24:27some for tomorrow,
24:28sometimes,
24:29the,
24:29the complaint,
24:30I said,
24:30the complaint is,
24:31he cannot wait for tomorrow,
24:33because he's scared,
24:34so,
24:36that's a,
24:37that's why,
24:38I think it's,
24:39the good about this Raja,
24:40he's managed to convince,
24:42to cool down,
24:44even this not,
24:46with the,
24:47like I said,
24:47you are already the bee whisperer,
24:50yes,
24:50yes,
24:51I think,
24:51Farid,
24:51you had a question about,
24:53the difference between bees,
24:54and other similar insects,
24:56yeah,
24:57there are,
24:58what people call,
24:59tebuan,
25:00or I think,
25:01is it hornet,
25:02hornet,
25:02hornet,
25:03wasp,
25:04yeah,
25:04for people like me,
25:05ordinary people like me,
25:05we don't know the difference,
25:07between bees,
25:07wasps,
25:08tebuan,
25:08like,
25:09maybe you can walk us through,
25:10doctor,
25:12by size,
25:13normally hornet is bigger,
25:15and then the,
25:17the nest also different,
25:19and then,
25:21it is,
25:22what you call,
25:23it's,
25:24hardly you see,
25:25it's social,
25:26I mean,
25:27it's social,
25:27it comes with so many,
25:30group,
25:30normally,
25:31you can see the fly alone,
25:33that is a hornet,
25:35a bee normally,
25:36you found is several,
25:37you cannot,
25:37you cannot find one,
25:38I mean,
25:39the nearest flower,
25:40there is there,
25:41that means,
25:41the nest is near,
25:43then the,
25:44the flower,
25:45where it's,
25:47collect the nectar,
25:48to produce honey,
25:49so in terms of,
25:50physical,
25:51size,
25:53the size,
25:54hornet is bigger,
25:55bigger,
25:56okay,
25:56the bee is,
25:57is mixed with yellow and black,
25:59yellow,
26:00yellow and black,
26:01and also hornet is yellow and black,
26:03but that is the big stripe,
26:04and the bigger size,
26:05of course,
26:06the bigger size,
26:07and then,
26:07this is the buzzing,
26:10I mean,
26:10normally the bees is buzzing,
26:14does the hornet buzz as well,
26:16because it's not terrible,
26:18it's what I call this,
26:20not as the,
26:22the beat of the,
26:23what I call the,
26:24as you said,
26:24the wings,
26:28it's not as fast as bee,
26:31I see,
26:32so it's less noise,
26:34okay,
26:34so the hornet produces less noise,
26:37less noise,
26:38but I call this,
26:39in fact,
26:40the bees and hornets,
26:42is fighting each other,
26:45okay,
26:45or they don't get along,
26:47so they cannot get married,
26:48I don't know,
26:49because you,
26:51that is very good,
26:52about,
26:52when talking about size,
26:54I mean,
26:54because the big one,
26:57is just go like,
26:58bulldoze,
26:58you know,
26:59grab the bee,
27:00and kill the bee,
27:00the bee,
27:01how to be a counterpart,
27:03they just surrounding the,
27:04the hornets,
27:06produce heat,
27:08and then,
27:10the hornet just,
27:11advantage is by numbers,
27:13by numbers,
27:14yes,
27:14right,
27:15okay,
27:15I didn't know this,
27:16yeah,
27:17isn't it,
27:20earlier,
27:20you guys mentioned,
27:21about how,
27:22the bee,
27:23stings,
27:24and how the,
27:25hornet,
27:26stings,
27:26can you explain that,
27:28okay,
27:30bila bee,
27:31bee sting ni,
27:32dia akan tinggalkan,
27:33macam,
27:33dia punya,
27:35dia punya,
27:36sting tu,
27:37so,
27:37kita akan nampak lah,
27:38dia punya sting tu,
27:39tapi hornet,
27:39dia boleh,
27:41attack,
27:42lebih pada,
27:43satu,
27:44so,
27:44lagi bahaya ke lah,
27:46tapi,
27:46kalau,
27:47hornet dengan bee pun,
27:48dia tak ngam semuanya,
27:49hornet ni,
27:50pemakan serangga,
27:51dia akan tangkap bee,
27:52dia akan makan,
27:53dia biasanya menyerang,
27:54sarang-sarang lebah ni,
27:55terbuan ni,
27:57bagi saya,
27:58kalau,
27:59hornet ni,
28:00dia lagi bahaya sebenarnya,
28:01daripada bee,
28:02sebab dia boleh sengat banyak kali kan,
28:05whereas the bee,
28:06it stings you once,
28:08and then it flies away,
28:09not only fly,
28:10fly over,
28:11and then it will die,
28:12without stinger,
28:13it will die,
28:14so,
28:15because when the bee stings you,
28:17the stinger,
28:18is embedded,
28:19in your skin,
28:20yes,
28:21when the hornet,
28:21stings you,
28:22it can sting you multiple times,
28:24that's the danger,
28:25the danger,
28:25if you get stung,
28:26like,
28:27I don't know,
28:28either by bees,
28:28or by hornets,
28:29what are the first things,
28:31you should do,
28:31I mean,
28:31obviously you have to go to the clinic,
28:33right,
28:34but,
28:34that will probably take time,
28:36so,
28:36doctor,
28:37or M. Sofian,
28:38what are the things,
28:40for me,
28:40as an ordinary person,
28:41what should I do first?
28:42for me,
28:43for the bee,
28:44in particular,
28:45the bee,
28:45you just,
28:46I mean,
28:46see,
28:47any reaction,
28:48if you can see,
28:49for example,
28:49it's reddish,
28:51and swollen,
28:52that is kind of,
28:53reaction,
28:54so,
28:54that is,
28:55you,
28:55you,
28:56you need to go to the clinic,
28:58or whatever,
28:58but,
28:59if,
29:00just,
29:01what I call red spot,
29:02then leave it,
29:03because,
29:04it will,
29:04in fact,
29:05it will increase,
29:06your immune system,
29:07you know,
29:07in fact,
29:08there is a,
29:09there is a,
29:10what you call,
29:10people practicing,
29:12to,
29:13to let you sting,
29:14by the bee,
29:15you know,
29:15to build up your immune system,
29:17and then,
29:18to cure,
29:18like,
29:19arthritis,
29:20like me,
29:20I have arthritis,
29:21and I used to,
29:22let the bee sting,
29:24my knee,
29:24you know,
29:25that,
29:26but,
29:26for the hornet,
29:28I think,
29:29if you have got,
29:30you have to go to the clinic,
29:31go to the emergency room,
29:33there you establish,
29:34antidotes already,
29:35for the,
29:36this hornet,
29:37yeah,
29:38Sofian,
29:38you mentioned earlier,
29:39there are two things,
29:41that we need to do,
29:42if we get stung,
29:44sorry,
29:44if we see a beehive,
29:46or,
29:47notice a hornet,
29:48circling around us,
29:49what can we do?
29:50Okay,
29:51okay,
29:51first,
29:51kalau lebah,
29:53lebah lah,
29:53biasanya,
29:54kalau macam kita terganggu dia ke apa,
29:56macam kita,
29:57so,
29:58kita nak kena lari,
29:59sebenarnya lebah ni,
30:00bagi saya,
30:00kalau lebah kena lari,
30:01tapi,
30:02kalau tebuan,
30:03you jangan lari,
30:04baring,
30:05sebab I dah,
30:06three times I do,
30:08I,
30:09macam I posun rumput,
30:10tiba-tiba ada,
30:11tebuan keluar daripada tanah,
30:12I baring,
30:13memang dia akan datang kat kita,
30:14tapi dia tak attack,
30:15dia macam nak serang kita,
30:16kita elak lah,
30:17so,
30:18kita,
30:19kita merangkak,
30:20seluruh-selur,
30:20baru kita lari,
30:21sebab apa,
30:22tebuan ni,
30:22mata dia ke depan,
30:23dia akan tengok,
30:24dia ke depan lah,
30:25kalau macam lebah ni,
30:26jangan,
30:26dia ada bau hormon,
30:28kita kena lari jauh,
30:29tapi kalau tebuan,
30:31kita kena,
30:33jangan lari,
30:33kita just senyap,
30:35senyap,
30:36lie down,
30:37so,
30:37quiet lah,
30:39dia akan keluar banyak,
30:41there is a,
30:42there is a kind of,
30:43what you got,
30:44joke,
30:45but it's true also,
30:46it's,
30:47B like lady,
30:48so why,
30:49because,
30:50because lady with the perfume,
30:52all those,
30:52that is,
30:53can attract B,
30:54oh the pheromones,
30:55pheromones,
30:56right,
30:56because like B,
30:58it's no fault,
31:00like the good thing,
31:01okay,
31:02Mr. Sofian,
31:03in all your rescue works,
31:05I'm sure you've had some,
31:07unforgettable experience,
31:08dangerous experience,
31:10maybe you can share some,
31:11with our listeners,
31:12okay,
31:12yang,
31:13I ada dangerous,
31:15yang I,
31:16apa ni,
31:16relocate B tu,
31:17I pernah jatuh lah,
31:18tangga,
31:19sebab kadang-kadang,
31:21kadang-kadang orang ingat,
31:22kita ni buat,
31:24macam apa lah,
31:25semua benda kita boleh buat,
31:27tempat-tempat yang bahaya,
31:28orang bagi kita,
31:29saya pernah buat lah,
31:30saya pernah terjatuh,
31:31ter slap lah,
31:32saya punya kaki kat tangga,
31:33terjatuh,
31:34nasib baik tak teruk,
31:35jatuh sakit lah kan,
31:36first saya jatuh,
31:39so lepas tu,
31:39I lebih berhati-hati,
31:41so I tak nak ambil,
31:42resiko,
31:43tempat-tempat yang bahaya ni,
31:45so bila I ambil resiko ni,
31:47bahaya pada diri kita,
31:48sebab kita,
31:48kita volunteer only,
31:50kita bukan,
31:51bukan macam apa,
31:52ada yang,
31:53backup kita ke apa tak,
31:54kita just,
31:56kita kena fikir dulu,
31:57kita buat tu,
31:57kita fikir dulu,
31:58okay,
31:58yang penting,
31:59utamakan selamatan lah,
32:01so,
32:02safety first.
32:03And it is a high risk job,
32:05that you are doing,
32:05on all a volunteer basis,
32:08betul,
32:09which is,
32:09which is a noble thing,
32:11actually,
32:12if we think about it.
32:13In fact,
32:14in our mind-be-savior,
32:15that we have,
32:17do and don'ts in China,
32:18I mean,
32:19if you become two activists,
32:22when you want to save,
32:23this is what you,
32:24the,
32:25what you call,
32:26this do and don'ts,
32:27so that,
32:28don't want this kind of thing happen.
32:30Okay,
32:31Sofian,
32:32maybe you can explain the props,
32:33that you brought,
32:34for us here today.
32:35That's a honeycomb,
32:37and there is a bottle of honey,
32:39cultivated from the bees,
32:41that you rescued.
32:43Okay,
32:44comb ni,
32:45adalah comb yang,
32:46saya ambil,
32:46masa untuk,
32:47apa ni,
32:48masa relocate tu lah.
32:50So,
32:50relocate tu,
32:51ini maknanya comb ni,
32:52dia dah lama,
32:53all comb lah.
32:55So,
32:55bee pun dah tak mahu.
32:57Then,
32:57I can,
32:58apa ni,
33:00akan ribut,
33:01then akan,
33:02untuk kita ambil wax.
33:03Bees wax.
33:04Haa,
33:04bee wax.
33:05This bees wax,
33:06is also,
33:07used by,
33:09people who make soap.
33:11Yes.
33:11A lot of our daily products,
33:13kan,
33:13cosmetics,
33:14and,
33:14candles.
33:16Yes.
33:16Okay.
33:16Sometimes,
33:17someone call me lah,
33:18he want to buy the,
33:19the bee wax,
33:21because we,
33:22we don't have a,
33:25not more lah,
33:27only sikit je lah kan,
33:28kita ada.
33:29So,
33:30kadang-kadang ada juga run out lah,
33:31kita kadang-kadang,
33:31kita akan gunakan balik,
33:33untuk buat perangkap,
33:34untuk bagi bee stay,
33:36kita just apa,
33:39bakar-bakar kan,
33:40put dalam,
33:41kita punya hive.
33:42So,
33:43kita boleh ni balik lah.
33:44So,
33:44maknanya biasanya,
33:45kalau kita ambil ni,
33:46biasanya honey tu,
33:47akan duduk dekat atas.
33:49So,
33:49kita akan potong,
33:50kita potong,
33:51then kita akan,
33:53apa ni,
33:54kita akan perah honey tu,
33:55then honey tu kita ambil,
33:56dia punya wax tu,
33:57kita akan,
33:58boil lah,
33:59boil dan,
34:00untuk jadikan wax.
34:01Okay.
34:02Procedure dia lambat jugalah.
34:03This honey is from,
34:04which species of bees?
34:06Api secarana.
34:07Api secarana.
34:08Okay.
34:09What is the,
34:11what kind of,
34:12flavor does the honey,
34:14have from this,
34:15particular species of bees?
34:17The flavor honey,
34:19different,
34:19different location lah.
34:22Sometime,
34:24you ada dekat tempat bunga,
34:26bunga-bunga yang manis,
34:28dia akan manis lah.
34:29I pernah dapat madu,
34:30I rasa macam,
34:32kebas.
34:33Hmm.
34:33I punya bibit,
34:34makan kebas,
34:35itu species lain lah.
34:36I rasa,
34:37ush,
34:37ni lain lah.
34:38Ada-ada rasa macam,
34:39pedas sikit,
34:40ada masam sikit,
34:41ada yang pahit pun ada.
34:43Dia,
34:43different tempat.
34:44Interesting.
34:45Depending on the bunga lah,
34:46type of flowers.
34:47Depending on the,
34:47what kind of flower.
34:50Any questions for it?
34:53Oh,
34:53I'm actually flooded with so much information right now,
34:56to even think of questions.
34:58But good to know,
34:59this is a good exchange.
35:01Yeah.
35:02Before we get to,
35:03how can people support my bee saviour,
35:06to keep it going?
35:07Because you guys do,
35:09do an excellent job in,
35:10in rescuing our bees and,
35:12and beehives.
35:13for the sake of,
35:16humanity and,
35:17flora and fauna.
35:18Just,
35:19like we said,
35:20it's an ecosystem.
35:21What is the biggest,
35:24myth about bees,
35:26that you need to tell our listeners,
35:28that it is not true?
35:29So,
35:30I think it's,
35:31first of all,
35:32just,
35:33I said,
35:33when you see bee,
35:36that is,
35:38not dangerous.
35:39Okay.
35:40It's good for us.
35:41So,
35:42that is,
35:42first,
35:43whatever it is,
35:43it doesn't matter,
35:44sting or whatever,
35:45that is,
35:46first,
35:46the good thing they bring,
35:48is so many things.
35:49So,
35:49we shouldn't,
35:50we shouldn't,
35:51flail our arms around,
35:52we see bee,
35:53just be quiet.
35:54Yes.
35:54And then,
35:55and that's just one bee.
35:56One bee.
35:57We see a hive,
35:59we get,
36:00just move further away.
36:01That's what you said earlier,
36:02Sufyan,
36:03we just,
36:05move away from the hive.
36:07Okay.
36:07If you,
36:08if you scale up,
36:09move away.
36:09But,
36:10I think it's,
36:10just,
36:12what you call,
36:13befriend to be.
36:14That's the most important,
36:16befriend,
36:16how befriend.
36:17And then,
36:18of course,
36:18it's like,
36:20just,
36:21Raja Sufyan said,
36:23just now,
36:23it's,
36:23to go there,
36:25it's,
36:27on volunteer basis,
36:29no pay,
36:29no whatever.
36:30So,
36:30because we work,
36:32on,
36:33totally volunteer.
36:34so,
36:36sometimes,
36:37we don't charge,
36:39just,
36:39it's depend,
36:40I mean,
36:40if you want,
36:41if the complain,
36:42I call complain,
36:43complainer,
36:43want to,
36:44give some money,
36:46that's okay.
36:48It can give to,
36:49my bee savior,
36:50but,
36:51we don't,
36:52we,
36:53in other words,
36:54it's our,
36:54income now,
36:55it's just the fee,
36:56and,
36:57from the members.
36:58So,
36:58people who call,
36:59my bee savior,
37:00for your help,
37:01to come and rescue the bees,
37:02they,
37:03they are not obliged to,
37:06how to say,
37:07compensate you,
37:07but they can,
37:08out of their own goodwill,
37:09to,
37:12compensate,
37:12the volunteers,
37:14from my bee savior,
37:14for,
37:15for helping them.
37:16What if people,
37:17who want to,
37:19support,
37:20my bee savior,
37:21in terms of,
37:21being a volunteer,
37:22how can they do that?
37:24So,
37:25bagi saya lah,
37:26kalau,
37:26masyarakat,
37:27untuk support,
37:28my bee savior ni,
37:30adalah,
37:31kalau boleh,
37:32kita jangan,
37:33jangan bakar lebah,
37:34jangan bunuh lebah,
37:35kita galakkan,
37:36masyarakat,
37:37untuk join,
37:38my bee savior ni,
37:39untuk join,
37:40dan,
37:41lakukan kerja-kerja macam ni,
37:42sebab,
37:42kita tengok,
37:44sebenarnya,
37:44kita ni,
37:45ramai volunteer,
37:45dekat luar sana,
37:46bermacam-macam kan,
37:48tapi,
37:49kita minta,
37:49untuk volunteer tu,
37:50kita ni,
37:51biar aktif,
37:52aktif dan,
37:53kita boleh,
37:53lakukan kerja-kerja ni,
37:55untuk,
37:55untuk,
37:56untuk jadikan sebagian macam,
37:58kita punya,
37:58riadah kita,
37:59kebajikan kita,
38:01untuk,
38:01untuk selamatkan lebah ni.
38:02And also,
38:03it's,
38:03it's a lot of,
38:05education,
38:05to educate ourselves,
38:06about,
38:07peace,
38:07and the work,
38:08that you all do.
38:10Okay,
38:11any parting words,
38:12for it?
38:14Well,
38:15I hope that,
38:15this conversation,
38:16has,
38:17sent some,
38:18buzzing information,
38:19into the minds,
38:20of our listeners.
38:21It certainly,
38:22has for me,
38:23because,
38:24a lot of things,
38:25that were talked about,
38:26I wasn't aware about before.
38:28So yeah,
38:28it's been a very,
38:29eye-opening conversation.
39:00and feel free to visit our,
39:02this episode,
39:03and our previous episodes,
39:05at The Star Online,
39:07and thestar.com.my,
39:08slash metro on YouTube.
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