What is a farmer to do when crops are threatened by a beloved beast that needs protection itself? When elephants threatened to decimate Kenyan crops, farmers came up with a brilliant solution; use bees to chase away the huge mauraders.

Yes, elephants are afraid of something as small as a mouse, but they are also afraid of something even smaller. Elephants are, as it turns out, afraid of bees. Farmers have successfully kept elephants from invading their fields by installing bee hives along the crops’ bordering fences. With their sensitive ears, the elephants can hear they buzzing of the bees and steer clear. If they do venture too close, the bees will swarm and sting the elephants around their eyes and the sensitive ends of their trunks.

Besides keeping the elephants at bay, the busy buzzers help to pollinate the crops. In this way, two threatened species help each other survive and thrive.

For more on this honey of an idea, read the article on ABC’s web site.