Daoud & The Bees
The man who keeps “flies”
Two years ago, Daoud caught his first swarm of bees in his own t-shirt.
It was a stroke of luck, and he knows it. He isn’t allergic to stings, and the swarm he scooped up that day became the start of his colony. He bought boxes, set them up, and has been following the bees ever since.
Patience, respect, and one harvest a year
Daoud keeps bees the slow way. Some people around here harvest four or five times a year, and he says that kills the colony. He takes honey once, maybe twice if the season is generous, and always leaves some behind. “Don’t be greedy,” he says. “Bees benefit, you benefit.”
He talks to his bees. When he opens a box, he does it with respect, and over time they have come to know him. “As long as you respect the bees, they will give to you,” he says. “It’s a win-win.” His advice is simple: observe, don’t interfere, and when it’s time, the bees will let you know.
Not everyone understands. Some neighbours joke that he keeps flies. They ask where their honey is, or whether his hives have wi-fi. His mother has been known to ask his brother what exactly Daoud is doing with his days. He has learned that silence is the best answer. “Focus your energy on people who understand.”
Some do. A friend in Qatar bought his entire first harvest, a couple of kilos, as a gesture of support. What’s most important isn’t the money. “As long as there’s appreciation, respect, and understanding, the money is nothing.”
Why it matters
For Daoud, beekeeping is about more than honey. “Find what you love and let it kill you,” he says, meaning your time, your strength, your money. When it comes to the bees, everything else can wait.
The reason is simple. “No bees, no food,” he says. “Our existence depends on this.”
What comes next
Daoud wants more hives, and he wants a particular kind of bee: the yellow desert bee, native to this land and better suited to its harsh heat. Bringing them back is, in his words, his whole goal.
It’s a practical dream. A single new hive box costs about 25 euros, and the extraction equipment and protective suits cost far more. He hopes to stay independent rather than rely on government aid. He also plans to place hives in several locations, because one spot alone won’t produce strong results.
Here at Land of Dreams, the vision is growing alongside him. The camp plans to plant a hundred new palms, which will give shade, shelter, and room to grow food beneath them, and give his bees more to feed on. Daoud’s idea is that more beekeepers means more bees, and more bees is good for the land and for everyone living on it.
Until then, he’ll be out among the hives, listening to their hum.
Support Daoud & His Bees
You can donate directly to his initiative.