Bee Lore

So you want a little bee like me to write a story about the current plight in the bee kingdom (or more strictly correct, queendom)?

Humans have become increasingly aware of the stresses and strains that have been placed on the bee population.  Not just the honeybee, but bumblebees and other types of bees.  There has been much written in newspapers and alarmist commentary on documentaries.

So what really is going on, you ask?

Well to put it into context, bees have been around for about 50 million years.  Humans for a lot less than that!  So, as you often say bees have “been around the block a few times!”

We have survived global warming, global cooling, global volcanic disruption and the impact of many out-of-space objects the likes you could never contemplate.  And we are still here!  Indeed some of your scientists have predicted that if there were a nuclear war, we would be one of the few creatures to survive.  I am glad though, you have decided not to press the button and test that particular theory!

The thing is, we are all connected.

We, as the worldwide population of bees, help to provide about 50% of your food.  And we continue to do this without complaint, getting on with our daily lives.  Yet you are poisoning our food (and yours) with chemicals that were never meant to be used in such concentrated force.  You are also changing the seeds that grow the food so that they become pre-laden with additional concentrated poisons.  And you are now doing this on a massive scale.  We are all connected.  Your poison is our poison is your poison.

We are used to suffering local catastrophes, but, in certain parts of the world large proportions of your domestic honey bee hives are loaded into lorries and transported across continents and then poisoned, and fed on junk-food – simply so that we can pollenate your almond groves.  The industrialisation of your food industry is one of the biggest man-made disasters of the last century.  We are all connected.  Your corporate-mega-industry-process is creating our junk food which is creating your junk-food.

We have certain problems like the mite that attacks us, makes us weak so that we are susceptible to virus attacks.  We have faced these problems before.  Your beekeeping methods help us to manage this problem.  You are also understanding other aspects of bee health and good husbandry.  We are all connected.  Our health is now dependent on your help which is dependent on you becoming more conscious and more connected with your food and your environment.

We are all connected.  Buy more honey.  Take more of an interest in we small bees.  Become a beekeeper!  You may well become addicted to a hobby of a lifetime!