We Have Bees!

Last week we acquired a bee colony.  We have been interested in getting bees for a few years now.  It was part of our long list of goals and dreams of becoming more self-sufficient.  Dreams like to have our own dairy cow, making artisan cheese, baking sourdough daily, raising lamb and chickens, tapping birch trees for syrup etc.

Some of these dreams have since faded as we realize the importance of living a balanced life.  Sometimes I would rather have the time for a bike ride or to go kayaking than say, bake a loaf of bread.  I would now rather buy a beautiful loaf of bread in town by one of our fabulous bakers than to bake it myself.  Everyone has a passion, so sometimes it's best to do what you do best and leave others to do what they do best.  I think that's what makes a community. 

But bees, that seems to perfectly compliment organic farming; a mutually beneficial relationship.  We provide them with a home and a food source by growing diversified crops, and they provide us with a sweetener and pollinate our crops. 

They spend most of their lives flying from plant to plant collecting nectar, in doing so they pollinate the flowers and distribute revitalising venom, enhancing fertility and regeneration capacity of the plant.  Quality and quantity of blossom flowers are increased when pollinated by insects, especially bees.

Bees are essential to the environment they live in.  One third of the food we eat is dependant upon pollination from honeybees.  Without bees our food supply would be at risk.

In recent years there has been a dramatic decline in the honeybee population. Researchers are finding it hard to pinpoint the exact cause but they suspect it is a combination of environmental pollution, loss of crop diversity and the heavy use of of pesticides. Methods of farming that seem to be more efficient are often a step backwards rather than a step forwards, and could have a detrimental effect on civilization.  In contrast organic farming works with nature, not against it.