Archive for the ‘Package Bees’ Category

As honeybees buzz from blossom to blossom and back to the hive, they may be creating some of the most powerful natural ingredients effective in promoting good health. Supplying the queen bee with the nutrients she needs to outlive and outgrow the average worker bee, the bees also protect the hive from outside invaders through their steadfast work. Take advantage of all their work and promote your own health through all four ingredients created by bees: royal jelly, bee pollen, propolis and honey. Read on to learn more about how these ingredients may improve your daily and overall health.

Royal Jelly

Live like a queen! Royal jelly is produced by the worker bees solely to feed the queen bee, resulting in impressive longevity and reproductive capabilities in the queen. By taking this natural elixir, many people have laid claim to an enhanced physical condition, with claims of increased energy and the ability to fight off infection. In addition, the enjoyment of many other benefits is commonly noted, such as asthma, cholesterol, depression, high blood pressure, arthritis, and diabetes.

This magical creation of the worker bees cannot be recreated by humans, thus, like the queen bee, we must rely on them for its production. A natural source of many essential nutrients that are needed for our bodies to maintain good health, Royal Jelly is a liquid made up of approximately 67% water. To minimize the risk of contamination likely in such a state, it needs to be processed within a few hours of removal from the hive, a method that may include treating the product with a chemical preservative, freeze-drying the product, combining it with a natural preservative such as honey, or freezing or refrigerating it. If Royal Jelly is lyophilized, or freeze-dried, the quality of the nutrients is not affected. In fact, this process preserves the nutritional viability for up to four years and reduces the possibility of contamination during the encapsulating and bottling process, whereas Royal Jelly in its liquid state must remain frozen or refrigerated to avoid contamination.

Rich in B vitamins, fatty acids, folic acids, aspartic acid (for optimum tissue regeneration), amino acids, minerals and natural hormones, royal jelly provides many harmonizing health benefits throughout the human body.

Bee Pollen

Yet another product from the hands of worker bees, bee pollen has been coined “The Food of the Gods” for its superb health benefits and nutritional composition. Within the blossom of a plant, the stamen produces male seed, or pollen, which is collected by bees using their tongue and mandibles, transferred to their second pair of legs as a now-sticky substance, and stored on their body and legs for transport back to the hive. Commercially, mesh wire substitutes for the small chambers in the hive used for collection of honey and pollen. As the bees fly into the hives through small openings in the wire, the pollen is scraped from their legs and falls into a tray which can be removed by the beekeeper for collection. The pollen is often kept in its pure form after the removal of any foreign particles, packaged and then frozen. Pollen can also be consumed in capsule form, which extends its shelf life, usually 3 or 4 years, but, if processed correctly, the pollen loses none of its wonderful nutritional composition.

Vitamins C, A, and E, carotenoids, folic acid, B vitamins, collagen, lecithin (often associated with weight control), amino acids, rutin (a strong antioxidant), and minerals such as magnesium, calcium manganese, and copper all combine to form this complete food. Some believe that life can sustain itself solely on consumption of pollen and water. As for its apparent health benefits, the list is long: increased energy, weight loss, antibiotic properties, controlling asthma, immune system enhancement, regulation of prostate diseases, desensitization toward effects of hay fever, stress reducer and regulation of the digestive system.

When considering where your bee pollen comes from, choose domestic pollen, which is plentiful. Imported bee pollen, often from China, may be procured from unregulated facilities, increasing the likelihood of contaminants in the granules.

Propolis

Considered by many to be nature’s antibiotic, Propolis, created by honeybees from a resinous material in tree bark and leaves, protects the beehive against infection and any foreign organisms. For centuries, humans have used propolis for the same purposes – to fight infections – but also to increase energy and to promote healing.

Quite different than other products created by bees, propolis can be applied externally, as well as taken orally. Using its antibiotic properties, propolis can be applied to cuts and other skin abrasions to sterilize the wound. It is also taken orally as a natural alternative to more modern pharmaceuticals, such as penicillin and other antibiotics. Sporting another advantage over conventional medicines, propolis has shown an ability to maintain its effectiveness, while many antibiotics become ineffective as viruses and bacteria build immunity against them.

The nutritional content of propolis is as varied as that of pollen and royal jelly. It is rich in amino acids and bioflavonoids, promoting healthy immune systems. It also has a high vitamin content, consisting of all known vitamins, except Vitamin K. And it contains fourteen of the 15 minerals required by our bodies for normal function.

Again, being similar to other products from the hive, propolis is associated with promoting healthy body systems. It has been shown to fight against allergies, skin irritations, oral irritations (such as canker sores), respiratory illnesses, fatigue, inflammations and the everyday cold and flu.

To process propolis for human consumption, some will package it raw and freeze it, or the active ingredients can be removed and added to water or alcohol through a specific process, resulting in a liquid form or a dried and capsulated product. Due to its effectiveness, propolis may soon be available in many more products.

Honey

We are all familiar with honey, often thinking of it only as a natural sweetener. But like other products from the hive, it may have many medicinal qualities, including the ability to treat infection and provide energy more quickly than sugar. While sugar is made up of sucrose, honey contains glucose and fructose. Because all carbohydrates must be converted to glucose before our bodies can absorb them, honey, being made of glucose, is more easily converted to energy for our bodies, providing a quicker source of get-up-and-go than other carbs.

In addition to glucose and fructose, honey contains a large array of nutrients like its sister products from the hive, including vitamin A, C, D, E, K and the complete line of B-complex vitamins, minerals, amino acids, betacarotene and antioxidants. As J.S. Taylor notes in the book “Power of the Beehive”, “Bee pollen and propolis enzymes are present in even the purest of raw honey. These possess anti-viral and antibacterial properties that work from within the honey to sterilize wounds and assist healing.” The list of known nutritional benefits from honey keeps growing.

Reap the benefits from the work of thousands of honeybees by taking bee products daily and potentially increase your chances of maintaining an overall good state of health.

There are several stories of science and nature that have been featured in the national news over the last few months. For scientists, an explanation for disappearing bees and dying bats still remains elusive. The risk to the polar bear is a function of continued global warming with the potential for its extinction still over a century away. However, each of these stories has vast potential economic ramifications for the United States and the energy and agricultural industries of the future.

It is now estimated that the honey bee population continued to decrease in the United States in early 2008. The first survey of bee health after the last winter season revealed a dismal picture. In fact, it appears that about 36 percent of the nation’s commercially managed bee hives have collapsed. This represents a 13.5 percent increase over 2007. (The Apiary Inspectors of America survey included 327 operators, or 19 percent of the country’s approximately 2.44 million commercially managed bee hives.)

In total, there is now a more than a 30% decrease in the honey bee population in the last several years in the United States. The cause of the bee deaths is still a mystery, though scientists are looking at pesticides, parasites, and a virus not previously seen in the country. In many cases, entire hives have collapsed as bees never return and just disappear (Colony Collapse Disorder) .

Indeed, the diminishing honey bee pollination could have a dramatic economic impact on the country’s future. It is estimated that $14 billion in U.S. crops are dependent on bee pollination. Also, consider a study funded by the National Honey Board that shows that about 1/3 of Americans’ diet is dependent on bees’ pollination.

The recent discovery of dying bats is another new national scientific mystery to consider. Consider that bats in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Vermont are dying off by the thousands. The bats often have a white ring of fungus around their noses, called “White Nose Syndrome”, and scientists in hazmat suits can now be seen crawling around in bat caves to find out why.

It is not clear if the fungus around the bats’ noses is a cause or a symptom of the problem. The fungus could be caused by bacteria or a virus or the bats could be reacting to some toxin or other environmental factor. Whatever it is, sick bats are burning through their winter stores of fat before hibernation ends in the spring, and appear to be starving to death. Some biologists fear that 250,000 bats could die from the problem during this year alone.

Many researchers are calling it the gravest threat in memory to bats in the United States. Bats feed on insects that can damage dozens of crops, including wheat and apples. Therefore, a significant decrease in the bat population would certainly have negative ramifications for United States agriculture. Bats also feed on mosquitoes and a drop in the bat population would lead to an increase the mosquito population which could well result in more cases of West Nile Virus in humans.

While the beekeeping and agricultural industries are in the middle of a crisis concerning disappearing bees and dying bats, a crisis that may soon threaten the United States food supply, the U.S. Department of the Interior was taking a much more proactive approach to the potential future problems of the polar bear. In fact, the Department of the Interior has just added the polar bear to the list of threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. To preserve the habitat of the polar bear as an endangered species will make it even more difficult to explore for oil and gas in the state of Alaska in the future.

The Interior Department concluded that the past and projected future melting of sea ice in the Arctic poses an immediate threat to the polar bear’s habitat. It pointed to greenhouse-gas-induced climate change as a primary cause for the recession of the sea ice. Although the species is not currently endangered, its future may be at risk. If global warming were to continue unabated, scientists believe that polar bears may disappear in the next century due to melting Arctic sea ice.

Of course, concern over the future of the polar bear may well prove premature. Last winter was the coldest winter seen in the Arctic in many years with temperatures averaging well below normal. In addition, the earth has dramatically cooled during the last year and now many scientists are predicting at least an interruption in the trend of global warming for the next several years.

There are many different theories for the problems of the bees, bats, and polar bears. Some speculate that all of the problems may be linked together by the recent warming of the planet. Conspiracy theorists say that the disappearing honey bee may really be a sophisticated terrorist attack or out of control government experiment. Some blogs on the Internet suggest that the bees are really being called home to God and that the end of the world may be near.

However, the ramifications of all these problems of nature seem very clear. Consumers should be ready to pay more money for food and gas in the years just ahead. There will be a price to pay in the supermarket due to the lack of pollination of the disappearing bee and the reduction of natural insect control due to dying bats. There will also be a price to pay at the gas pump since an attempt at U.S. energy independence could be compromised because of the future endangered habitat of the Arctic polar bear.

From the perspective of spiritual ecology, some of the suspected causes merely stand in the foreground of the disappearing honeybees  -  EMF radiation; GM crops; and diseases and pests  – while artificial incursions of modern bee-keeping on overall hive ecology are recognized to prevail at the root of the issue.

Diseases and parasites, such as the invading Eurasian varroa mite, when looked at in the same light as other modern agricultural issues, actually presents itself as a red herring for anyone in pursuit of the central cause of bee decimation.

While initial losses appear to have accrued as a result of varroa, it is almost certain to be a temporary phase.  The situation is not unlike problems in other areas of modern agriculture.  Using the cattle industry as a choice example, pathogenic forces are not really threatening stocks but, rather, decades of contrivance and intercession by means of antibiotics, hormones, and other artificial “propping up” of the species that have weakened and degraded the overall constitution of the species.  (And let us call events like Mad Cow disease a symptom, not a cause, of the bottoming out of the cattle industry.)

Witness the decidedly hale condition of the bison alongside the debilitated circumstance of cattle.  In a word, predation strengthens a species, and interference with that predation leads to debilitation.  The finest shepherd ever invented, in terms of a keeper for the bison herds, was Canis lupus, the common wolf.

There are times, and this includes livestock, bees, and any other biological form, when a producer has to “take in on the chin” and let the species evolve by allowing the surviving, adaptable members of the population reproduce.  The result will be an enviable level of wholesomeness in both species and product.

This leads to the heart of the matter  -  too much interference.  For example, in a bid to avoid having to work with a species that can become what humankind deems as overly aggressive, we have been cultivating a more “docile” temperament in the bee.  Therefore, unlike its more combative relatives in other parts of the world, who are able to bite at, mutilate, and dispose of the varroa mite, our more passive breeds are not equipped to handle these intruders. 

Time will heal the varroa situation, if we let the honeybee “duke it out” in its own way, under its own terms.  As with most predation, the strongest will survive to carry forth its capable seed into future stocks.

In deference to the spiritual science of Rudolf Steiner, it needs to be said that this modern Renaissance man predicted in 1923 that if humanity continued to cultivate the honeybees by artificial means, we would, within eighty years, witness the mass disappearance of the bees.

Arguably the best-kept secret of the 20th Century, in terms of a resource for social transformation, Rudolf Steiner, in his series of lectures entitled “The Bees,” portrayed the intricate nature of the honeybee community.

In capsule, Steiner warned against both meddling with the natural process of hive society and artificial manipulation of queen bees.

The following list of aspects of human interference with the natural process of bee life, while substantial, is no doubt incomplete:

- The raising of larva in separate quarters, arbitrary feeding of royal jelly to produce queens, then shipping by post to keepers.

- Selection of bee populations for docility, de-selecting for aggression.

- In contrast to the normal 5 or 6-year life span of a queen, “re-queening” after one or two years.

- The grafting of queens -  moving larva to artificial cups, then cages for transport.

- Supplanting guard bees with protective measures by humans.

- Keeping hives hyper clean, to reduce production of “nuisance” propolis.

- Using chemical control agents for disease and pests.

- Providing ready-made combs in place of bee-constructed combs, to save work (production time) for the bees.

- In a similar vein, supplying sheets of wax, so bees don’t have to gather and secret their own wax.

- Use of ventilators so the bees don’t have to tend this.

- Use of queen excluders to prevent eggs being laid in inconvenient areas of the hive.

- Moving of hives over long distances at the will of human intention.

- Clipping of queens’ wings.

- Agricultural practices consisting of monocultures that wreak havoc on honeybee diets, and limiting options once the dominant crop is no longer flowering.

The foregoing list of strategies used to manipulate production demonstrates that mankind is capable of invention.  In fact, we are able to wax clever, even to the point of genius.  However, in this modern era (in which we find ourselves so often losing the perspective of overview, due to reductionism and specialization, among other things) it appears that when we fail to perceive the whole picture, our inventiveness falls short of the masterful way that a naturally developing hive proceeds.

Perhaps there are effective ways to work in harmony with the bees, even using a certain degree of creative intervention.  But just which particular intercessions will time prove to be both wise and productive, in terms of a win-win for both bee and human?

               Who can know, but those who gain utmost understanding of the synergy and multi-dimension of the bee kingdom?

Leo Tolstoy, after his own lengthy study of bees, had this to say: “The higher the human intellect rises in the discovery [of the bees’ aim], the more obvious it becomes that the final aim is beyond its reach.”

The most essential thing we learn from reviewing the Steiner material is that beekeepers would do well to acquire a metaphysical understanding of bees and the complex masterpiece of the hive.

Mystery lives in the hive, and within the golden elixir that is honey, mystery we have yet to, or may never, discover.

Spiritual ecology holds that the first step in addressing an issue pertaining to the realm of nature is to deepen our understanding of the overall synergy of the particular eco-community in question. 

               Meanwhile, the short answer, at least for consumers, is to buy only honey produced in an organic manner  – and by non-interference methods.  Withdraw all support from other means of production.

If you are a marketer, establish non-interference standards and label those products so consumers have a means of choosing.

               If you are a scientist, reductionism leads to reduction in the world of nature.  Take off the blinders that induce you to seek an answer in terms of a virus, pest, or pathogen, etc.

And if you are a bee-keeper, or a scientist, study Steiner.  Try to see the pathogen aspect as a symptom, not the cause, of the problem. 

               Get an overview.

To access the complete article on this issue, as presented by Earth Vision, visit the site:

EARTH VISION

http://www.evsite.net/

Josef Graf

Taking nature to a new level.

Most people’s knee-jerk reaction is bee extermination when their homes are invaded by a swarm of bees. This generally negative reaction towards bees appears a product of some misperceptions fostered in the mass media, particular those in thriller movies depicting bees as villains out to decimate one town or another.

While it is true that people and bees, in general, do not make for an ideal mix, these insects bring more benefits than damage to humans. Bees are useful to man in helping the preservation of the ecological balance. Most importantly, they pollinate flowers of food crops that are estimated to consist of one-third of our food supply. With the extinction threat on certain species of bees, some plant species will be likewise be threatened with extinction, like the case of the yellow-faced Hawaiian bee which is important in the pollination of plants in the Hawaii islands. Some bee species, particularly the European variety, are also direct food sources with the honey that they produce.

Good for the health, honey is not the only benefit that could be directly obtained from bees. These useful insects also produce beeswax, where thousands of eggs of a colony’s queen bee are deposited for hatching and where honey is stored in each egg chamber for the bee larvae’s nourishment. The beeswax deposits from bee colonies are collected for use in cosmetics and in the pharmaceuticals industry. Beeswax can also be used as a raw material for candles. With the many benefits that bees bring, bee extermination is clearly not the solution if these insects stray into homes or populated areas. Extermination, in the first place, usually entails the use of pesticides which could do collateral damage to homes in particular and the environment in general. What then is the best approach when a colony of bees settles into a home or within a homeowners’ property? One immediate measure is to immediately isolate the bees’ invaded area if possible, and leave the insects alone and ensure that they are not antagonized.

Then the homeowner or caretaker can call some professional beekeepers or commercial outfits specializing in bee rescue and removal. Many of these professional help are listed in the phone directory or maintain websites with their direct phone lines to facilitate easy and instant communication. The ideal bee professional rescuers to call are those who employ natural techniques in their trade. They are those who may use non-toxic smoke but never pesticides as it has been mentioned earlier, bee extermination is not the solution. What these guys usually do is relocate the bees to a habitat more appropriate for these insects, such as a fruit orchard or forests away from human habitation. Of course, it would be virtually impossible for these bee rescuers to capture the bees one by one. These professionals in bee rescue usually trap the queen and some of her colony workers in a box with holes. The other members of the bee colony follow inside the box after some time and the whole gang is then moved to an area where they are unlikely to be a disturbance but a boon to humans.

Bee keeping is a great hobby that will permit you to harvest some great rewards from it. This is how we get the raw honey that many folk like to have with an assorted number of foods or drinks and even in some drugs. Honey is not the only reward that we will be able to receive from bee keeping. We can also obtain bee wax and bee pollen that are used in many different types of items we use on an everyday basis.

One of the first things that you need to consider when thinking of bee keeping is whether you or any member of your folks are allergic to bees. If the answer’s no, then you can go ahead and start your new hobby. This is a particularly important question as many folk are so allergic that it can put them in the hospice or become deadly if stung. Getting a started in bee keeping, you do not need to spend a lot of cash. You can start your past-time with one hive for around $300 greenbacks. This is plenty for you to start with. If you wish, you can expand later and purchase more hives and bees to keep your hobby flourishing. You also do not need lots of space to have as your past-time area.

You need to choose an area somewhere in your yard but far enough from your house that you are feeling ok with. One thing to consider is if you are permitted to keep bees in your local area. Some areas may have laws or ordinances against it. Now, where to get the bees from? There are three ways for you to obtain the bees you need. You may get them from an existing colony, a nucleus, or a swarm. Of these three methods, the one that may cost you the most is that of obtaining an existing colony. This may typically be done by purchasing them from established beekeepers and supply stores.

A nucleus is where a queen bee and several hundred employee bees have left a hive to form their own colony. Obtaining a swarm of bees is by far the most hazardous of the three techniques but is also the cheapest. To get swarm you have to first locate it. Hives are often found hanging from the branches of trees. When you have found a hive, place a box below the hive and shake the branch resolutely till the hive falls within. When you have done this, turn the box the wrong way up and place a stick under the box to permit any scout bees to get back to the hive.

The scout bees are the ones that search the area for suitable houses for the colony. Now that we’ve got our hives and the bees, we can start our hobby of bee keeping. There are plenty of techniques that are used for handling bees and retrieving raw honey. It is suggested that you research and know what to do before going headfirst. Providing honey and bee’s wax for people that need it’s a really rewarding sensation and is a great past-time for anyone that can handle it.

Making beeswax candles may be the way to go if you are starting a candle company.  First, making beeswax candles are environmentally sustainable.  In the new green economy, products like this will become more and more common.  Getting ahead of the curve with some knowledge will go a long way.

One thing that most people don’t know is that beekeepers are generally more than happy to get rid of their beeswax, so this is the place to start.  When making beeswax candles, ensure that they use the lighter wax that forms as a byproduct of honey.  The wax should sit in water overnight in a stainless steel container.  When working with fresh beeswax, you want to avoid any metal other than stainless steel, as metals will actually darken the wax before it is even melted.

Once you’ve obtained the wax, making beeswax candles is a pretty simple process, with a few things to keep in mind.  To begin, it is important to bear in mind that beeswax is a denser wax than others you will buy.  This becomes very important when it comes to wicking your candles.  For example, if you are making beeswax candles that are large, you will want to ensure that the wick is placed in the center.  More so than with other candles that can be reheated with relative ease to change wick placement, it becomes more difficult with beeswax due to its density.  Therefore, you should find a way to keep the wick in one spot as it dries.  In large scale production at the factories, they’ve come up with a simple solution for this; tongue depressors.  These are very inexpensive at your local medical supply store and unless you are starting the next Yankee Candle in your basement, one box will last quite a long time. 

When you get the depressors, drill a 1/8th inch hole through the center of each one.  These will not come in contact with the wax itself generally, so this is a product that will be completely reusable.  Once you pour the candle, center the wick in place, ensure that it has extended completely and has no bends or kinks that you will be dealing with as the candle burns.  Then simply extend the wick through the hole you’ve made in the tongue depressor, fold the wick over to keep it in place and rest it on top of the poured candle.  Making beeswax candles with good wick placement is critical since the density of the wax has the added effect of making them last longer.  If you mess up, not to fear, you can use a heat gun or hair dryer to melt the wax again; it just takes longer than other types of wax.

Finally, when making beeswax candles, do not under any circumstances allow the core temperature of the wax to become greater than 185 degrees Fahrenheit.  At that point, the wax will break down and the candle will not burn properly.  Working with beeswax can produce great candles that last forever, as long as you keep these things in mind.

The average perception of a honeybee is the insect that has five eyes, two wings, and makes honey. What many people fail to realize is that honeybees have a lot more to them then these simple assumptions. For example they were brought here from Europe in the 1600’s, and since then honeybees have become widespread across North America and are bred commercially for their abilities to produce honey.  The major reason honeybees are important is because they pollinate approximately 130 agricultural crops in the U.S. including fruit, fiber, nuts, and vegetable crops. Unfortunately for us the honeybee population has hit a major decline in the U.S. and elsewhere.  This major population decline is signaling an environmental imbalance which can lead to a devastating blow to our food supply.  In fact Albert Einstein once was quoted saying, “if something eliminated the honeybees from our planet, mankind would soon perish”.  While there may be many different reasons attributing to the decline of the honey bee, there are a few theories that stood out.

                Colony Collapse Disorder, which is the proper term coined for the disappearance of bees, may be occurring because of the brutal methods of beekeeping and the increase in the number of beekeepers.  The bees are put under a lot of stress during this process, for example being filled up in large trucks and crisscrossing all over the country seeking pollination work. These bees may be suffering from the effects of an unhealthy diet that includes a diet of food similar to power bars and energy drinks to get them to perform longer and harder.

                Many believe that our increasing use of chemical pesticides and herbicides, which honeybees ingest during their daily pollination rounds, are largely to blame.  Another leading suspect is genetically modified crops, which may generate pollen with compromised nutritional value. It may be pollen from genetically modified crops and chemicals that have tipped the balance of the colonies leading to the collapse of bee populations. This theory is credible by the fact that organically raised bees, which are not subjected to genetically modified crops and chemicals, are not undergoing the Colony Collapse Disorder that the other bees are experiencing.

                Some researchers are targeting the cell phone towers that are rapidly being put up, which causes atmospheric electromagnetic radiation, as a reason for this colony collapse.  The hypothesis is that the radiation being omitted through the towers and mobile phones may be interfering with the bees’ form of navigation.   This information is credible because research has shown that when cell phones are placed near a hive the bees would not return there. Research is currently underway in the U.S. to determine the extent of the effects of such radiation on bees and other insect populations.

                Global warning may add to the colony collapse disorder, through accelerating growths of mites and fungi that have been known to take over entire bee colonies.  Also, the strange change in weather patterns may be throwing off the colonies because the colonies are used to more steady weather patterns.

                One not commonly used theory is that of the Honeybee rapture.  This is a term coined by Christians, meaning that this is just one more step to the return of Christ. The bible speaks of a great famine in the last days in Rev. 6:5-6, Has the third seal already been opened on the book Jesus is given in Revelation 5:1, and is this honey bee disappearance evidence that the seven seals on the book are preparations for the seven year tribulation period rather than judgments inside the tribulation period?

                Although there are many theories as to why colony collapse disorder is occurring, recent meeting of leading bee biologists yielded no answers, but most agree that a combination of factors is likely to blame. “We’re going to see a lot of money poured into this problem,” says University of Maryland entomologist Galen Dively, one of the nation’s leading bee researchers. He reports that the federal government plans an allocation of $80 million to fund research in connection with CCD. “What we’re looking for,” Dively says, “is some commonality which can lead us to a cause.”   In conclusion this phenomenon occurring in our lifetime is as real as it was when Albert Einstein predicted it all those years ago. If something is not done immediately with this problem not only may we be affected, but our children, and our children’s children could be going through what may be the most devastating famine our world has ever seen.

The 2008 calendar indicates that another spring has arrived in North America and the signs of the new season are everywhere. Buds have appeared on trees, heralding the arrival of new leaves. The increased daylight and the warming sun act as harbingers for the appearance of flowering plants that will soon begin their summer cycle of growth. Nurseries and home improvement stores; such as, Home Depot and Loews, are selling plants, rakes, shovels, mulch, and fertilizer.

Indeed, the familiar signs of spring are everywhere. However, once again this year, there is a real problem in nature which is tempering agricultural enthusiasm for the upcoming growing season. It is a problem that was first identified in 2006. The problem continues to be the disappearance of the honey bee. Once again there is little progress to report from research into this mystery surrounding the honey bee called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

CCD occurs when all adult bees disappear from the hive, leaving the honey and pollen behind. Few, if any, dead bees are found around the hive. Between 50 and 90% of the commercial honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies in the United States have been afflicted with CCD and the problem is making it difficult for U.S. commercial beekeepers to pollinate crops. About a quarter of beekeeping operations were affected by CCD during the 2006-2007 winter alone. It is estimated that up to 70% of honey bees in the United States have just disappeared due to Colony Collapse Disorder. The problem has continued during the winter of 2007-2008.

In addition to the ongoing problem of CCD, consider that news reports indicate significant regional problems with dying honey bees this spring in the United States. In Hawaii, a microscopic mite is devastating Oahu’s honey bee population and the long term affects could wipe out much of the island’s agriculture. Western Washington State has a developing agricultural crisis as bees are dying from a new pathogen called Nosema Ceranae. This fungus attacks the bee’s gut, making it impossible to process food and the bee eventually starves to death.

In general, the various problems with disappearing and dying honey bees are rapidly taking a toll on the entire United States beekeeping industry. It has been reported that the number of keepers who produce more than 6,000 pounds of honey annually has declined from 2,054 in 2005, (the year before keepers started experiencing colony collapse) to about 1,100 this year.

Internationally, a lack of a sufficient number of honey bees is responsible this spring for problems in blueberry pollination in Canada. The Fraser Valley produces about one-fifth of the world’s blueberries, but no longer has a sufficient number of honey bees to support its blueberry pollination, and honey bees are now being imported for pollination.

In England and Wales, proposals to protect honey bees have recently been announced by the government. However, bee keepers complain about a lack of research funding and the slow pace of governmental response since the number of honey bees continues in decline.

It is now estimated that nearly half of Italy’s 50 billion bee population died last year. That bee mortality rate will have a drastic effect on the country’s 25-million-euro honey industry (which could plummet by at least 50% in 2008) and wreak havoc on fruit crops. The worldwide bee epidemic has also hit France, Germany, Britain, Brazil, and Australia.

The increased cost of energy in food production and transportation has already led to a world food price inflation of 45 percent in the last nine months alone. There are serious worldwide shortages of rice, wheat, and corn. The rising cost of food has recently been responsible for deadly clashes in Egypt, Haiti, and several African states.

However, if the population of the honey bee continues to decline, worldwide events from higher prices and shortages of food will have only just begun. The pollination of the honey bee is crucial to agriculture and the world’s food supply. Without the honey bee, prices of vegetables, fruit, meat, eggs, and dairy prices will all spiral much higher.

The disappearance of the honey bee poses a threat to eating premium ice cream as well. Haagen-Dazs, (owned by General Mills) said bees are responsible for 40% of its 60 flavors, such as strawberry, toasted pecan, and banana split. The company is launching a new flavor this spring called Vanilla Honey Bee to raise consumer awareness about the problem. Proceeds from the sale of the ice cream will be used to fund CCD research.

The ramifications to our diet and lifestyle are enormous, but government’s response to the developing food crisis has been limited and slow. The disappearing honey bee issue has not been discussed in any Presidential debate or in any campaign forum. In fact, both of our major political parties have been silent on the problem.

Hopefully, American politicians on the campaign trail in the 2008 United States presidential election like Haagen- Daz products. The truth is that Vanilla Honey Bee ice cream may be the only way to bring the candidates attention to a serious, developing, agricultural crisis. A world without sufficient honey bee pollination will create a food crisis of economic, national, and international ramifications. Indeed, it is another year without a solution to the problem of disappearing honey bees.

In certain regions of US, Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) populations are dropping dramatically at rates of up to 80%. In Europe, the situation is not better. Germany, Poland, Switzerland and Spain are reporting similar disastrous declines. In UK, honeybees could disappear by 2018.

The problem has been identified as “Colony Collapse Disorder”. With very few worker bees left in certain regions of America, farmers are forced to rent bees or import bees to get their crops pollinated!!In certain parts of China, bees have completely disappeared and people are forced to hand pollinate the fruit trees!!

According to experts, if bees were to disappear then humanity wouldn’t survive more than a few years. That is what Einstein once predicted: “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, humans would follow within four years.” No more bees would mean no more pollination, and as a result, no more crops and plants. With no plants to feed on, animals and people wouldn’t be able to survive. No more bees would simply mean the end of life on earth.

What is causing this environmental disaster that will affect our health and food supply? The large-scale use of genetically modified plants; the destruction of habitat; or the overuse of pesticides in the environment?? Nobody knows exactly.

Colony collapse Disorder in India and Asia

In Asia, there have been reports of disappearance of bees though on a smaller scale.

Colony collapse Disorder concerns populations of Western honeybees (Apis mellifera), that have been selected and bred by the beekeepers of Europe and America to produce honey. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is a condition of commercial beehives that occurs mainly in large commercial apiaries.

If India hasn’t been much affected by CCD, it is because modern beekeeping of Apis mellifera, though encouraged, is not as widespread as in developed countries. Still India gets 75% of its total honey production from the wild nests of Apis dorsata, a giant honeybee that can’t be domesticated.

Therefore, if we don’t want to see our most important pollinator disappear, wild bees should be a focus group for conservation.

Most of our general knowledge about bees is about Apis mellifera, the Europeen honeybee that has been selected and bred by the beekeepers of Europe and America to produce honey.

What we don’t know is that there are many species of honeybees. Out of the five main honey-producing bee species, four occur in India.

In India, as in the rest of Asia, the most common honeybee is Apis dorsata, the Giant Rock bee. It is the largest honeybee species in the world (nearly 1 inch). Rock bees usually construct huge, monstrous, vertical wax combs of 2-3 metres that hang to the thick branch of a tree, a rock cliff or a building structure (like Taj Mahal). The honey of Apis dorsata is not ‘kept’ like the honey of Apis mellifera. It is hunted. Honey hunting is done on rocks and trees by tribals.

The population of Apis dorsata has fallen by 20% over the past 10 years. Drastic changes in habitat, preference for Apis mellifera (the Europen honeybee is the Jersey cow of the bee species), deforestation, forest fires, pests of Apis mellifera striking wild hives are to be blamed.

The Western Honeybee has a higher yield of honey but:

The Giant Rock Bee has a lesser yield of honey but:

That makes 10 good reasons to preserve wild bees.

To save the bees of the tropical forest, we then need to preserve the age-old honey hunting tradition.

The honey gatherers, also called honey collectors or honey hunters, are the indigenous people of the tropical forest who have been harvesting honey from the wild honeybees since immemorial times.

Many of these traditional communities have survived till today in the remotest corners of the tropical forest of Asia, Africa and South America.

List (not at all exhaustive) of a few amazing groups of Honey Gatherers around the world:

India, Bangladesh: The Mowalis, the honey gatherers of Sunderbans (in the Bay of Bengal), harvest honey in April from the mangrove forest infested with Royal Bengal tigers. Before leaving for their 2 months long expeditions, the honey collectors make offerings to the goddess Bonbibi to invoke her protection.

India: The Jenu Kurubas settled in the Western Ghat in South Indiacollect honey from bee colonies situated in the most dangerous sections of rock cliffs. Like other forest tribals, Kurubas follow traditions and rules that respect the environment. Certain rocks are considered sacred and Kurubas never touch to the combs situated on those cliffs.

 Nepal: The Rai are the honey gatherers of the Himalayas in Nepal. The honey season is twice a year. The men harvest honey from the combs of the giant rock bee (Apis laboriosa) hanging to the steep cliffs of the highest mountains in the world.

 Indonesia: In west Kalimantan, Borneo, indigenous tribes called Dayak harvest honey by boat from the easily accessible trees in the submerged forest. Their honey harvesting system is called Tikung or honey-board harvesting system. The Tikung is a carved hardwood plank that will become a nesting site for the wild bees. The Tikung is attached with wooden pegs to the tree branches. A family of honey collectors place up to 500 honey-boards. To minimize disputes, the forest is divided between the families.

 Philippines: The Ilamag are indigenous people of Northern Philippines. Their most remarkable skill is the gathering of honey from wild bees. The harvest time lasts from March to May. They harvest the honey from beehives that are thick enough. If they are not, they wait. Till then, no one is allowed to touch them. To harvest the honey, they drive away the bees with a smoke torch made out of local plants.

 Vietnam: In the submerged forestsof the Mekong delta in South Vietnam, honey gatherers use split poles called ‘gac keo’ that serve as attractive nesting sites for bees.

 Cameroon: The Gbayas honey collectors differ from other honey gatherers of the world by the simple fact that they don’t use smoke to drive away the bees but they use a plant that acts as a sedative and puts the swarm of bees to sleep for about 20 minutes. That doesn’t give much time for the honey gatherer to extract the honey!! Moreover, all bees don’t become drowsy. That is why the Gbayas wear a protective suit and helmet made out of plant fibres or straw and in that cumbersome attire they climb the trees. Another amazing thing about the honey gatherers of Cameroon is that they locate the wild honeycombs with the help of a bird called appropriately ‘the greater honey guide’. With his call, the honey guide leads the honey gatherer to the beehive. Unable to retrieve the honeycombs by itself, the clever bird let the man scatter the bees and take the honey before feasting on the honeycomb.

Today traditional communities of honey gatherers are facing an increasing pressure from the modern world. Their lifestyle is in danger of vanishing, their traditional knowledge is getting lost, and their race is on the verge of extinction.

Honey gatherers are threatened by deforestation and developmental projects (like wildlife sanctuaries, dams…) that displace them in the name of progress.

After displacement, the communities that have lived in the tropical forests for thousands of years loose their access to the forest and with it the right to practice their profession, the activity that has been their way of survival.

In many countries of Asia, the honey gatherers have to buy a permit (issued by the forestry department) that gives them the right to gather honey during the season. High fees stop many from joining the legal harvesters. More and more of them are forced to enter the forest illegally. That has given rise to poaching. For legal Honey Gatherers, that means less and less combs to harvest. Moreover, poachers are ruled by greed and not by sustainability. They want instant profits and are not concerned about future harvests. They are contributing to the devastation of beehives.

In certain countries, honey gathering is altogether prohibited by law.

They are criticized for their crude honey collection methods that damage hives and destroy the bee populations. They are blamed for burning hives (they don’t burn hive but smoke them) and as a result the number of beehives is coming down drastically. They are held responsible of forest fires.

The fact is that all communities of traditional honey gatherers across the world possess techniques of bee management that are sustainable. They all harvest honey only when the combs are filled. They maintain a taboo on cutting the entire bee comb. They never remove the whole comb to ensure a fast recovery for the bee colony. They cut only the part of the comb that stores honey and leave behind the brood comb to ensure bees can start building their nest anew. That guarantees a higher survival rate of colonies and good future harvests.

Honey gatherers have always lived from the produce of the forest. They are therefore most careful not to harm it. Had they been careless about the sustainability of their honey harvesting techniques and methods, they wouldn’t have survived!!

Today poverty is forcing honey gatherers to go against their own sustainable traditions to carry on. To compete with the poachers, to recover the fees they pay to the forestry department, to make their job profitable, honey gatherers are forced to forget about sustainability and resort to slice off the whole comb to get as much honey and wax as possible to increase their income.

Honey collectors are rarely organized to market their products and get the right price for their labour. Their honey has the potential to be marketed as ‘organic honey’ and receive a better price.

>>> to reinforce their traditional knowledge and sustainable practices;

>>> to revive the indigenous honeybee populations that are so important for the health of our agriculture and forests.

To know more about the honey gatherers of India and introduce the subject to children through fascinating stories, lesson plans and activities, visit Ecological Tales for Environment Education – India.