frauke at large

We are in an age where morality preachers tell us what to do and what not to do to save the planet. All of a sudden the UK government is lobbying its people to become more environmentally aware, buy UK produce to reduce food miles, plant trees to counterbalance CO2 emissions, use the car less and generally revert back to ‘the good life’. Now, there is nothing wrong with that, in fact it’s great, it’s just the condescension and hypocrisy that goes with it, when countries like Germany have been saying this stuff for two decades or more …

But enough of the rant. What I really wanted to write about is my excitement over my new bee hive and its new bee population. I have reported of my new bee hive before, yet as it was too late in the season to populate it, I will have to wait till spring. And here’s how this links in with my prelude: I have be(e)come a (be)eco-warrior … (no, I have not turned into a Hippie, will ware no shoes and live in a shed) … from this spring I will populate the bee hive with real honey bees to try and ‘save the world‘ … sounds honourable doesn’t it … but actually: following the multiple crises that continue to empty bee hives (e.g. foulbrood, varroa mites, viral diseases, dysfunctional immune systems, and now the mysterious but globally devastating colony-collapse disorder (CCD)), it is understood that the true value of honey bees lies not so much in the honey they produce, but in the service they provides as a pollinator of farms and gardens. The value of bees to the UK economy is in the region of £1 billion a year and 35% of our diet is directly dependent on them – it is an equation of stark simplicity: no pollination: no crops. And with statistics such as: the US has lost 70% of its honeybee colonies over the past two winters, you can see why we need our bees. So there you have it: I am trying to do my bit, without giving up the flying …

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