Here is a growing list of resources that have helped me along the way.
Books
The Barefoot Beekeeper, by Philip Chandler
Bee Propolis: Natural Healing from the Hive, by James Fearnley
Honeybee Democracy, by Thomas D. Seeley
Websites
Oxfordshire Natural Beekeeping Group
South Maryland Organic Beekeeper
Videos
The Vanishing of the Bees (2009)
Morning, Solarbeez. I just watched the trailer for “Vanishing of the Bees,” and
we will make it a point to find this film and watch it in its entirety — even
though the facts will be deeply dispiriting to us — because we need to know
how serious the situation is. Once again, you have our heartfelt appreciation
and admiration for taking such an active role in reversing the disappearance
of the bees, and helping them to recover — and thereby making an enormous
contribution to the future of their species, and of our species, and of the living
planet.
All the best to you, and Ms.Solarbeez, and to Emilyingreen.
Hi George-n-margo,
I just noticed this comment you left back in March. Somehow it got ‘hung up’ in the to be approved category. My apologies for missing it. I hope you enjoyed “Vanishing of the Bees.” A follow up would be “Queen of the Sun” which is another great documentary concerning bee survival and by extension, our own survival.
If you get a chance look up the soilentgreens blog. He outlines the neonicotinoids products that many people use unknowingly in their gardens or lawns.
Hi SB, just watched the vanishing of the bees, thank you for recommending this film; shocking stuff, but sadly not that surprising. I’ll certainly try and do my bit when we get up and running, thankfully the majority of farming in our area is organic or multi crop; monoculture is a long way off and pesticides are still viewed as expensive luxuries. I just hope it stays that way.
You are certainly lucky most the farming is still organic. You won’t have to fight the agribusinesses. Many beekeepers in the US are close to big corn or soybean farms. There is just no way to prevent their bees from bringing back poisons or neonicontinoids into the hive. I’m close to cranberry bogs, and while they use poisons, you almost have to starve the bees to get them to pollinate the blossoms because there is no nectar.
Unfortunately Agribusiness is getting into the act with their own studies of the decline of the honey bee, which since they produce the poison can’t be good. I just saw the article today on MSN.
Recently read “Oil and Honey” by Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.0rg…. great story-line including climate actions and treatment free bee keeping…. good work your doing, and good to read about it here. Peace
Thanks, Bruce. I’ve got to read that book. I respect Bill McKibben for his work with 350.org. He is instrumental in getting a fee put on carbon emissions. I hope to see Massachusetts enact the very first in the nation CO2 fee (they can’t call it a tax because it won’t pass), but we’ve got to reduce our CO2 ppm or we will be making the planet very difficult to live in for future generations. I see it as a moral issue. We are robbing from our grand children. That is shameful.