Who Cares About the Bees?
Drawing connections between podcast episodes, a documentary, and more
Who should care about the bees anyways? Well, not too long ago I probably would not have thought twice about the problems that the bees are currently facing; however, over the course of the last few weeks I have learned the importance of considering and working to solve the problem of the bees. Some of the resources that have brought the gravity of the bees’ situation to light for me have included viewing the documentary, More than Honey, a field trip to the Civic Garden Center, participating in the Livewell Collaborative Experience, and listening to the Bloomberg Business of Bees podcast episodes. Through reading, listening to, and interacting with these resources, I have learned why I should care about the bees – and why more people should as well.
The More than Honey documentary shed light on the lives of some of the stakeholders in the bee problem. This includes beekeepers, farmers, consumers, and the bees themselves. Prior to watching this documentary, I had no idea there was a market for traveling beekeepers, nor the significance of monocultures and their impact on the bees. The Bloomberg Business of Bees podcast episodes discussed these issues as well, mentioning the prevalence of the almond industry, and its monocultures, in the bee world. An important takeaway from the documentary and podcast episodes was the recognition of the multiple working parts in the bee community – all of which need to be acknowledged when discussing solving a large problem like that of the bees.
We learned about one way to take different stakeholders into consideration during our experience with the Livewell Collaborative. During this class period we practiced empathy mapping, a tool used to better understand the life of a client or stakeholder by considering various archetypes. I especially appreciated this activity because it provided me with a new, more effective perspective from which to problem solve.
Some of the issues that we have learned bees experience include colony collapse disorder, Varroa mites, and pesticides. It was heartbreaking to watch beekeepers in the documentary discover they had lost a hive to colony collapse disorder, revealing just how much the beekeepers valued each hive. The frustrating thing about colony collapse disorder is the difficulty in identifying the cause. The hosts of the podcast discussed the importance of the bees to our produce and nutrition, which makes colony collapse disorder both important and frightening to not only beekeepers, but consumers as well.
Although contemplating the bees’ situation can be overwhelming, it was encouraging to see members of the community, like the workers at the Civic Garden Center, take action and contribute to helping the bees. Our educator during the visit, Ellie, was extremely passionate and informative, sharing her knowledge with us while showing us around the garden. Below is a gallery of pictures I took during our visit. The observation hive was intriguing; being able to see the honeycomb, worker bees, and brood up close provided new insight to the high level of organization the bees maintain in their hives. We also had the opportunity to see a Langstroth Hive located in the garden. In the podcasts we heard how Langstroth discovered the ideal “bee space” by spending more time outside while experiencing seasonal depression, and modeled his hive from this discovery, yielding the Langstroth Hive design. He claimed the bees developed a sort of symbiotic relationship with him, contributing to his great appreciation for them. Learning this story increased my appreciation of the bees as well. From helping Langstroth overcome his depression, to ensuring I can purchase my almond milk each week at the grocery store, bees are important to beekeepers and consumers alike. For these reasons, I care about the bees – and you should too.
The More than Honey documentary shed light on the lives of some of the stakeholders in the bee problem. This includes beekeepers, farmers, consumers, and the bees themselves. Prior to watching this documentary, I had no idea there was a market for traveling beekeepers, nor the significance of monocultures and their impact on the bees. The Bloomberg Business of Bees podcast episodes discussed these issues as well, mentioning the prevalence of the almond industry, and its monocultures, in the bee world. An important takeaway from the documentary and podcast episodes was the recognition of the multiple working parts in the bee community – all of which need to be acknowledged when discussing solving a large problem like that of the bees.
We learned about one way to take different stakeholders into consideration during our experience with the Livewell Collaborative. During this class period we practiced empathy mapping, a tool used to better understand the life of a client or stakeholder by considering various archetypes. I especially appreciated this activity because it provided me with a new, more effective perspective from which to problem solve.
Some of the issues that we have learned bees experience include colony collapse disorder, Varroa mites, and pesticides. It was heartbreaking to watch beekeepers in the documentary discover they had lost a hive to colony collapse disorder, revealing just how much the beekeepers valued each hive. The frustrating thing about colony collapse disorder is the difficulty in identifying the cause. The hosts of the podcast discussed the importance of the bees to our produce and nutrition, which makes colony collapse disorder both important and frightening to not only beekeepers, but consumers as well.
Although contemplating the bees’ situation can be overwhelming, it was encouraging to see members of the community, like the workers at the Civic Garden Center, take action and contribute to helping the bees. Our educator during the visit, Ellie, was extremely passionate and informative, sharing her knowledge with us while showing us around the garden. Below is a gallery of pictures I took during our visit. The observation hive was intriguing; being able to see the honeycomb, worker bees, and brood up close provided new insight to the high level of organization the bees maintain in their hives. We also had the opportunity to see a Langstroth Hive located in the garden. In the podcasts we heard how Langstroth discovered the ideal “bee space” by spending more time outside while experiencing seasonal depression, and modeled his hive from this discovery, yielding the Langstroth Hive design. He claimed the bees developed a sort of symbiotic relationship with him, contributing to his great appreciation for them. Learning this story increased my appreciation of the bees as well. From helping Langstroth overcome his depression, to ensuring I can purchase my almond milk each week at the grocery store, bees are important to beekeepers and consumers alike. For these reasons, I care about the bees – and you should too.