Re- wilding the honey bee

Most people who know me, know that I am passionate about small creatures, especially Hymenopterans! this family hold so much that we humans need, from wisdom to pollinators for our food supplies.
They, and we, are desperately in need of help and reconnection. Connection to nature, the wild and our own wild nature. Beautiful explained here in this podcast Lyla June, environmental anthropologist and creative. click here to listen to Endangered Diversity of Language and Life. I can't recommend it enough.

forthewild.world

This journey in conservation and connection has led me to become part of setting up Quintas Das Abelhas (Honey Bee Farm). A re-wilding and eco project in Portugal, centred around living  and working with the land in a truly holistic manner. Recovering ancient wisdom and connections with the Earth and each other. Our central focus will be Apis Melifera.

Is the answer to saving the Honey Bee re-wilding?

I believe it’s entirely possible. To me, it seems common sense that in order for Apis Melifera to become healthy and abundant again we need to let nature do what nature intended!

During 2015-16 US Bee keepers lost 40% of their populations, 150 European Bee species are in decline and the UK lost 15% of it’s bee last winter…….and this is before we even start to address the huge decline in other pollinator insect, some which have even become extinct this in 2016.

Bees naturally choose hollow tree cavities high off the ground as a home. This provides a safe environment in which to build their own comb. It is away from predators and at an optimum height for regulating humidity and moisture content. There are also some studies indicating the further benefits provided by this environment surrounding beneficial bacteria and fungi.

Recent agriculture practices, technology and beekeeping techniques have seen a rapid decline in the bees health and colony collapse as well as an explosion of diseases and infestations. The fact is, we have interfered with bees to the level that they are no longer able to manage these problem by themselves due to weaken immunity compromised nervous systems.

Our aim (here at Quinta Das Abelhas) is to explore a solution to this problem by re-wilding the Honey Bee. Our aim is to create an environment as close to nature as possible, giving the bees a chance to behave in a natural and instinctual way.. We humans will be acting as bee guardians not bee keepers, Through unobtrusive observation we can watch, learn and hopefully go someway to building a healthier and more resilient bee stock.

We will be working with a variety of techniques such traditional log hives, cork hives, tree hives (possibly a sun hive or skep, warre, for learning from) where the bees are free to build their own comb and live as nature intended. We will be observing which hives produce the healthiest colonies and encourage swarming by placing swarm boxes in trees etc. Research shows that a log hive or similar environment not only allows the bees to build, but provides a more constant state, regarding temperature, moisture and bacteria, compared to the contemporary commercial ground based framed and boxed hives.

We will not be regularly entering the hives, treating or harvesting. We will watch and learn. This mean looking at this project in the long term and monitoring the bee population as it rises, falls and thrives. It also means resisting the urge to interfere and ‘help’,a huge challenge for the most passionate beekeeper!

The idea is that we will create a landscape and environment rich in biodiversity and sustainability to foster the ultimate scenario in which the bees and other pollinators can maximize their productivity, re-production and regeneration.

This involves a full and varied diet/forage of native and indigenous plants across 30 acres of varied meadow and forest landscape.

Our hope is that this project can serve as a springboard for others. Help create a European and global network of natural beekeeping and guardianship, and a project that can develop into a space for learning and education.

More wonderful articles on natural beekeeping can be found here and at www.naturalbeekeepingtrust.org

Pictures courtesy of the natural beekeeping trust.

Dear, Deer. A campaign for the imagination

If I had to choose one word to describe my work, what I do and and the 'theme' it would be TRANSFORMATION.

For a long while as an artist,creator and writer I had been floundering to find a description for the collective of creative ways in which I work and how to present it. 

I had a clear visual in my head but the trick was how to present that as an actual working 'thing', so this blog is my attempt at it!

The Hollow Thread Bone

I am currently exploring and expanding on creative ways of working with children. Discovering how to equip our children with some of the self development/healing tools that seem to have become bred out of our society and lost from school rooms. It is these tools that adults seek out in later life as 'therapy' in a desperate attempt to 'put them selves back together' or cope with the stresses of life.

As an antidote to modern separatist culture, it seem necessary to better prepare our children in the hopes they avoid growing into adults who feel disconnected and alone, overwhelmed and unable to cope.

This is my campaign for 'Imagination', the champion of the soul ! 

There are hundreds of research papers out there that show nature and creativity are the best healers for mental and physical health. It saddens me deeply that we no longer value it as an essential part of our person, just a novelty aspect to be indulged as young children before we are severed from it. 

Without imagination, creativity and play we loose our ability to easily access the subconscious, our dreaming, other realms of consciousness as well as the chance to become our own therapists and healers with the ability to accessing locked away emotions, trapped trauma, compartmentalised psyches but most importantly our capacity to access JOY and fun, being in the moment and a healthy dose of mischief.

One of the things that I am exploring is the benefits 'unseen companions'. Now, in our culture we have denigrated them to 'imaginary friends', but in others they are known as animal spirits, guides, allies, angels, totems. 

Essentially these are all ways of accessing deeper knowledge, wisdom and lessons in order to become the fullest, happiest, fulfilled, 'Divine' version of oneself.

We can find many interesting variants and versions of them in ancient and modern life. I am always particularly fascinated by Philip Pullmans interpretation in The Golden Compass, shown here in this clip, Defining Daemon's.

 

As part of my work I am teaming up with the lovely photographer Annie Renwick, who is developing a body of work called 'Capturing Magic', exploring the essence of childhood.

Take a look at her work here. Annie's Photography

                                       

                            The Deer Project

The first and loudest observation is that things/tasks that adults require a great deal of time to (re) learn a child can do in a matter of minutes!!! I have a very special little helper of nearly 6, who is teaching me much, has a vivid imagination and huge capacity for 'other' but already struggles with societal conventions and expectations to emotionally cope and conform.

For the first shoot, Annie wanted a mask made from local and natural materials. These felt offcuts and wool are from an award winning local felt maker and friend Yuli Somme at Bellacouche felt workshop. She makes extraordinarily beautiful felt shrouds and coffins as well as quirky tea cosies, craft kits and containers.

Masks are powerful tools of transformation for children and adults alike and one of our most ancient practices.

The Making of the Deer Mask

     
         

To follow this project sign up to the blog......
Finished shoot photographs to come soon.........