Bee Conservation
Bees pollinate one-third of the food we eat, and a decline in bee pollination will alter our food systems, changing our diets and threatening access to nutritional food. Bee conservation thereby is not limited to the mere protection of bees, but extends to safeguarding the environment, securing food justice, habitat creation, research and advocacy.
Planet-centric approach involved and importance
-
Sustainable harvest of honey: 30% of total honey left in a bee chamber to ensure there is enough for the bees.
-
Ensure no larvae are killed in the harvest by using bee chambers that separate comb containing larva and the queen bee along with honey, and the comb containing just honey.
-
Incentivising traditional beekeepers to do both beekeeping and harvest sustainably by offering higher returns per kg of honey, as against the normal running price range in the region.
-
Involving local people in the packaging of the products, while also sourcing materials for packaging from small-scale and sustainable initiatives.
-
Conducting training workshops regarding bees for the community, and organising educational workshops for the children.
-
Trying to bridge the knowledge gap between academia and tradition around bees.
-
Spread awareness that profit can also come in a sustainable manner that does not exploit, but instead conserve and care for the environment and people.
Knowledge, Skillset, and Mindset to be developed to become a practitioner
​
-
Finding a mentor, learning and working under an established beekeeper before going independent.
-
Know-how of bees and flora-fauna of the respective region.
-
Ability to extract and process products such as honey, beeswax, etc. and know-how of the timing for the same.
-
Patience to work closely intertwined with community and the rest of nature.
-
Willingness to learn in the process, gaining knowledge from different sources and experiences.
-
Open to ideas, and the fervour to to take on new ideas.
-
Living and building slowly.
Opportunities in such a pathway
​
-
Creating new products and updating existing products is a creative pursuit which involves learning and unlearning.
-
Apart from selling natural honey, natural and handcrafted products made from beeswax can also be made as part of the product range.
-
Invest in knowledge dissemination of bee behaviour and lifestyle, about the different flavours of honey that is made, etc. through art and other creative mediums.
-
Bees are excellent creatures to learn from, and there is such a wealth of knowledge that lies in the way they conduct themselves.
-
Appreciating life and the rest of nature in a slow, interactive form.