Sami Grover
DCL
I've written before about my experiences installing a beehive, and on how to prepare for beekeeping. But I've become increasingly concerned about much of the advice in all the beekeeping books.
Everywhere I look, beekeepers are urged not just to medicate their bees when they get sick, but to provide preventative treatments of antibiotics too (with only passing mention given to the fact that some diseases are showing signs of antibiotic resistance!) We're also urged to feed the bees with sugar syrup, prevent swarming (which is the bees' natural way to spread their genes), and to replace the queen if she becomes unproductive (preventing breeding with 'unpredictable' wild breeds, in favor of more docile and productive breeds).
Now, as a beginner, I'm loath to pronounce that this advice is all bad - but with colony collapse disorder still visiting havoc on the bee population, I think there is room to speculate whether some beekeeping practices may do more harm than good.
But what are the alternatives? Is the modern approach to beekeeping the only way? It turns out there is a growing movement exploring sustainable natural beekeeping. From eschewing meds entirely, to only breaking out antibiotics to treat specific ailments, many people are being more selective about how much and how often they medicate. Others are reducing visits to the hive - as smoking and opening up the hive causes disturbance and stress for our furry friends.
But probably the most radical departure from mainstream beekeeping is folks' increased interest in top-bar hives - an easy to build hive that more closely mimics a bees' natural hive. Yields are reportedly way lower than those of a 'traditional' Langstroth hive, but proponents claim that by encouraging bees to behave as nature intended - and allowing them to breed and swarm as they will - we can help them return to a more natural, more resilient state.
For more information on the natural beekeeping movement, check out The Barefoot Beekeeper - which includes a comprehensive discussion forum for natural beekeeping methods in both top-bar and Langstroth hives. Sol Parker, a TreeHugger reader, also pointed me to the work of Ed and Dee Lusby - who are pioneering a return to biological beekeeping. (Sol's own blog is a great resource on sustainable beekeeping too!)
So there we have it - there are plenty of folks exploring alternatives to routine medication. (Not to mention trucking bees across country to pollinate almond trees!) Now I'm way too new to beekeeping to start advocating that one method is better than another, or that dropping the meds is definitely the way to go - but I do think a frank and open discussion is always a benefit. In the meantime, we can all do our part by avoiding insecticides (and avoiding buying insecticide-treated foods!), and we can grow plants honeybees love! Saving the bees is way too important to be left to a handful of experts.
Salivating over sustainable eats? Learn how to make your own with help from Emeril Lagasse in Planet Green TV's organic cooking show, Emeril Green.
