So, Why Bees?

No less than 95% of the time, when people ask me what I'm passionate about or what my hobbies are, my answer is met with surprise, amusement and further questions. It doesn't matter what country I'm in or what age group I'm talking to, I get the same reaction most of the time. But the best part is that no one ever forgets, and my answer becomes part of my public identity. And I'd like to think I've brought a little awareness and maybe even inspired a few new aficionados.

You see, I love bees.

Honeybees, native bees (especially bumbles) - it doesn't matter. And I don't mean wasps. I mean bees. They are not the same, but I'll spend time in another post talking about bees vs. wasps. Bees. I automatically look for them whenever I'm out on a walk, and if you look at my photo albums on my phone and computer, you'll notice that a large percentage of the photos are of the bees and flowers that I come across on these walks. I can lose hours watching them work. And the sight of a full-to-bursting pollen sac on the sides of a bee's knees likely does something chemical in my brain. I think it's called 'happiness'.

So why bees?

Well, I think it started when I was quite young. One day, I was stung by a frightened bumblebee that had somehow been sucked through an open window while my family car was speeding along the highway. I had been freaked for the few seconds of surprise, but I still remember the small bump left by the stinger on the small finger of my left hand with a sort of fondness. And although I didn't develop my bee obsession until years later, I still think of that bee sting as a sort of delayed-effect Cupid's arrow. And I made up for that lost time, as in the last decade and a half, I've had the privilege of working with master beekeepers, meeting professional beekeepers and herbalist prescribers of bee products in different countries, and sampling local honeys wherever I travel. At this point, my favourite honey is a dark, creamed, local honey I was gifted by a colleague in Kyrgyzstan where I was working in 2021.

Part of my mission is to help people understand the character of bees, their crucial role in our world, and to reduce the fear many have of them. I also think they are adorable and have delicate and intricate features (especially bumbles!) and they make great subjects for artwork, cartoons, and story characters. I also promote the use of honey and other bee products medicinally, and would love to see the world give up sugar and corn syrup permanently and use honey (in strict moderation) instead.

In short, I'm a bee nerd, and this is my rejuvenated site. Join me here and/or on social media.