Bee Guardian Presentation by BackYardHive.com

The Bee Guardians from BackYardHive.com present at
Boulder’s local food restaurant, Shine Restaurant & Gathering Place!

Come join us and learn what is really going on with the state of the honeybee and how you can help be part of the solution! Eating organic food, understanding pesticide use on lawns and gardens, saving honeybee genetics by calling your local bee guardian if you see a swarm this spring… this is all a part of the solution. Come and learn more and meet some local bee guardians!

Corwin Bell from BackYardHive.com  has been working naturally and holistically with honeybees for over 17 years. He has taught numerous classes and given presentations all over the world. One focus for Corwin is to continually design non-traditional bee hives that nurture and respect the honeybee. These hives are non-invasive and encourage a symbiotic experience for the bee and the bee guardian.  Check out his current designs.

Be Part of the Mission
Our mission at BackYardHive.com is to educate people about the importance of improving bee ecology and using beekeeping methods that respect the honeybee. Our hope is that by introducing new hobby beekeepers to the rewards of beekeeping that there will eventually be backyard beekeepers worldwide that will help bring back the feral bee population and improve the genetic diversity of the honeybees. This diversity is critically important to the survival of this most precious natural resource. Come join over 600 bee guardians from the front range and Colorado in this mission!

Where?
To make the connection with bees, pollination and local organic food we chose Boulder’s  Shine Restaurant & Gathering Place. The perfect fit! They serve organic local food from local farms and their food is fantastically healthy! Come and enjoy some eats from their local food menu.
Shine Restaurant’s Menu

Date:  Tuesday February 5, 2013
Time: 6-8pm
Location: 2027 13th Street, Boulder, CO 80302
Directions to Shine Restaurant & Gathering Place
Parking: Metered Street Parking or 11th & Spruce Parking Garage
Admission: $5 (Proceeds go to swarm dispatch 2013)

Learn more
Natural Bee Guardianship Classes at BackYardHive.com
See our video and mission at BackYardHive.com

Any questions, email karen (at) backyardhive.com

See you soon!
Buzzzzz!

Colorado Natural Beekeeping classes announced 2013

We have announced our 2013 spring bee guardianship classes in Colorado!
We are excited to offer beginner, intermediate and advanced classes in
Boulder, Fort Collins, Carbondale, and Paonia.
You can register for the classes and find out more information,
at BackYardHive.com

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Excellent presentation on bees by Cornell University Professor, Thomas Seeley

Honeybee Democracy by Thomas Seeley

We were fortunate enough to attend the presentation in Denver given by Cornell University professor and bee researcher, Thomas Seeley.  Seeley has been researching bees for the past several decades and in particular the communication of bees in a swarm. He calls it “swarm intelligence” and

Here is a link to his presentation:

http://multimedia2.geneseo.edu/GreatDayKeyHinted.mov
((he starts his presentation about 1/4 way into the video))
This presentation was not as relaxed as the presentation we saw in Denver as the crowd was asking questions and Selley was telling funny stories along the way. What an inspiration to see such positive enthusiasm towards the bees!

Seeley has written several books we recommend:
Honeybee Democracy – a great read, fun and interesting comparison to human democracy, but also fascinating information about bees communicating in a swarm
The Wisdom of the Hive -this is much deeper read,  really delving into the details of his studies

Here is a great synopsis of his work studying bees swarms:
Thomas Seeley’s work

enjoy!

Actress Ellen Page talks about the importance of honey bees!

Actress Ellen Page talks about the importance of honey bees.

WikiNews: Honey bee decline spreading globally

I like the precise and direct information about our WORLD honey bee collapse as stated by the United Nations Environment Programme scientists. Read on!

Angels in the blue: Honey Bees

Saturday, March 12, 2011
Scientists working for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reported Thurdsay that the collapse of honey bee colonies is becoming a world wide phenomena and will continue unless humans work to restore habitats for bees. The insects are necessary for pollinating crops and the report calls for profound changes in how humans manage the planet. The decline in managed bee colonies, first noticed in Europe and the U.S., is now seen in China and Japan, and there are signs of colony collapses in Egypt. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, honey-producing colonies in the U.S. have declined from 5.5 million colonies in 1950 to 2.5 million in 2007. A co-author of the report, Peter Neumann, said changes in rural areas during the past 50 years have contributed to decline of wild bees and other pollinators. Additional factors include the declines in flowering plants, the use of harmful chemicals and insecticides, the increase in air pollution and a worldwide trade system that spreads bee pathogens and pests.

The world’s growing population means more bees are needed to pollinate the crops to feed more people. According to the U.N. report, of the 100 crop species that supply 90 percent of the world’s food, bees pollinate more than 70 percent. Noting that humans seem to believe that they can operate independent of nature through technological innovations, Achim Steiner, the executive director of the UNEP said, “Bees underline the reality that we are more, not less dependent on nature’s services in a world of close to 7 billion people.”

The report calls for such measures as incentives for farmers and land owners to encourage them to restore habitats that are friendly to pollinators.

WikiNews

Michael McCarthy “Honey bee decline now global phenomenon” — Independent Online, March 10, 2011

…collapse of honey-bee colonies is becoming a global phenomenon, scientists working for the United Nations have revealed.

Declines in managed bee colonies, seen increasingly in Europe and the US in the past decade, are also now being observed in China and Japan and there are the first signs of African collapses from Egypt, according to the report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

“The way humanity manages or mismanages its nature-based assets, including pollinators, will in part define our collective future in the 21st century,” said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director.

Blue Angel Solo: Honey Bee Pollinating

The Associated Press “World’s bee hives to decline without human changes” — Las Vegas Sun, March 10, 2011

“Human beings have fabricated the illusion that in the 21st century they have the technological prowess to be independent of nature,” said Achim Steiner, the executive director of the U.N.’s environmental program. “Bees underline the reality that we are more, not less dependent on nature’s services in a world of close to 7 billion people.”

The bees are needed to pollinate crops that feed the world’s growing population. Of the 100 crop species that provide 90 percent of the world’s food, more than 70 are pollinated by bees, the U.N. report said.

Vanishing of the Bees film showing in Boulder

Where: Boulder Public Library
1000 Canyon Blvd., Boulder, CO 80302

When: Oct 27th -Wednesday

Time: 6pm doors open,
Film Starts: 6:30pm promptly

Cost: $10 donation

Why: Because we LOVE the bees!

http://www.vanishingbees.com/trailer/

Solving The Mystery Of The Vanishing Bees

All admission fees go directly back to
supporting the honeybees through a public outreach program
to bring awareness to pesticide spraying (residential
and commercial) that is adversely effecting the bees.

Busy as Bees

Well I guess it starts to show that I’m busy when I don’t stick to the posting schedule. Lots going on in the bee world these days! Between classes, swarms and hives, it’s been a super busy spring.

More updates to come soon!!

Save the Dandelions in the City of Boulder!

I just got home from an event at the Boulder courthouse on pearl street where about 100 people gathered to protest the spraying of dandelions on city and park property. It was a great event with many kids going up to speak about the importance of dandelions and chemical free lawns. My first thought upon hearing about the city killing the dandelions was: “what about the bees? My hives are right near open space and city property?! They need those flowers!!” I wrote a letter about what I would say on the importance of dandelions for the honeybees so that if I did pluck up my courage and become so inclined to speak at this event, I’d be all set. Sure enough, I decided to read my letter to the crowd with much praise and excitement afterword for bringing up the impact pesticides have on the local bees.

Ari Seppala the Bee Advisor to Finland

Next installment of the Finland trip:

The following day we drove 4 hours northeast to Ari’s house. Ari  and his wife are  large-scale “hobby” beekeepers. They manage over 400 hives. Hummm what a hobby! The night we got to Ari’s house we stayed up late listening to stories from Ari about past 25 years of his career as a “friend to the bees”. Not only does Ari manage 400 plus hives he also is the Bee Advisor in Finland. He is the guy to all if you have a bee question about your Finnish bees.

Meeting the Urban Permaculture group

The next morning after the presentation, Corwin and Karen visited  the guerilla gardeners and permaculture group in Helsinki who have raised bed gardens near the railroad tracks in the center of Helsinki. Karen and Corwin talked to them about working with bees and figuring out a good location to put their top bar hives for pollination in this very urban setting. It sounds like this group of young people is super enthusiastic and excited to start a few hives this year!! With the average age of beekeepers in Finland being 60, this new generation of bee guardians is really inspiring and energizing the local community of gardeners, farmers and beekeepers alike.