By Tony Orman.
Bees are So Important – Bring Them to Town
The one thing that all bee species are dependent on is abundant flowers that are free from pesticides. –Cormac Farrell
Humans should not be conceited about their place on the planet
The author Cormac Farrell is an environmental scientist and beekeeper for the Australian parliament, managing several apiaries and orchards throughout Canberra. His dual roles of environmental scientist and beekeeper gel together neatly as bees, vital to the larger ecosystem, are under threat.
The author writes “The one thing that all bee species are dependent on is abundant flowers that are free from pesticides.” To be a successful beekeeper this has to paramount in the thinking.
“One of the central conceits that beekeeping explodes is the idea that mankind is somehow superior to the other creatures on this planet, that other creatures are expendable in our quest for development, profit, life in general—we are the expendable ones, and it is plants and their pollinators, soil microbes and detritivores that are really the critical part of life on Earth.”
A manual for urban beekeepers
Cormac Farrell express the wish that his book should be a part instruction manual for urban beekeepers and part manual for city planners, governments and citizens in creating a more sustainable way of life.
He succeeds admirably as he takes the reader through the process of creating a thriving urban hive. He adeptly covers topics such as
- the various bee species (did you know there is over 20,000 bee species world-wide?)
- setting up an apiary
- planting to feed your bees
- diseases such as varroa
- different hives and how best to utilise them
- building a relationship with your bees
- managing the hive.
Relevant for all beekeepers and gardeners
Honeybees are just one of the estimated 20,000 bee species that inhabit the planet.
Yes it is a manual for beekeepers and gardeners, but it’s also a heart-felt plea to modifying the concept of cities and towns to embrace more of the natural word, especially bees. There are scores of hives in Central Paris, Edinburgh and in Christchurch.
It’s an absorbing read whether you want to get into beekeeping or care about the environment and the functioning of the natural world.
While the title specifically refers to “urban” this is a book for the would-be or established beekeeper, whether in town or out in the country.
Urban Beekeeping: The City as a Hive by Cormac Farrell is published by Exile Publishing, RRP $59.99.
Bees are so vital to the ecosystem yet we bombard them with insecticides and lethal sprays (e.g. Karate, glyphosates)
I do know in some Countries they have School Bee Hives where the pupils learn all about Honey Bees ? It would be wonderful if every School in N.Z. did the same . //// Dan Peebles is correct about these important Insects being bombarded with the tragic “over application” of Pesticides & Weedicides ! //// We must ban all Free Bs & Perks that CON Kiwis to use much more Chemical Product than is needed ? Dumped by Over Spraying ! so they rush back for the Free Hats/ Parkas Etc. ( with their Logo ) , so along with useful Insects like Bees, our Water Quality is out the Window.