Bees and Trees - The Natural Way
Trees and bees fit together naturally, and bees have lived in forests for millennia. Bees pollinate trees with blossoms, like nut and fruit trees, and receive nectar and pollen in return.
Cavities in mature forest trees are some of the best places in the world for wild bees to make their homes.
This delightful 10:18-minute video is called BEES IN THE HEART OF TREES – Natural Beekeeping in the Forest – ZEIDLEREI Tree Beekeeping by ruchebio and Jan Michael. It shows us how to make a beehive in a very old natural chestnut tree. Please note this is an ancient art and the tree is not harmed in any way.
The hive is designed so that the tree is not harmed and will continue to live for many, many years to come. Traditionally, care of the bees and the tree was passed on from one generation to the next, and in times past tree-hive trees were protected by law. This video demonstrates the making of a tree bee-hive. This is an ancient European tradition of beekeeping in a cavity created in a live tree. Tree beekeeping is returning in many parts of Europe, promoted by Free The Bees from Switzerland, and many other global organizations that support natural forms of beekeeping like Gaia Bees in the USA and Apis Arborea. In this video, Jonathan Powell from the Natural Beekeeping Trust shows how to make a tree hive in a sweet chestnut tree in Normandy, France. First a temporary working platform is erected, and then a cavity is created in the tree.
Apis Arborea has created many videos, and this 2:57-minute video is called REWILDING HONEYBEES. It is about protecting and preserving honeybees.
The commentary to this short film is like a love song to bees. It reminds us that our life depends on their survival, and that in the wildness lies the preservation of the world. Apis Arborea combines indigenous tradition with contemporary entomological research... teaches about log hives and hives in living trees... educates about conservation strategies beyond sustainability, and about restoring health and resilience through rewilding. The honeybees in this video are: A Keystone Species. Video by Michael Joshin Thiele and Music by Martin Jacoby.
MORE THAN HONEY TRAILER - 2 VERSIONS
Finally, for this weekend, we show two versions of the same movie trailer from 2013. They may be a few years old but are still totally current information-wise.
This 2:54 minute Trailer for “More Than Honey” Official Trailer 1 (2013) Bee Documentary HD – by Movieclips Indie – has some stunning videography of bees and almond trees. It is spoken in German with English subtitles and some spoken English. The full movie More Than Honey is an in-depth look at honeybee colonies in California, Switzerland, China and Australia.
And here is a substantially different version of the same More Than Honey - Official Trailer by Films Boutique. At 2:12-minutes, it starts off with a few words of Swiss German dialect and then flows into the English language.
Both versions are short and well worth watching.
High summer is upon us in the northern hemisphere, and deep winter south of the equator. Wherever you are, whether you are in sweltering heat or icy cold, please BEE well and think about ensuring that the bees in your part of the world are not uncomfortable... what can you do for them right now?
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Katy - Bee Missionary
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