Related projects and links
- Free living bees – To celebrate wild, free living honey bees in all their habitats, and to introduce – for everyone’s appreciation and inspiration – some of the people supporting honeybees across the world.
- Apis Arborea – Apis Arborea was founded to preserve the life and resiliency of honeybees through rewilding, that is, the restoration of habitat and natural hives, and the use of a holistic ecological framework in working with bees.
- BeeTime – Bee Time is an art and research collective initiated by Karmit Even-Zur (UK), Jorge Gallardo (ES) y Pol Parrhesia (BG). Our interest lies in creating contexts where people can exchange knowledge and practices relating to natural beekeeping.
- What bees want – created by Jacqueline freeman and Susan Knilans. This site offers a comprehensive departure from conventional beekeeping. For those who want to have a relationship with their bees that is more like a friendly naturalist than an overlord, this is the site for people like us.
- Natural Beekeeping Trust – encourage attention to the real nature of bees, their nesting preferences, their forage needs and their all-encompassing purpose.
- Honey Bee Wild, crated by Ariella Dali
- DIY Gardening – Simple, straightforward actionable steps to protect the bees from decline for gardeners, by Hannah Miller, Uk.
- College of the Melissae, created by Laura Bee Fergusson, US.
- The blessed bee, created by Angy Twydall, Uk.
- Backyard hive
Art
- Lea Bradovitch, wonderful painting inspired by the bee muse…
- Matt Willey, mural artist, beautiful work…
- Clive Hedger, bees are present in most of his art, breathtaking…
- Maria Montessori, apisculptor, wonderful wooden hive sculptures…
- Karin Edgett, a visionary artist and photographer from Washington DC, exploring connection and relationship with the energetic consciousness of flowers…
Recommended books (with comments from Sandira Belia)
My Preferred
- Jacqueline FREEMAN, Song of Increase: Listening to the Wisdom of Honeybees for Kinder Beekeeping and a Better World, 2nd ed., SoundsTrue, 2016.
I devoured this book when I discovered it in 2015. I realised that I am not alone in communicating with the Bee Deva and that her wisdom is worth sharing. On one hand, Jacqueline shares her discoveries, her experiences, and her questioning with humility and simplicity. On the other, she offers a series of messages received from the Bee Deva which combine and overlap with those presented here. Reading Song of Increase greatly inspired me to give birth to my book.
- Simon BUXTON, The Shamanic Way of the Bee: Ancient Wisdom and Healing Practices of the Bee Masters, 2nd ed., Destiny Books, 2006.
A captivating account for lovers of initiation stories. Written with grace and poetry, it tells of the author’s adventures during his journey learning the shamanic wisdom of the bee from Bridge, master beekeeper with the Path of Pollen. The Sacred Trust, co- founded in the south of England by the author, offers seminars delivering the teachings of the Path of Pollen (today known as the Lyceum), as well as many other teachings. Strongly recommended for those who wish to deepen their exploration.
- Sue MONK KIDD, The Secret Life of Bees, Tinder Press, 2003. This passionate novel tells of the encounter between Lyly, 14 years old, and three extraordinary apiculturists in South Carolina during the 1960s. The delicious style and depth of the narrative rocked my world.
- Rose-Lynn FISHER, BEE, Princeton Architectural Press, 2010. A book of extraordinary photos taken with an electronic microscope. In it, we discover the incredible engineering of bee organs such as the multi-faceted surface of her eyes or the mini-hooks which allow them to join up their wings. This microcosmic dive is breathtaking.
Other Works I Value
Bee Biology and Ethology
- Jürgen TAUTZ, The Buzz About Bees: Biology of a Superorganism, Spring, 2008. Original title Phänomen Honigbiene, 2007. Superb photos from Helga R. Heilmann. The content is dense, reserved for enthusiasts.
- Thomas SEELY, Honeybee Democracy, Princeton University Press, 2010. Very technical and scientific, excellent for those who are passionate.
- Rudolf STEINER, Nine Lectures on Bees: Given In 1923 To The Workmen At The Goetheanum, Northern Bee Books, 2020. Some may find it dated, but this book includes beautiful pearls that are still very relevant today.
- Torben SCHIFFER, Bee Evolution (forthcoming). Original title Evolution der Bienenhaltung : Artenschutz für Honigbienen, 2020. I had the opportunity to meet Torben at the 2019 Learning from the Bees conference in Berlin. His passion and love for the bees shines. I have not yet read his book, but I foresee that his work reveals research of major importance on the true nature of the bees.
Alternative Beekeeping
- Heinrich STORCH, At the Hive Entrance, European Apicultural Editions, 1985. Original title Am Flugloch, 1951; PDF available for download at the Internet Archive. This pamphlet is a good source of information for those who would like to minimise hive openings and learn to read what is happening inside the hive from attentive observations of the entryway.
- David HEAF,Natural Beekeeping with the Warre Hive: A Manual, Northern Bee Books, 2013. A reference book which includes an important basis for reflection on natural apiculture.
- Fedor LAZUTIN, Keeping Bees with a Smile: a vision and practice of natural apiculture, New Society Publishers, 2020. I had the good fortune to meet the author (now deceased), who lived not far from the Arctic Circle in Russia. He describes his loving approach to beekeeping with gusto, along with, among other things, the thermodynamics of the winter cluster.
- Jacqueline FREEMAN & Susan KNILANS, What Bees Want: Beekeeping as Nature Intended, Countryman Press, coming soon, 2022.
Health
- Amber ROSE, Pioneers Companion Workbook, Acupuncture Treatment Plans and Pathways, CreateSpace, 2015. For those who would like to deepen their usage of bee venom in apipuncture, this book offers detailed lists of meridians and therapeutic indications for each point.
- Roch DOMEREGO, The Healing Bee, Northern Bee Books, 2016. This book gives many interesting details on the therapeutic uses of hive products.
Philosophy and Spirituality
- Horst KORNBERGER, Global Hive: What the Bee Crisis Teaches Us About Building a Sustainable World, Floris Books, 2019. An artist’s vision, for whom the frames of conventional hives are analogous to the mental frames of our society. A poignant call to good will.
- Mark L. WINSTON, Bee Time, lessons from the hive, Harvard University Press, 2014. Interesting explorations into relationships between bees and societies.
Novels
- Starhawk, The Fifth sacred thing
A futuristic journey, with a part of it in collaboration with bees, striking.