Principles of Sustainable Beekeeping

Beekeeping radiates the practice of living in the present moment and the immediacy of being alive. Rather than controlling the hive, beekeeping is an interdependent relationship of working with the colony to help support what is needed. During a time of global environmental collapse, we must shift from being a “bee-haver” to a “bee-keeper”. My thesis is a collection of my experiences working with honeybees interwoven with lessons from sustainable beekeepers and research in natural beekeeping. My thesis begins with the importance of honeybees, both their role in our holistic ecosystem and our everyday lives. Next, I bring into focus the issues and diseases that have resulted from our current beekeeping practices. To conclude, I offer the reader an alternative way to address the decline of honeybees, with seven main principles that reflect the major components of the sustainable practices of beekeeping. The seven principles are beginning points in the journey of radically reimagining environmental stewardship practices rooted in care and reciprocity