We have long been hearing about various threats to bees and other pollinators, including Colony Collapse Disorder, new pathogens and bee pests, environmental and nutritional stressors, and pesticides such as neonicotinoids. Impacts to Queen Bees and their genetics are also a concern. According to the non-profit organization, HoneyLove, cities are apparently the last refuge for the Honeybee. HoneyLove [http://honeylove.org] is dedicated to urban beekeeping, educational outreach, and advocating for the health and well-being of honey bees. This week, we welcome Ceebs Bailey, HoneyLove's Factotum, and Kristy Pace, their Volunteer Director.
We owe a debt to bees as they pollinate 80-90% of the world’s flowering plants, including more than 130 types of fruits and vegetables. One out of every three or four bites of food you eat was made possible by bees and the honeybee is responsible for $15 billion in U.S. agricultural crops annually. While some are concerned about the health of bees for economic reasons and threats to food production on this continent, the reality is our fate is directly connected to bees and their giveaway to the ecosystem at large, in vitalizing the growth of trees, flowers, and a host of other plants; they are essential to creating and sustaining biodiversity on the planet.
The average human on this continent consumes roughly 1.31 lbs of honey per year which translates to a bee visiting 2+ million flowers and flying 55,000+ miles. May we offer up more love, gratitude and respect to the Honeybee and learn how we can contribute to their continuance.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/honeylove-with-84482060
HoneyLove.org [http://honeylove.org] is a Los Angeles-based educational non-profit focused on teaching the public about honey bees and aspiring hobbyists about safe and respectful urban beekeeping.
Ceebs Bailey is a writer in West L.A. who started out a few years ago with a modest tumbling composter outside the kitchen door and now has raised beds in the front yard, a flock of chickens and six beehives around the city. Kristy Pace has been cultivating community through theatre, artivism, and volunteerism for over 20 years. She is a teacher and environmental activist associated with SoCal 350, Climate Reality San Fernando Valley, and of course, Honey Love.
Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.
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Executive Producer and Intro: Jack Eidt
Hosted by Carry Kim
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 180
Photo credit: HoneyLove
