Beekeeping, the natural way
11 Things You Can Do To Help Save The Bees
Bees are in trouble, and it is mostly because of us. We are destroying much of their natural habitat, we are poisoning their food and in the case of the honeybee, many large commercial beekeepers are using and abusing the bees for their own purposes whilst not giving enough attention to their needs and welfare.
Honeybees have been evolving for a very long time, the fossil record goes back at least 100 million years and they became remarkably successful due to their adaptability to different climates, varied flora and their tolerance to many shapes and sizes of living accommodation. They became attractive to humans because of their unique ability to produce useful things, apparently out of thin air: honey, wax, and propolis.
Until the nineteenth century, they were kept in pots, skeps, baskets and a variety of wooden boxes intended more-or-less to imitate their natural habitat of choice, the hollow tree. With the invention of the ˜moveable frame' hive, the second half of that century saw an exponential growth in commercial-scale beekeeping, and by the time motor vehicles became widely available, beekeeping on a widespread and industrial scale became a practical possibility.
Since then, bees have been treated in rather then same way as battery hens: routinely dosed with antibiotics and miticides in an effort to keep them producing, despite the growing problems of disease and parasites and insecticide-treated plants that have led to the emergence of so-called ˜Colony Collapse Disorder", especially in the massive bee-farming operations in the USA. 
It doesn't have to be like this. Some beekeepers have realised that, if bees are to become healthy enough to develop resistance to disease and the ability to adapt to pests, then they have to be treated differently, and not just by beekeepers.
Here are some things you can do to help bees:
1. Stop using insecticides especially for cosmetic gardening.
There are better ways of dealing with pests, especially biological controls. Modern pesticides are extremely powerful and many are long-lasting and very toxic to bees and other insects. Removing all unnecessary pesticides from the environment is probably the single most important thing we can do to help save the bees.
2. Avoid seeds coated with systemic insecticides.
Beware many farm seeds are now coated with Clothianidin and related systemic insecticides, which cause the entire plant to become toxic to bees and all other insects that may feed on it. The same coatings may soon appear on garden seeds. Check your seed packets carefully and if in doubt, ask the seed merchant for full details.
3. Avoid F1-Hybrid and Genetically Modified Seeds
Many modern varieties of garden seeds have been breed either to be disease-resistant or to have enhanced qualities such as larger flowers, pods or roots, to be less sensitive or have longer flowering periods. These seeds are what is known as ˜F1-hybrids". As well as having these special qualities breed into them, they are also sterile which means they carry no nectar or pollen that is useful to the bees and insects, and what is more, their seeds are also sterile which means you cannot keep the seeds to grow on next year.
4. Read the labels on garden compost beware of hidden killers!
Some garden and potting composts are on sale that contains Imidacloprid a deadly insecticide manufactured by Bayer Crop Science. It is often disguised as ˜vine weevil protection" or similar, but is highly toxic to all insects and all soil life, including beneficial earthworms. The insecticide is taken up by plants, and if you use this compost in hanging baskets, bees seeking water from the moist compost may be poisoned.
5. Create natural habitat.
If you have space in your garden, let some of it go wild to create a safe haven for bees and other insects and small creatures. Gardens that are too tidy are not so wildlife friendly.
6. Plant bee-friendly flowers, trees, herbs and vegetables.
You can buy wildflower seeds and older varieties of herbs and vegetables from seed merchants, and they can be sown in any spare patch of ground or even on waste ground that is not being cultivated. Some ˜guerrilla gardeners" even plant them in public parks. We will soon have a comprehensive list of bee-friendly plants on our website
7. Provide a site for beehives.
If you have some space to spare, you could offer a corner of your garden to a local beekeeper as a place to keep a hive or two. They will need to have regular access, so bear this in mind when considering a site.
8. Make a wild bee house.
Providing a simple box as a place for feral bees to set up home is one step short of taking up beekeeping, but may appeal to those who want to have bees around but don't want to get involved with looking after them. Ideas for such boxes will be available one this site soon.
9. Support your local beekeepers.
Many people believe that local honey can help reduce the effects of hay fever and similar allergies, which is one good reason to purchase honey from a local beekeeper rather than supermarkets, most of which source honey from thousands of miles away and of dubious quality. If you can, find a beekeeper that does not use chemicals in their hives and ask for pure comb honey for a real treat. 
10. Learn about bees and tell others.
Bees are fascinating creatures that relatively few people take the trouble to understand. Read a good book about bees and beekeeping, and who knows, you might decide to become a beekeeper yourself!
11. Become a beekeeper.
It is easier than you might imagine becoming a beekeeper and you don't need any of the expensive equipment in the glossy catalogues! Everything you need to keep bees successfully can be made by anyone with a few simple tools: if you can put up a shelf, you can probably build a beehive! For details, drop us a line and we will help you with some simple to follow plans.
Garri is a natural beekeeper living and working at Ahimsa-Portugal a Quinta in Central Portugal where he keeps and teaches natural beekeeping. For further details contact info@ahimsa-portugal.com
