With insects disappearing in unprecedented numbers, reports say 40% of honey bee colonies in the US died last year.
Prior to our recent Fall Foraging Workshop and Wild Forest to Table Dinner, Anthony Blowers came by to scope the property and get a lay of land, discovering some nice pre-walk finds to share with the group (to read up on the success of that event just scroll to the article below). He also happened upon what we thought was a hornet’s nest just to the east of the retreat house. Bringing in local pest control, we discovered that we’re actually lucky to have a honey bee tree. Back in the day, it was good to have a honey tree because there were very few spices. People slathered the sweet, viscous substance on foods and made honey beer out of it. “You leave them alone, and they’ll be here for years,” Bee suited Terry informed me.
Bees are renowned for their role in providing high-quality food — honey, royal jelly and pollen — and other products used in healthcare and other sectors, such as beeswax, propolis, honey bee venom. The greatest contribution of bees and other pollinators is the pollination of nearly three quarters of the plants that produce 90% of the world’s food. A third of the world’s food production depends on bees, i.e. every third spoonful of food depends on pollination. Over the past 50 years, the amount of crops that depend on pollinators (i.e. fruit, vegetables, seeds, nuts and oilseeds) has tripled, while bee populations decline, due to varroa mites, nosema disease and complications with queen bees, mass use of products intended to protect plants in modern farming and their potential impact on pollinators, and urbanization, which is shrinking the agricultural space.
All that said, we’re keeping our bees. And this was a great pic and post to let the incoming group for our Fall Noble Silence Meditation Retreat this weekend know to give them respect and a little space. On the subject of respect and space, here’s what Morgan had to say about her visit to our last NSMR: "i’m doing so well in my life right now and a lot of it is thanks to attending The Summer Noble Silent Meditation Retreat at The Higher Haven. I've felt very in tune with myself and the Universe and i feel so good; I'm grateful too, because I know many people are struggling to find their footing right now. Since the retreat, i’ve kept a positive outlook on life, especially during the chaos that this year has brought. Paul is an incredible teacher and experiencing a weekend at The Higher Haven is priceless!! I highly recommend this to anyone who’s been feeling a little down in life’s current situations, as well as someone who might already be on their spiritual journey and is looking to invest in a life-changing weekend retreat. I’ll be back soon.” - M.W.