Re-imagining Apiculture through Wilding

Contemporary research documents the resilience and longevity of wild honeybees in remote landscapes that are sheltered from agricultural and apicultural practices. How can we integrate the qualities and conditions that allow honeybees in the wild to thrive into our backyards and beekeeping? One approach Apis Arborea (www.apisarborea.org) has taken is to incorporate the biomimicry of arboreal nest conditions and to promote natural population dynamics. Honeybees as novel wildlife in the Americas have become a rich and pioneering field of research that can serve our quest for a sustainable apicultural framework. Environmental challenges such as climate emergency and the 6th mass extinctions are new emerging compass points for apian conservation (and that of all species) that invite us with utmost urgency into the development of truly sustainable systems.

The topics of the presentation will include a 7-year research study of wild, unmanaged honeybees in a Wildlands Preserve, the ancient craft and science of beelining as a tool to track bees and locate BeeTrees,  our Apian Networks program and a project that introduces a wild honeybee framework into a diverse community in Oregon that includes farmers, a Tribal Nation, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

More info here.