Wilding & Evolutionary Processes

This session invites participants into the world of free-living honeybees and self-willed ecological processes as a new foundation for reframing apiculture. We begin with a simple image: a wild honeybee nest in an old oak tree. What draws us in is not only beauty or mystery, but a living system shaped by natural selection, place-based adaptation, and the integrity of nesting habitat.

In the context of honeybee ecologies, wilding catalyzes a fundamental reimagining of apiculture. It advocates for the restoration of the natural physiological and morphological expressions of honeybee life, along with the integrity of indigenous nest structure. Rooted in current entomological research on wild Apis mellifera and aligned with Rights of Nature sensibilities, wilding offers a regenerative framework for honoring the intrinsic vitality of honeybees in relationship with landscape, season, and climate.

Wilding also asks us to think at the scale of watersheds and regions, centering ecological processes, interactions, and conditions. It is inherently multidisciplinary, informed by science, arts, humanities, indigenous wisdom, and a curiosity for new vantage points.

Together we will explore new directions in conservation, climate-driven ecological shifts, and practices that support self-sustaining populations of honeybees. In this work, the wild becomes our “compass point” for navigating the journey ahead.

Topics include

• What “wilding” means in honeybee ecologies, and how it differs from conventional beekeeping goals
• Nesting habitat as the unit of care, including structure, thermoregulation, and the protective intelligence of tree-based living
• Selection pressures in lived landscapes, tracing how disease, forage, drought, heat, and human disturbance shape survival and reproduction
• Genetic integrity and locally adapted lineages, with implications for resilience and long-term continuity
• Landscape design for coexistence, including core refuges, corridors, and practical strategies for farms and communities
• A multidimensional lens on stewardship, weaving science with ethics, cultural insight, and a willingness to learn from what we do not yet understand

This live-streamed session is designed for interactive learning and lively conversation, welcoming participants of all experience levels. Led by Michael Thiele, the workshop supports a deeper relationship with the wisdom of wild honeybees and a grounded reimagining of apiculture in harmony with living ecosystems.

Recordings will be available after the workshop. Scholarships are available upon request.