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Subtle Agroecologies
Thirty or 40 years ago, every refuelling at the service station necessitated a washing of the car
windshield that had become smeared with hundreds of squashed insects. Today, we travel thousands
of miles often without even fnding one small insect corpse to remove. This personal experience
does not need sophisticated scientifc investigations and evidence to effectively describe the current
condition faced by the insect world (Selg and Wirz, 2015).
All insects, including bees, are exposed to the destruction of their natural environments, impacted
by agricultural practices, environmental pollution and diseases. If we pay attention for a moment,
we can see Nature in agony, a dying world, and mankind is the cause. In the early months of 2019,
some researchers again raised the alarm and highlighted how the rate of extinction of insects was
eight times greater than that of mammals: overall insect species have decreased by 41%, the bees
by 46%, and the planet is on the threshold of a mass insect extinction, with losses greater than those
reported for large animals (Sanchez-Bayo and Wyckhuys, 2019).
Insects are fundamental for the proper functioning of all ecosystems, and bees in particular have
suffered from breeding practices that have weakened their nature: the extraordinary increase in the
production of honey for commercial purposes, resulting in the exploitation of hives, is in stark contrast to the essential needs of bees and refects the similar treatment of livestock species in intensive
farming. It is important to be aware that, just like other domestic animal species, bees have undergone intensive breeding. The world must change the way food is produced, to recreate an environment with organic and biodynamic farming rich in biodiversity, which is healthy and welcoming
to insects and humans (Menestrina, 2019). In his cycle of lectures on The Bees, Rudolf Steiner
indicated clearly to the workers of the Goetheanum, Switzerland, the implications of modern beekeeping techniques, including the introduction of new prismatic rather than rounded beehives, of
man-made, pre-constructed wax honeycombs instead of the combs built by the bees themselves, of
the artifcial breeding of queen bees and the feeding of sugar-based products instead of honey. He
said, ‘We’ll see it in one hundred years’ (Steiner, 1998: 75).
Today, this prediction can be both seen and heard: the silence around trees and bushes in bloom
is symptomatic, it is a deafening silence. Bees are dying, and this topic cyclically resurfaces in
newspapers or in popular action, or as a personal protest because of the deep worries of beekeepers
(Menestrina, 2016).
The concern for pollination and therefore for the bees’ food supply adds to this picture, but in a
broader sense, it must be recognised that bees touch deeper layers in humans than any other living
being on Earth. The most worrying aspect of the aforementioned factors is precisely this lack of
relationship between human and bee, because the strength and depth of this connection are only
partially understood, whereas bees and their social organisation provide a model for future human
organisation. As an example, and contrary to popular assumption, bees are not hierarchical. In the
hive, everything is done through the bees’ dedication to work and to each one’s specifc task. The
queen does not reign in the normal sense of the word, but instead is an exceptional mother, laying
eggs her whole life long. The bee community, meanwhile, makes common decisions, as in the case
of swarming or through taking stock of family developments. Thus, the hive organism is a wonderful example of creatures working together in perfect harmony for their best common interests
(Menestrina, 2016).
UNDERSTANDING THE INTRICATE LIFE OF BEES
The majority of people do not know very much about the wonderful world of bees and the wisdom
and perfection that is contained in the hive. By getting to know the bee better, they may develop
more respect, love and reverence for it.
The inhabitants of the hive are divided into three castes: the queen, the workers and the drones.
The worker bees (female) and the drones (male) develop in hexagonal structures that resemble silica
crystals, while the queen develops into a round cell that has no relation to the surrounding hexagonal
environment. Silica is known to have a very close relationship with light, and for this reason, we
Subtle Agroecologies
Thirty or 40 years ago, every refuelling at the service station necessitated a washing of the car
windshield that had become smeared with hundreds of squashed insects. Today, we travel thousands
of miles often without even fnding one small insect corpse to remove. This personal experience
does not need sophisticated scientifc investigations and evidence to effectively describe the current
condition faced by the insect world (Selg and Wirz, 2015).
All insects, including bees, are exposed to the destruction of their natural environments, impacted
by agricultural practices, environmental pollution and diseases. If we pay attention for a moment,
we can see Nature in agony, a dying world, and mankind is the cause. In the early months of 2019,
some researchers again raised the alarm and highlighted how the rate of extinction of insects was
eight times greater than that of mammals: overall insect species have decreased by 41%, the bees
by 46%, and the planet is on the threshold of a mass insect extinction, with losses greater than those
reported for large animals (Sanchez-Bayo and Wyckhuys, 2019).
Insects are fundamental for the proper functioning of all ecosystems, and bees in particular have
suffered from breeding practices that have weakened their nature: the extraordinary increase in the
production of honey for commercial purposes, resulting in the exploitation of hives, is in stark contrast to the essential needs of bees and refects the similar treatment of livestock species in intensive
farming. It is important to be aware that, just like other domestic animal species, bees have undergone intensive breeding. The world must change the way food is produced, to recreate an environment with organic and biodynamic farming rich in biodiversity, which is healthy and welcoming
to insects and humans (Menestrina, 2019). In his cycle of lectures on The Bees, Rudolf Steiner
indicated clearly to the workers of the Goetheanum, Switzerland, the implications of modern beekeeping techniques, including the introduction of new prismatic rather than rounded beehives, of
man-made, pre-constructed wax honeycombs instead of the combs built by the bees themselves, of
the artifcial breeding of queen bees and the feeding of sugar-based products instead of honey. He
said, ‘We’ll see it in one hundred years’ (Steiner, 1998: 75).
Today, this prediction can be both seen and heard: the silence around trees and bushes in bloom
is symptomatic, it is a deafening silence. Bees are dying, and this topic cyclically resurfaces in
newspapers or in popular action, or as a personal protest because of the deep worries of beekeepers
(Menestrina, 2016).
The concern for pollination and therefore for the bees’ food supply adds to this picture, but in a
broader sense, it must be recognised that bees touch deeper layers in humans than any other living
being on Earth. The most worrying aspect of the aforementioned factors is precisely this lack of
relationship between human and bee, because the strength and depth of this connection are only
partially understood, whereas bees and their social organisation provide a model for future human
organisation. As an example, and contrary to popular assumption, bees are not hierarchical. In the
hive, everything is done through the bees’ dedication to work and to each one’s specifc task. The
queen does not reign in the normal sense of the word, but instead is an exceptional mother, laying
eggs her whole life long. The bee community, meanwhile, makes common decisions, as in the case
of swarming or through taking stock of family developments. Thus, the hive organism is a wonderful example of creatures working together in perfect harmony for their best common interests
(Menestrina, 2016).
UNDERSTANDING THE INTRICATE LIFE OF BEES
The majority of people do not know very much about the wonderful world of bees and the wisdom
and perfection that is contained in the hive. By getting to know the bee better, they may develop
more respect, love and reverence for it.
The inhabitants of the hive are divided into three castes: the queen, the workers and the drones.
The worker bees (female) and the drones (male) develop in hexagonal structures that resemble silica
crystals, while the queen develops into a round cell that has no relation to the surrounding hexagonal
environment. Silica is known to have a very close relationship with light, and for this reason, we