Let it bee

Sings Cyprus

The world seems to be embarked on a race to control the world, destroying nature’s infrastructure in the process.The Powers that be, seem to be dreaming of that glorious moment where they own and control everything and everyone just before the planet is finally extinguished by their destructive avarice.

In Cyprus there are few big cities. People live closer to nature. They observe the dying bee population. One February a couple of years back, my friend Pete Gallaher of Layia Village Crafts took me to visit bee-keeper Andreas Miltiades. When the honey-making process had been shown to us I said to Andreas “I want to buy some of your honey. “I won’t have any to sell till May,” he said. “I just have a few jars to give to friends.” He gave us each a jar.

Last October, passing through, Kato Drys, I stopped to visit another bee-keeper, my friend Costas who runs Ecophysis with his wife Georgia. “How are things?” I asked. “From bad to worse,” he replied. “The bees are dying. Last year I thought it could not get any worse. I was wrong. This year is worse.”

It is not just the amount of honey that is being produced that is diminishing. It is the whole pollination process. There is a type of bee called the solitary bee, that has nothing to do with honey production. Its purpose in nature’s scheme of things is to pollinate plants.

In Cyprus even government and EU sponsored bodies are becoming aware of this threat to our planet. An organisation called Ditheket is involved in protecting and developing the natural habitat. https://medfest.interreg-med.eu/pilot-activities/honey-routes-cyprus/?fbclid=IwAR1_8VS0eLlefdPIOUWGSMjByS0KlWV99xs4di3AVQVc97SUPyGCXgvkpyU

On the 19^th May, Medfest is organising an event in the mountain village of Ora. Pete Gallaher of Lageia Village Crafts, will be representing Lageia and showing off the bee hotel he built for the village of Ora. This is to give solitary bees places to nest in and be able to continue to pollinate plant life. Six other villages have ordered one.