Hives for humanity

摘要

IT'S A WARM October day on a Melbourne rooftop. Vanessa Kwiatkowski and Mat Lumalasi are unrecognisable in their full-body suits, their faces obscured from view. They each pull out a gun. There are hundreds, if not thousands, in their firing line. After the deed, they stand there, wisps of smoke still emanating from the guns in their gloved hands, and survey their handiwork. Robbery is now their priority. Across the city, many others are carrying out similar acts on balconies and in community gardens, on rooftops of residences, schools and even hotels. Welcome to the sunny and subversive world of urban beekeeping — where regular folks don white suits, brandish bee smokers and steal from hives, all in a bid not only to save the humble honey bee, butperhaps to save the world.