Thoaghts & feelings: On The Honey Bee/ Human Relationship

摘要

In the December 2010 issue of Bee Culture, I broached the idea that as beekeepers we could benefit from the cultivation of our personal relationship with the honey bee. I maintain that cultivating feelings of love, appreciation and gratitude for the colonies in our care rather than depending solely on science and rational thinking, may allow us to become better beekeepers. There are good reasons to suspect that our thoughts and feelings toward bees do in fact impact their health and well-being. Whilethis concept does not enjoy scientific consensus, it is important to remember that despite what some people may think, science is not the last word on everything. At its best, science is simply our best guess on the nature of reality based upon what weknow. Since what we know is constantly changing, so is our best guess of the nature of reality. At one time the scientific consensus held that the world was flat, that margarine made from hydrogenated oils was healthier for us than butter, that climate change would proceed at a slow pace, and that Varroa jacobsoni was responsible for massive honey bee losses.