The biodynamic approach to keeping bees

The biodynamic approach to keeping bee colonies is based on respecting their natural lifestyles and the integrity of the colony. Its aim is to promote the health of bees by minimizing stress factors, and to let them develop in accordance with their true nature. Bees are allowed to build natural comb, and swarming is acknowledged as the only way to rejuvenate and reproduce a colony; the queen is allowed to move freely throughout the hive; and sufficient honey is retained in the hive to provide for the winter.

Natural Beekeeping

Like humans, bees are creatures of warmth and maintain a constant temperature in their hive. This warmth helps bees to create wax for their comb, maintain their colony, and keep it healthy. It is also through this warmth that the colony finds its identity, each bee and bee activity integral to the whole. No single part, not even the queen, can be seen as isolated from the whole.

The Natural Beekeeping Trust (NBKT)

This pioneering organization promotes holistic, chemical-free sustainable beekeeping. Its approach is one of ‘giving to the bees’ as opposed to ‘taking from the bees’. Its website is inspirational, informative, and highly recommended for anyone interested in bees. For more, including details of their courses, click here.

Modern beekeeping – what’s wrong?

As the Natural Beekeeping Trust explains, bees were held sacred in all ancient cultures. Their survival was assured over thousands of years. In the last 150 years this has changed dramatically. Read more in this article: What’s wrong with modern beekeeping?