Its well known that bees have been around for millions of years, way before humans ever stepped foot on the planet. Bees have faced many challenges during their existence, different pests, diseases, and dramatic changes to the climate and their environment. There has been no human intervention, it's been achieved by natural selection.
Humans and the exploitation of our planet has put further pressure on our ecosystems, and the life that lives within it. Honey bees are one of many species that have suffered from both habitat lose and modern beekeeping practices. They are often discouraged from swarming, unsustainably supported with chemicals, miticides and supplementary feeding, all for the sake of maximising honey production.
It has now reached the stage that many people believe that wild honey bees cannot survive without human intervention and that they are even a threat to managed colonies by spreading disease.
I am now in my 4th year of installing tree hives to help rewild honey bees. There are presently 53 in location, many of them under constant observation by their enthusiastic owners. The data I am collecting is remarkable and consistent with other similar projects, putting a new light on the ability of bees to thrive when left to their own devices.
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