Have you heard the buzz? Bees are on the move again, they are heading into new territory and you may just be lucky enough to see them pass by as they move on to more flowery pastures. Is this the migration of the killer bees that spawned the movie Swarm and all its horror?  I remember when I was a kid, I was absolutely terrified of bees. Funny how ignorance breeds fear isn’t it?

Now when I go for a walk in the Music Garden at Harbourfront I stop to watch the bees pollinate. I can almost hear The Flight Of The Bumble Bee play as they zip from flower to flower. Maybe’s that why it’s called the Music Garden.

I even got up close and personal with them and my smart phone this summer. When I look at the pictures though the image is all fuzzy just like the bees themselves. They just can’t seem to stay still long enough to strike a pose.

But back on the subject of migration, these wondrous little honeys, who really are the sweetest little creatures on the planet, are traveling to a destination most earthlings typically do not aspire to. It’s the great beehive between lives, where the Queen demands no more work from her loyal collective.

They loose their sense of purpose, they loose their sense of smell, they lose all their senses in fact. They just die.

Have you ever wondered what Bee Heaven looks like? I’d bring a lot of donuts if I were you (disclaimer: in Bee Heaven donuts are actually gluten-free and highly nutritious) because there are oodles of gooey pots for you to dip that earthly sin into.

The busy workers who are fortunate enough to make it past the twirly gates, live out their eternal lives feeding the angels with perfection so that they can survive the demanding trips back and forth to Earth and sprinkle positive thoughts and feelings in the hearts and dreams of children below.

The ones who aren’t so fortunate…well…they end up somewhere else…back on Earth again.

If there is such as thing as Bee Hell it would be working for a Queen whose palace looks out over 100 miles of GMO crops in every direction her little wings can take her. The lands are so infested with toxins that the colony must work double-time to meet the strict quota the monarch demands. The nectar crusaders are over-worked, malnourished, and immune system compromised. Time is definitely against them as they work to save the next generation.

A little echinacea nectar would give the bees an extra boost during flu season, but alas, in these GMO queendoms, there is nothing of the sort. Eventually, the colony collapses, pollination stops, and the land is stripped of its secret love message carriers between the smitten flora:

grape, tangerine, tangelo, tamarind, star apple, cainito, safflower, pigeon pea, cajan pea, congo bean, persimmon, papaya, oil palm, lychee, longan, lima bean, kidney bean, haricot bean, mungo bean, string bean, green bean, hog plum guar bean, goa bean, flax, cowpea, black-eyed pea, blackeye bean, beet, azarole, chilli pepper, red pepper, bell pepper, green pepper, sunflower, strawberry tree, strawberry, sesame, service tree, rapeseed, pomegranate, okra, mustard, mammee apple, karite, jujube, jack bean, horse bean, sword bean, hyacinth bean, guava, fig, elderberry, cotton, coffea, coffea arabica, coffea canephora, coconut, chestnut, caraway, cactus, prickly pear, broad bean, black currant, red currant, eggplant, turnip, canola, sweet cherry, sour cherry, rose hips, dogroses, raspberry, plum, greengage, mirabelle, sloe, pear, peach, nectarine, naranjillo, mango, loquat, fennel, feijoa, durian, cucumber, coriander, cola nut, cashew, cardamom, carambola, starfruit, buckwheat, blueberry, blackberry, avocado, apricot, apple, almond, allspice, watermelon, vanilla, squash, pumpkin, gourd, marrow, zucchini, sapodilla, rowanberry, passion fruit, maracuja, macadamia, kiwifruit, cocoa, canteloupe, melon, brazil nut, atemoya, cherimoya, custard apple, american pawpaw.

Would you like to add anything else to the list?

No bees -> no crop nookie -> no food -> hungry livestock and humans -> more hungry humans -> destruction

So whenever you hear the Flight of The Bumble Bee, think of The Plight Of The Bumble Bee and create some polka-dot flowers for them:

  • buy organic
  • support your local organic farms
  • grow your own permaculture garden
  • band together in your community to kick out GMO seeds and crops
  • and hum good morning to the bulbous little workers in fuzzy black and yellow stripped pajamas

The Queen Bee is looking for a Steward. Would you like the privilege of serving her?

I leave you with this.  Close your eyes and imagine you are that bee racing against time.

Now take your heartrate and grab a spoonful of organic honey to sooth your spirit. 🙂