About Bees Alive!...

About Bees Alive! author, Tara Bambrick

To say that Bees Alive! is a long time coming is an understatement. It has taken me several years along a convoluted path to arrive at this point. I'll start at the end by saying "Welcome and enjoy!" Please feel free to send me suggestions and add your knowledge to this site (info-bee at beesalive.com). I've found over the years that community makes everything better.

I've spent a lot of time in the classroom collecting degrees and have complemented this formal education with a wide variety of work, pleasant and otherwise. I've always wondered if I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. Most of my work has fallen within the realm of health research, policy and education - lots of skills acquired, but still, I didn't feel I was quite in my niche - I was too far removed from what I considered to be vital to my existence. Every couple of years, it seems, I do something a little adventurous, perhaps to counteract the boredom and inertia. And so it was that I found myself in this very situation a few years ago when I got tired of the desk job I had stumbled into. I began to sense that things were about to get a little crazy... they did, and it was exactly what I was looking for.

So, in May of 2008, I left my intense research position to look for either a green job or green volunteer work. The goal was to explore my interests in food systems, environmental and community work in a more hands-on way. I spent eight months working with cChaos, a California-based non-profit organization. We set up small farmers' markets in low-income neighbourhoods, making connections with farmers, community members, social service organizations, nutritionists, students, and so many more vital community resources. I was hooked, and I wanted to learn more...

My hands were about to get dirtier, and my anticipation was great. Agriculture and horticulture have always been interests, but without a green thumb in the family, and with a healthy roster of other interests and hobbies to take up the too few hours, my childhood did not involve growing things of the edible or floral variety. I did spend part of a year working in orchards in New Zealand in 2000 - a breath of fresh air in several ways :) but 2009 was about a much more serious dive into the soil. Hands in the earth, I found myself supporting customers of a farmers' market and a community supported/shared agriculture program. I have a healthy respect for organic farmers - it is a good life, but a hard life, too. Farming, in general, is hard. Fighting against chemical agriculture and underpriced imports is even harder, but worth it. I'd say that one of the best parts about selling produce that you grow is the opportunity to talk face-to-face with customers and educate and be educated.

Following the end of harvest season, I slipped into a multi-month apprenticeship with a master beekeeper. I felt I was both focusing and broadening my scope at the same time. Bees and their products are a niche market, but simultaneously, they are the canary in the coal mine of the food system. They tell you when the system is sick - they are crucial to our survival.

I spent a great deal of time dealing with raw, unprocessed honey and honey products, marketing and selling these products, building homes for bees, learning about equipment and seasonal issues, thinking about issues of animal ethics in relation to bees, and reading, asking questions, observing, and educating others. And of course, I spent time thinking about Bees Alive! becoming a reality.

So, I am more than hooked. As an environmentalist, nature-lover, researcher, educator and international community member, I have found a way to contribute. This site is about information, education and action.

My adventure continues... I recently spent a year in China - 8 months in rural Hunan province and 4-5 months on the tropical island of Hainan province off the southern coast of China. I posted some location-specific bee and honey information on bees and other insects, flower photos, and honey in China pages. I decided to return to North America, and I current find myself in Whitehorse, Yukon in northern Canada. We are entering winter as of this writing in October. I do have flower photos to post (again, see the page devoted to the flower gallery. This will definitely be an interesting location. Not only is this climate extremely dry, but the winters are long with as few as 5.5 hours of sunlight. Should be interesting to find out how both farmers and beekeepers fare here.

Thanks for checking out this site and bothering to find out more about Bees Alive! Check regularly for updates.

A great big thank you to Site Build It! (SBI!) for being a cost-effective and time-efficient way of setting up this web site. Highly recommended if you are looking to build your online business or non-profit organization.

Tara Bambrick

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