Soliloquy

In the wise words of the 11th century playwright of Elizabethan England:

"To be of not to be, that is the question?"

This simple soliloquy from Hamlet about "the advantages and disadvantages of existence"1 is easily applied to our current plight with the little honey bee. Hamlet contemplates "is it nobler to live miserably or to end one's sorrows with a single stroke?"



The human race now stands at a threshold with this same exact question and our annihilation of nature, agriculture and food as we know it. Since the media in the US is owned by many of the large mega-corporations who also own big agra and weapon companies, the public is often fed information that will either keep them in fear, feeling they have no power. More often inaccurate knowledge or none is shared, like the hazards of pesticides. In particular the neonicotinoid, Imidacloprid, made by Bayer and wisely banned in many European countries.

"Bees are the legs of plants."
~ Michal Pollan

As I sit here in the wooded hills of Southern California, with the intention to affect change, a perfume devoted to the honey bee will release with the Summer Solstice on June 21st. The fragrance is called "To Bee", inspired by the aroma of the bee hive.

Join us today as Beth casts the circle from Perfume Smellin' Things for a collective hymn to the honey bee, ongoing reviews and thoughts on this latest natural, botanical perfume. Beth shares the story of her father and his bee garden. Other participating bloggers include:

Tom at Perfume Posse
Lucy at Indie Perfume
Trish at Scent Hive
Donna at Perfume Smellin' Things
Margi MacDonald at Perfume Pharmer
Jade Shutes at the IDA blog
Elena at Perfume Shrine

As the reviews come in I will post them here at the blog. Many thanks to all the participants, the Backwards Beekeepers and filmaker Taggart Siegel. If you have the opportunity to see the documentary "Queen of the Sun" I highly recommend it, Taggart has done an excellent job in telling the story of the plight of our little honey bee.

Find out how you can bee of service to this most important pollinator and bee part of the solution check out this link at the Queen of the Sun website, 10 Things You Can Do To Help Bees.

1 Shakespeare Online

Photo ©RoxanaVilla of three honey bees, one with very full pollen sacks, on the Matilija poppies in my California native garden. This trio of bees might be from my two hives, not sure though.