Falling In Love With : Our diversity of native bees and pollinators (interview with brigit strawbridge howard, author of dancing with bees)
Brigit Strawbridge Howard (@B_Strawbridge) is a bee advocate, speaker, wildlife gardener, and author of the new book Dancing with Bees, a charming and eloquent account of rediscovering and reconnecting with the natural world.
In this podcast episode, Brigit sheds light on all of the different and unique species of wild bees out there besides the honeybee; how we've exploited honeybees as monocultures in order to uphold our industrialized, monocultural food systems; why we need to go beyond single-species conservation efforts for a more holistic approach; and more.
To start, get a glimpse below into the conversation between Brigit and Green Dreamer Podcast's host, Kamea Chayne.
Musical feature: Trust The Sun by This is Us by Girl Pow-R
“We have to rapidly change our perception of pollination being all about the honeybee. I think we’re starting to think that it’s all about the bees, but actually, there are other pollinators, too.”
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This is a conversation on Green Dreamer with Kamea Chayne, a podcast and multimedia journal illuminating our paths towards ecological balance, intersectional sustainability, and true abundance and wellness for all. This preview has been edited for clarity. Subscribe to Green Dreamer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or any podcast app to stay informed and updated on our latest episodes.
On our anthropocentric placement of value on honeybees:
"More recently, the media have focused on honeybees because it has been thought that they are the most important pollinators on the planet.
That's because people keep them. It's because honeybees can be managed and kept in hives, and this has been going on for thousands of years."
On expanding our view of pollinators:
"Flies are incredibly important pollinators. I've read research recently that I had no idea about until a few years ago, but flies fly at times of the day and in weathers that bees won't fly. They are more likely to pollinate plants that grow in woodland edges, dark damp areas, or in more extreme climates.
So it's not just bees [that are important to for us to protect]. We have to rapidly change our perception of pollinator conservation being all about the honeybee."
On the limitations of beekeeping for pollinator conservation:
"I think there's a misconception: People seem still to think that we can save bees by keeping more bees and by supporting beekeepers.
But the thing is that keeping honeybees is no more going to help the problem with bee decline than keeping chickens would help birds."
Final words of wisdom:
"Get out into your own garden, backyard, or local park and get to know the wildlife you share your space with.”
