Solitary Bee Philosophy
In a time when we have to consider what our responsibilities to the environment, this population of insects has provided me with inspiration. Not only are they fascinating, but when I think about their lives, their existence draws my attention to what I should appreciate about my existence here on this fragile planet.
What I have gathered so far, solitary bees...
- are in perfect symbiosis with the environment. They time their emergence to when fruit trees are in blossom and then just get on with a life of gathering pollen, nectar and building nests. This provides more food (plums, apples, pears etc.) and encourages life.
- are Industrious - being focussed on, and working for the next generation. They do this in a step-by-step fashion; stock cell -> lay egg -> seal cell, then repeat... until they have run out of energy and 'retire'. This may be simplistic for a human life, but when life is a real struggle, when dreams and goals seem a long way off, the best we can do is sometimes to focus on putting one foot in front of the other.
- They are not aggressive and don't usually sting. However they can be momentarily assertive with each other when they believe their life's work is being interfered with.
- find strength in diversity different size specimens have equal chances of surviving. It is a diversity that means that when habitats are scarce, the population can adapt.
- are self-reliant - of course there's much to be said for co-operation and being reliant on each other. However we sometimes lose sight of the fact that we have a lot more power than we realise, to make changes in our world, and make a better place for all creatures.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. - Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu - Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)
At the end of the day, we all have some solitary bee qualities in us. I hope you will consider encouraging them.