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Spikenard Farm Honeybee Sanctuary was founded in the certainty that there can be a better future for the honeybees. Today the sanctuary has become more and more an oasis of beauty, peace and joy.
The Spikenard Honeybee Sanctuary is a place where the honeybees can live and thrive, safe from exploitation and mindless exploration into "whatever is possible, try it". The question "How much honey do you get from your bees?" urgently needs to be revised into "What do the honeybees need to become and stay strong enough to withstand the onslaught of our modern time with all the visible and invisible damaging agents?"
Their present loss in vitality and reduced capability of survival is not only caused by conventional agricultural practices with their monocultures and poisons, but also by our attempt of making beekeeping as profitable as possible which has driven and shaped our practices for over 100 years.
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"... to protect, nurture and strengthen..."
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At this time, with Colony Collapse Disorder and a host of illnesses, mites and beetles undermining the bees' health and endangering their survival, we have to consider them to be patients in the emergency room. You simply don't expect these patients to 'perform', but rather ask what can be done to protect, strengthen and heal them.
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To find answers, we are guided by two basic questions:
1) How does the bees' instinct manifest, what are the bees apt to do naturally? Instinct is tremendous spiritual wisdom and when we go against it, we undermine the health of an animal.
2) Which parts of the bees' life have been manipulated by us to a degree that they have become mechanized?
Mechanization is great in the field of technology. When applied to living beings, detrimental effects can be expected.
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Inspired by Rudolf Steiner's deep insights into the honeybee and laws of life in agriculture, and affirmed by our successful beekeeping experience gained in more than 35 years, we practice and continue to develop sustainable beekeeping methods. We seek to promote in young and old not only interest, joy and love, but also a new understanding and awareness for the importance of the honeybee. A newly awakened awe and reverence for all beings of nature in their amazing interconnectedness opens the door for the necessary healing impulse to gain strength, now and in generations to come.
At Spikenard we do not focus on viruses, bacteria, fungi -- these are usually the symptoms of a deeper problem and only take over when an organism is weakened.
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Our research is based on:
• intense observation of the honeybees' behavior, at the entrance, in the hive and out in the field
• beekeeping methods respecting the bees innate needs
• diversified plantings of annual and perennial forage, some of which must have medicinal qualities
• exploration into hive shapes supporting the bees' need for nest scent and nest warmth
• finding essential oils capable of strengthening the bees' immune system
• invigorating the landscape with biodynamic preparations
• non-invasive mite reduction methods
• meditative support of 'The Great Bee', as the American Indians called the invisible Bee.
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It is our commitment to teach and spread understanding of the true nature of the honeybee and her innate needs in order to heal the damages we have inflicted on her with the beekeeping methods, agricultural practices and virtual communication tools developed over a century.
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