Bitter Honey
Jenny Durant

Princeton University Press (US, May 26; UK, July 28)

Industrial farming often invokes grim scenarios of livestock crammed in warehouse-like settings, recipient of antibiotics, and suffering neglect. However, the plight of bees has now risen to similar levels of concern.

In Bitter Honey: Big Ag’s Threat to Honeybees and the Fight to Save Them, environmental writer and social scientist Jenny Durant uncovers the industrialization of honeybee colonies in the U.S., revealing their harsh realities—such as being stored in cold storage and fed sugar syrup and protein bars. Each year, around 3 million bee colonies travel the country on rented trucks for crop pollination, many teetering on the brink of collapse and necessitating frequent replacements. This alarming trend poses significant risks to our food systems, but Durant emphasizes that there is still hope.

Humans have managed honeybees for over 8,000 years. Ancient Spanish cave paintings depict the act of honey collection, while Indigenous peoples noted that honeybees often preceded settlers, referring to them as “white man’s flies.”

Presently, honeybees in the U.S. are emerging as competitors to native bee species, potentially increasing their populations fiftyfold without the competition for nectar and pollen.

With the advent of artificial hives in the 19th century, bees have been transformed into domesticated creatures. Yet, a combination of excessive pesticide use, monocrop farming, and various pathogens has led to the loss of over a third of U.S. honeybee colonies since the mid-2000s. Instead of addressing these core issues, beekeepers became “pesticide springboards,” as Durant describes, further exacerbating the plight of these colonies.

Durant contends that beekeepers should not shoulder all the blame. The influx of cheap and adulterated honey from abroad during the 1990s forced many beekeepers to pivot toward offering pollination services for survival. Drawing from her extensive fieldwork with commercial beekeepers, Durant provides a unique insight into their lives and the challenges they face.

Many of these families have operated in this field for generations, demonstrating a deep care for the bees. For instance, one beekeeper would traverse miles searching for lost hives and could discern the health of a hive just by the sounds its inhabitants make. It was heartbreaking to learn of one individual who lost half his hive to a toxic pesticide application conducted by his farm’s pest management advisor.

The principal challenge facing the honeybee population, according to Durant, originates from the almond farming sector. With honey prices becoming unviable, beekeepers shifted their focus to California’s lucrative almond industry, which boasts a staggering annual export value of $4 billion. Each February, approximately 99% of U.S. honeybees are transported to California to pollinate almond trees. Yet, like previous industrialized crops, this monoculture system prioritizes yield and profit over biodiversity and ecological health.

Moreover, the fossil fuels powering the global food system further strain bee populations. Strategies like storing bees in massive refrigeration units are merely temporary fixes to counter unpredictable weather patterns and seasonal variations.

While Durant presents a rather grim outlook, she also provides potential solutions in the latter portion of her book. These include innovative tree planting initiatives, regenerative agricultural practices, and rewilding efforts. There exists space for wildflower growth beneath long stretches of almond trees or solar panels, and employing managed burns grounded in Native American land management traditions can help restore grasslands. Such measures could significantly bolster the chances for bees and their native counterparts.

Nevertheless, the successful implementation of these strategies relies heavily on government investment and overcoming the economic constraints faced by farmers. At times, Durant delves into intricate state-level environmental policies, providing insight into the complex and frustrating nature of reforming harmful practices.

Numerous environmental issues, such as climate change and water scarcity, possess straightforward remedies. Yet, these solutions often struggle to gain traction due to outdated economic systems. Many share in this predicament, much like how I currently have a pack of cheap almonds—grown in the U.S., processed in Germany, and sold in the UK—on my desk. Durant advocates for a reconnection with nature among gardeners and farmers, yet does not appear intent on vehemently challenging the status quo.

One “rebel gardener,” introduced by Durant, transformed a barren lawn into a thriving ecosystem. This anecdote illustrates that individual efforts can contribute to biodiversity, even in the face of opposition from neighbors adhering strictly to monoculture. Such personal spaces foster new relationships with living organisms, revealing their shared existence with humans.

Observing how bees choose which flowers to visit and pass on crucial knowledge to fellow hive members accentuates their intrinsic value—not merely as pollinators, but as living beings. This kinship fosters a stronger motivation for action than the distressing statistics of bee die-offs that often go unheeded. When combined with Durant’s inquiries about the ideal future of our landscapes and food systems, the need for change becomes undeniable.

She states, “Let’s plant flowers. Let’s minimize pesticides. Let’s share the land.” “Let’s nurture relationships with living beings,” she adds.

3 More Must-Read Books on Nature and Conservation

The Mind of a Bee
By Lars Chitka

Are bees intelligent and capable of basic emotions and consciousness? Whether you agree or disagree with Chitka’s findings, he prompts readers to reconsider how bees perceive their reality and the remarkable complexity of hive life.

Staying with the Trouble
Written by Donna J. Haraway

Donna Haraway presents a balanced view of our environmental challenges, urging readers not to succumb to despair or blind optimism. Instead, she advocates for nurturing complex relationships with all life forms.

The Book of Wilding
Written by Isabella Tree and Charlie Burrell

The inspiring narrative of how the Knepp Estate in southern England transformed from barren land to a vibrant ecosystem provides valuable insights. While not everyone has vast land holdings, this book is rich in practical advice.