'Rewilding': One California man's mission to save honey bees
Apiculturist Michael Thiele is on a unique mission.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) APIS ARBOREA FOUNDER MICHAEL THIELE, SAYING:
"To respond and try to find and develop completely new ways of being on this planet. We live in the anthropocene, a time of human-induced mass extinction of species."
His method to tackle a complicated problem is surprisingly simple: "rewilding" honey bees.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) APIS ARBOREA FOUNDER MICHAEL THIELE, SAYING:
"We set up hives, we prepare them so they're really attractive to honey bees, and then we just watch them move in."
The staggering decline of honey bee colonies has alarmed experts across the country, but this unconventional California bee-whisperer thinks he has found a way to save them.
Thiele hollows out logs, strapping them high up on tree trunks in an effort to mimic the way bees lived before they were domesticated.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) APIS ARBOREA FOUNDER MICHAEL THIELE, SAYING:
"We place those hives high off the ground because that's their preference. Their preference is not to live on ground level but rather high up off the ground 15-20 feet or so. That's where their natural biosphere is."
Eschewing common tools of the trade like chemicals, smoke, and protective clothing, Thiele scoops the bees up from their hives with his bare hands.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) APIS ARBOREA FOUNDER MICHAEL THIELE, SAYING:
"We all can touch and move bees like this. And it's such an honor and such a gift if we have that opportunity, and that's what I'm trying to teach people. To share with them, to show them how to do it. Because it's life-changing."
Honey bees are critical to the survival of the planet's ecosystem because they pollinate plants that produce about a quarter of the food consumed by Americans, according to U.S. government reports.
Last winter, U.S. beekeepers lost almost 40% of their colonies, according to an industry report.
It was the worst winter die-off in more than a decade.
Experts say habitat loss, heavy pesticide use, climate change, and increasing urbanization are the main causes for declining bee populations.
That's why Thiele created Apis Arborea, Latin for "bees in trees," an organization dedicated to bringing bees back to their roots, near the branches.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) APIS ARBOREA FOUNDER MICHAEL THIELE, SAYING:
"We can do this very, very simple thing - return bees into their natural nest environment, into their natural biosphere. Because we need to do everything we can to protect them. If we lose them due to human-induces mass extinction, will there be a tomorrow?"
