DIARY OF A BEEKEEPER

Nature’s most potent remedy. A sacred, resinous treasure from honey bees which has been used for generations by various cultures and communities. Often referred to as “BEE GLUE” or “THE HIVE’S EXTERNAL IMMUNE SYSTEM.”

MILABAYE DAJEE
11th May 1954 - 2nd November 2025
When a Queen Bee dies, the colony feels it immediately. The hive becomes confused, stressed and disoriented. Survival mode takes over. Grief moves through people the same way it ripples through a colony.
Everyone feels the shift.

At first glance, it feels empowering - maybe even supportive of small-scale beekeepers. But when you scratch beneath the surface, this statement is reductive, misleading, simplistic, perpetuates capitalism and can be detrimental to the GLOBAL beekeeping farming community.

The first time I grounded myself with Mama Earth, foraged my first Parasol Mushroom, collected a swarm of bees, brewed my first cup of nettle tea, fermented my first batch of wild garlic kimchi - it ignited that inner child feeling of ‘play’.

Be like a Bee - adapting a ‘bee's behavioural blueprint’ to my own outlook on life, unravelling the lessons and enchanting parallels between the beehive and the human experience.

I felt the need to write this particular article - explaining my personal preference and methodology to treat my bees, ensuring that my hives thrive, season after season, year after year.