<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML xmlns:ie7><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.17104" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"
bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><FONT id=role_document
face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>
<DIV>
<DIV class=leaderboard-ad><!--/* OpenX Javascript Tag v2.8.5 */--><!--/*
* The backup image section of this tag has been generated for use on a
* non-SSL page. If this tag is to be placed on an SSL page, change the
* 'http://openx.webmedley.com/www/delivery/...'
* to
* 'https://openx.webmedley.com/www/delivery/...'
*
* This noscript section of this tag only shows image banners. There
* is no width or height in these banners, so if you want these tags to
* allocate space for the ad before it shows, you will need to add this
* information to the <img> tag.
*
* If you do not want to deal with the intricities of the noscript
* section, delete the tag (from <noscript>... to </noscript>). On
* average, the noscript tag is called from less than 1% of internet
* users.
*/--><A
href="http://openx.webmedley.com/www/delivery/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=836__zoneid=755__cb=9667a4a9e9__oadest=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.toyota.com"
target=_blank><IMG title="" height=60 alt=""
src="http://openx.webmedley.com/www/images/ef73130b6024ff7eb3c6ce37065bdb09.jpeg"
width=468 border=0></A>
<DIV id=beacon_9667a4a9e9
style="LEFT: 0px; VISIBILITY: hidden; POSITION: absolute; TOP: 0px"><IMG
style="WIDTH: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px" height=0 alt=""
src="http://openx.webmedley.com/www/delivery/lg.php?bannerid=836&campaignid=329&zoneid=755&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kyforward.com%2Four-economy%2F2011%2F11%2F30%2F%25E2%2580%2598beeconomy%25E2%2580%2599-author-ky-s-tammy-horn-examines-relationship-between-women-bees%2F&cb=9667a4a9e9"
width=0></DIV><NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT></DIV>
<DIV class=blog-post id=post-775 sizset="2" sizcache="1"><FONT size=2>Wednesday,
November 30, 2011</FONT>
<H1>‘Beeconomy’ author, Ky.’s Tammy Horn,<BR>examines relationship between
women, bees</H1>
<DIV class=attach_imagethumb><IMG title=""
alt=thumb_http://www.kyforward.com/our-economy/files/2011/11/bee_450.jpg
src="http://www.kyforward.com/our-economy/files/2011/11/bee_450.jpg"> </DIV>
<DIV sizset="2" sizcache="1"><!-- Start LikeButtonSetTop -->
<DIV style="CLEAR: both; MIN-HEIGHT: 1px; WIDTH: 100%; HEIGHT: 2px"></DIV>
<DIV class=shareaholic-like-buttonset style="FLOAT: none; HEIGHT: 30px">
<DIV style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 5px; PADDING-TOP: 0px! important"></DIV>
<DIV style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 10px; PADDING-TOP: 1px! important">
<DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV style="CLEAR: both; MIN-HEIGHT: 1px; WIDTH: 100%; HEIGHT: 2px"></DIV><!-- End LikeButtonSetTop -->
<DIV class="shr-publisher-775 shareaholic-show-on-load"
style="MARGIN-LEFT: 10px; OVERFLOW: hidden; HEIGHT: 70px"
jQuery15209443026457289594="1">
<DIV class=shr-bookmarks>
<UL class=shr-socials>
<LI class="shr-40 shareaholic" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0px! important"
jQuery15209443026457289594="3"><ie7:! class="ie7_anon ie7_class48"
id=ie7_pseudo0 style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!><A
class=external
href="http://www.shareaholic.com/api/share/?title=%E2%80%98Beeconomy%E2%80%99+author%2C+Ky.'s+Tammy+Horn%2C%3Cbr%3E+examines+relationship+between+women%2C+bees&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kyforward.com%2Four-economy%2F2011%2F11%2F30%2F%25e2%2580%2598beeconomy%25e2%2580%2599-author-ky-s-tammy-horn-examines-relationship-between-women-bees%2F&notes=Bee%2520hives%2520have%2520been%2520used%2520as%2520metaphors%2520for%2520human%2520societies%2520for%2520centuries.%2520Hives%2520buzz%2520with%2520activity%2520produced%2520from%2520the%2520coordinated%2520efforts%2520of%2520a%2520multitude%2520of%2520working%2520parts%252C%2520the%2520most%2520important%2520of%2520which%2520are%2520the%2520female%2520worker%2520bees.%2520Worker%2520bees%2520instinctively%2520provide%2520for%2520the%2520well-being%2520of%2520the%2520hive%252C%2520and%2520they%2520&short_link=&shortener=google&shortener_key=&v=1&apitype=1&apikey=8afa39428933be41f8afdb8ea21a495c&source=Shareaholic-Publishers&template=&service=40&ctype=" target=_blank rel=nofollow
orig_title="Add to Reddit"><ie7:! class="ie7_anon ie7_class50" id=ie7_pseudo28
style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!>Add to Reddit<ie7:!
class="ie7_anon ie7_class51" id=ie7_pseudo42
style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!></A><ie7:!
class="ie7_anon ie7_class49" id=ie7_pseudo14
style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!></LI>
<LI class="shr-38 shareaholic" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0px! important"
jQuery15209443026457289594="4"><ie7:! class="ie7_anon ie7_class48"
id=ie7_pseudo1 style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!><A
class=external
href="http://www.shareaholic.com/api/share/?title=%E2%80%98Beeconomy%E2%80%99+author%2C+Ky.'s+Tammy+Horn%2C%3Cbr%3E+examines+relationship+between+women%2C+bees&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kyforward.com%2Four-economy%2F2011%2F11%2F30%2F%25e2%2580%2598beeconomy%25e2%2580%2599-author-ky-s-tammy-horn-examines-relationship-between-women-bees%2F&notes=Bee%2520hives%2520have%2520been%2520used%2520as%2520metaphors%2520for%2520human%2520societies%2520for%2520centuries.%2520Hives%2520buzz%2520with%2520activity%2520produced%2520from%2520the%2520coordinated%2520efforts%2520of%2520a%2520multitude%2520of%2520working%2520parts%252C%2520the%2520most%2520important%2520of%2520which%2520are%2520the%2520female%2520worker%2520bees.%2520Worker%2520bees%2520instinctively%2520provide%2520for%2520the%2520well-being%2520of%2520the%2520hive%252C%2520and%2520they%2520&short_link=&shortener=google&shortener_key=&v=1&apitype=1&apikey=8afa39428933be41f8afdb8ea21a495c&source=Shareaholic-Publishers&template=&service=38&ctype=" target=_blank rel=nofollow
orig_title="Post to StumbleUpon"><ie7:! class="ie7_anon ie7_class50"
id=ie7_pseudo29 style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!>Post
to StumbleUpon<ie7:! class="ie7_anon ie7_class51" id=ie7_pseudo43
style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!></A><ie7:!
class="ie7_anon ie7_class49" id=ie7_pseudo15
style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!></LI>
<LI class="shr-3 shareaholic" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0px! important"
jQuery15209443026457289594="5"><ie7:! class="ie7_anon ie7_class48"
id=ie7_pseudo2 style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!><A
class=external
href="http://www.shareaholic.com/api/share/?title=%E2%80%98Beeconomy%E2%80%99+author%2C+Ky.'s+Tammy+Horn%2C%3Cbr%3E+examines+relationship+between+women%2C+bees&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kyforward.com%2Four-economy%2F2011%2F11%2F30%2F%25e2%2580%2598beeconomy%25e2%2580%2599-author-ky-s-tammy-horn-examines-relationship-between-women-bees%2F&notes=Bee%2520hives%2520have%2520been%2520used%2520as%2520metaphors%2520for%2520human%2520societies%2520for%2520centuries.%2520Hives%2520buzz%2520with%2520activity%2520produced%2520from%2520the%2520coordinated%2520efforts%2520of%2520a%2520multitude%2520of%2520working%2520parts%252C%2520the%2520most%2520important%2520of%2520which%2520are%2520the%2520female%2520worker%2520bees.%2520Worker%2520bees%2520instinctively%2520provide%2520for%2520the%2520well-being%2520of%2520the%2520hive%252C%2520and%2520they%2520&short_link=&shortener=google&shortener_key=&v=1&apitype=1&apikey=8afa39428933be41f8afdb8ea21a495c&source=Shareaholic-Publishers&template=&service=3&ctype=" target=_blank rel=nofollow
orig_title="Post to Digg"><ie7:! class="ie7_anon ie7_class50" id=ie7_pseudo30
style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!>Post to Digg<ie7:!
class="ie7_anon ie7_class51" id=ie7_pseudo44
style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!></A><ie7:!
class="ie7_anon ie7_class49" id=ie7_pseudo16
style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!></LI>
<LI class="shr-7 shareaholic" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0px! important"
jQuery15209443026457289594="6"><ie7:! class="ie7_anon ie7_class48"
id=ie7_pseudo3 style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!><A
class=external target=_blank rel=nofollow jQuery15209443026457289594="2"
orig_title="Post to Twitter"><ie7:! class="ie7_anon ie7_class50"
id=ie7_pseudo31 style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!>Post
to Twitter<ie7:! class="ie7_anon ie7_class51" id=ie7_pseudo45
style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!></A><ie7:!
class="ie7_anon ie7_class49" id=ie7_pseudo17
style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!>
<DIV class=shr-count>
<DIV class=shr-count-outline style="LEFT: 9px; TOP: -10px"
aria-hidden="true">23</DIV>
<DIV class=shr-count-outline style="LEFT: 10px; TOP: -10px"
aria-hidden="true">23</DIV>
<DIV class=shr-count-outline style="LEFT: 11px; TOP: -10px"
aria-hidden="true">23</DIV>
<DIV class=shr-count-outline style="LEFT: 9px; TOP: -11px"
aria-hidden="true">23</DIV>
<DIV class=shr-count-outline style="LEFT: 11px; TOP: -11px"
aria-hidden="true">23</DIV>
<DIV class=shr-count-outline style="LEFT: 9px; TOP: -12px"
aria-hidden="true">23</DIV>
<DIV class=shr-count-outline style="LEFT: 10px; TOP: -12px"
aria-hidden="true">23</DIV>
<DIV class=shr-count-outline style="LEFT: 11px; TOP: -12px"
aria-hidden="true">23</DIV>
<DIV class=shr-count-center style="LEFT: 10px; TOP: -11px"
aria-label="Number of times this webpage has been shared">23</DIV></DIV></LI>
<LI class="shr-5 shareaholic" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0px! important"
jQuery15209443026457289594="7"><ie7:! class="ie7_anon ie7_class48"
id=ie7_pseudo4 style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!><A
class=external
href="http://www.shareaholic.com/api/share/?title=%E2%80%98Beeconomy%E2%80%99+author%2C+Ky.'s+Tammy+Horn%2C%3Cbr%3E+examines+relationship+between+women%2C+bees&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kyforward.com%2Four-economy%2F2011%2F11%2F30%2F%25e2%2580%2598beeconomy%25e2%2580%2599-author-ky-s-tammy-horn-examines-relationship-between-women-bees%2F&notes=Bee%2520hives%2520have%2520been%2520used%2520as%2520metaphors%2520for%2520human%2520societies%2520for%2520centuries.%2520Hives%2520buzz%2520with%2520activity%2520produced%2520from%2520the%2520coordinated%2520efforts%2520of%2520a%2520multitude%2520of%2520working%2520parts%252C%2520the%2520most%2520important%2520of%2520which%2520are%2520the%2520female%2520worker%2520bees.%2520Worker%2520bees%2520instinctively%2520provide%2520for%2520the%2520well-being%2520of%2520the%2520hive%252C%2520and%2520they%2520&short_link=&shortener=google&shortener_key=&v=1&apitype=1&apikey=8afa39428933be41f8afdb8ea21a495c&source=Shareaholic-Publishers&template=&service=5&ctype=" target=_blank rel=nofollow
orig_title="Post to Facebook"><ie7:! class="ie7_anon ie7_class50"
id=ie7_pseudo32 style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!>Post
to Facebook<ie7:! class="ie7_anon ie7_class51" id=ie7_pseudo46
style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!></A>
<DIV class=shr-count>
<DIV class=shr-count-outline style="LEFT: 9px; TOP: -10px"
aria-hidden="true">13</DIV>
<DIV class=shr-count-outline style="LEFT: 10px; TOP: -10px"
aria-hidden="true">13</DIV>
<DIV class=shr-count-outline style="LEFT: 11px; TOP: -10px"
aria-hidden="true">13</DIV>
<DIV class=shr-count-outline style="LEFT: 9px; TOP: -11px"
aria-hidden="true">13</DIV>
<DIV class=shr-count-outline style="LEFT: 11px; TOP: -11px"
aria-hidden="true">13</DIV>
<DIV class=shr-count-outline style="LEFT: 9px; TOP: -12px"
aria-hidden="true">13</DIV>
<DIV class=shr-count-outline style="LEFT: 10px; TOP: -12px"
aria-hidden="true">13</DIV>
<DIV class=shr-count-outline style="LEFT: 11px; TOP: -12px"
aria-hidden="true">13</DIV>
<DIV class=shr-count-center style="LEFT: 10px; TOP: -11px"
aria-label="Number of times this webpage has been shared">13</DIV></DIV><ie7:!
class="ie7_anon ie7_class49" id=ie7_pseudo18
style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!></LI>
<LI class="shr-52 shareaholic" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0px! important"
jQuery15209443026457289594="8"><ie7:! class="ie7_anon ie7_class48"
id=ie7_pseudo5 style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!><A
class=external
href="http://www.shareaholic.com/api/share/?title=%E2%80%98Beeconomy%E2%80%99+author%2C+Ky.'s+Tammy+Horn%2C%3Cbr%3E+examines+relationship+between+women%2C+bees&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kyforward.com%2Four-economy%2F2011%2F11%2F30%2F%25e2%2580%2598beeconomy%25e2%2580%2599-author-ky-s-tammy-horn-examines-relationship-between-women-bees%2F&notes=Bee%2520hives%2520have%2520been%2520used%2520as%2520metaphors%2520for%2520human%2520societies%2520for%2520centuries.%2520Hives%2520buzz%2520with%2520activity%2520produced%2520from%2520the%2520coordinated%2520efforts%2520of%2520a%2520multitude%2520of%2520working%2520parts%252C%2520the%2520most%2520important%2520of%2520which%2520are%2520the%2520female%2520worker%2520bees.%2520Worker%2520bees%2520instinctively%2520provide%2520for%2520the%2520well-being%2520of%2520the%2520hive%252C%2520and%2520they%2520&short_link=&shortener=google&shortener_key=&v=1&apitype=1&apikey=8afa39428933be41f8afdb8ea21a495c&source=Shareaholic-Publishers&template=&service=52&ctype=" target=_blank rel=nofollow
orig_title="Send via Gmail"><ie7:! class="ie7_anon ie7_class50"
id=ie7_pseudo33 style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!>Send
via Gmail<ie7:! class="ie7_anon ie7_class51" id=ie7_pseudo47
style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!></A><ie7:!
class="ie7_anon ie7_class49" id=ie7_pseudo19
style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!></LI>
<LI class="shr-201 shareaholic" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0px! important"
jQuery15209443026457289594="9"><ie7:! class="ie7_anon ie7_class48"
id=ie7_pseudo6 style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!><A
class=external
href="http://www.shareaholic.com/api/share/?title=%E2%80%98Beeconomy%E2%80%99+author%2C+Ky.'s+Tammy+Horn%2C%3Cbr%3E+examines+relationship+between+women%2C+bees&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kyforward.com%2Four-economy%2F2011%2F11%2F30%2F%25e2%2580%2598beeconomy%25e2%2580%2599-author-ky-s-tammy-horn-examines-relationship-between-women-bees%2F&notes=Bee%2520hives%2520have%2520been%2520used%2520as%2520metaphors%2520for%2520human%2520societies%2520for%2520centuries.%2520Hives%2520buzz%2520with%2520activity%2520produced%2520from%2520the%2520coordinated%2520efforts%2520of%2520a%2520multitude%2520of%2520working%2520parts%252C%2520the%2520most%2520important%2520of%2520which%2520are%2520the%2520female%2520worker%2520bees.%2520Worker%2520bees%2520instinctively%2520provide%2520for%2520the%2520well-being%2520of%2520the%2520hive%252C%2520and%2520they%2520&short_link=&shortener=google&shortener_key=&v=1&apitype=1&apikey=8afa39428933be41f8afdb8ea21a495c&source=Shareaholic-Publishers&template=&service=201&ctype=" target=_blank rel=nofollow
orig_title="Send via E-mail program"><ie7:! class="ie7_anon ie7_class50"
id=ie7_pseudo34 style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!>Send
via E-mail program<ie7:! class="ie7_anon ie7_class51" id=ie7_pseudo48
style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!></A><ie7:!
class="ie7_anon ie7_class49" id=ie7_pseudo20
style="OVERFLOW: hidden; content: ''">!important</ie7:!></LI></UL>
<DIV style="CLEAR: both"></DIV>
<DIV class=shr-getshr style="FONT-SIZE: 10px! important; VISIBILITY: hidden"
sizset="0" sizcache="0"><A href="http://www.shareaholic.com/?src=pub"
target=_blank><FONT color=#0066cc>Get Shareaholic for Internet
Explorer</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV style="CLEAR: both"><FONT color=#0066cc></FONT></DIV>
<STYLE type=text/css
_6=" ul.shr-socials li.shareaholic{background-image:url(http://www.kyforward.com/our-economy/wp-content/plugins/sexybookmarks/spritegen/sprite.png) !important;}"></STYLE>
</DIV></DIV>
<P>Bee hives have been used as metaphors for human societies for centuries.
Hives buzz with activity produced from the coordinated efforts of a multitude of
working parts, the most important of which are the female worker bees. Worker
bees instinctively provide for the well-being of the hive, and they can also
provide for the well-being of women around the world who perform a similar role
within their families.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>In “Beeconomy: What Women and Bees Can Teach Us about Local Trade and the
Global Market,” noted bee expert, Kentucky native and Eastern Kentucky
University professor Tammy Horn traces the spread of beekeeping across the globe
from its origins in Africa. Along the way, she examines the symbiotic
relationship between women and bees and discusses the payoffs of a social system
that encourages more female beekeepers.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>Horn, who was raised with beekeepers on both sides of her family, is the
director of Coal Country Beeworks, a multiservice project in which surface mine
sites are reclaimed with pollinator habitat in eastern Kentucky. She has
authored a previous book, “Bees in America: How the Honey Bee Shaped a Nation.”
Having traveled to every continent except Antarctica to study the methods and
culture of beekeeping in different parts of the globe, Horn has accumulated a
diverse body of ideas and traditions.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>In her newest book, Horn discusses beekeeping as a source of fulfillment and
personal growth for women and explores the negative connotations that socialized
apicultural phrases such as “queen bee” or “worker bee” can have when associated
with women. Such phrases play into the predominant view that women are of lesser
value than their male counterparts; a view that keeps many women from being able
to attain the lifestyle that they desire, she maintains. Horn combats these
social norms by introducing women throughout the book who have used beekeeping
as an opportunity to offset financial deficits and to manage motherhood,
careers, marriage, and single parenthood, all while helping to promote healthy
pollinator ecosystems.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>“Beeconomy” tracks the evolution of beekeeping as well as the socialization
of analogies regarding women as both have spread around the world. Horn
organizes each chapter around a specific region of the world and paints an
expansive picture of apiculture using the wide range of beekeeping roles that
women fill in each area, from honey gatherers and queen producers to swarm
catchers.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>Beginning in Africa, Horn moves on to the honey-hunting cultures of India and
discusses the effect of recent economic development for women. She then moves
across eastern Asia to Russia, examining how current affairs are resurrecting
ancient agricultural ideas associated with bee goddesses.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>Moving west, Horn describes the bee-related religions of Europe before
exploring North America’s introduction to beekeeping in the seventeenth century.
She pays special attention to beekeeping in North America because of the complex
apicultural systems that women there have developed and also notes the
impressive advancements in organic standards and medicinal honey made by women
of Australia. Praise for the quick strides in apiculture technology produced by
South American women concludes her transglobal journey.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>Horn emphasizes the importance that bees play in supplying food for the
global population and in supporting local plant species. She connects
pollination with food production and demonstrates the role that pollinators and
beekeepers play in fending off invasive plant species. With one in three bee
hives in North America being lost to colony collapse disorder, along with
similar losses occurring around the world, beekeepers are becoming even more
vitally important players in economic and ecological trends.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>“Beeconomy” is the first book of its kind to not only provide plentiful
evidence supporting the need for more beekeepers but also to offer encouragement
for women everywhere to enrich their lives by cultivating bees.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>Following is a conversation with author Tammy Horn:</P>
<P> </P>
<P><STRONG>How did you first become involved with beekeeping?</STRONG></P>
<P> </P>
<P>My maternal grandfather from Leslie County, Ky., was a beekeeper. After years
of shunning the agricultural and scientific worlds because of the difficulty I
associated with them, I was literally transformed by the bees and by my
grandfather’s unconditional love of bees one day when I assisted him in the
beeyards. Suddenly, emerging from the opacity of academe, the world became
specific in nice ways: trees had names and definitive bloom seasons; honey bees
had roles and responsibilities in the hive.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>My grandfather, too, transformed in front of me, talking very gently to the
bees in a conversational tone I had not associated with him before. Of course,
as I learned more, I began to fill in the gaps of my education: I had had no
idea of the relationship between pollination and food/flowers. Much of the
quality of my lifestyle, I realized, depended upon honey bees and other insects.
As our country has continued to lose one in every three hives of bees, I decided
that the world needed more beekeepers, not English professors.</P>
<P> </P>
<P><STRONG>This book explores the historical role of women in beekeeping around
the world. Why did you choose this particular theme for your work?</STRONG></P>
<P> </P>
<P>My paternal grandmother from Harlan County, Ky., had been a beekeeper, but no
one could tell me why she started keeping bees. I wasn’t born when she kept
bees, and I didn’t keep bees until long after she had died. I didn’t realize
until I was about two years into “Beeconomy” that my first book, Bees in
America, is very much my maternal grandfather’s book; “Beeconomy” is very much
my paternal grandmother’s book. It is an effort to conjure my grandmother’s
gentle smile, her soft Cumberland River accent and self-effacing laugh from
sepia-toned photographs and share with her this love of bees. Finally, of
course, those memories deflate and dissolve in dreams, but the women profiled in
this book have inspired me with their creativity, tenacity and clarity.</P>
<P> </P>
<P><STRONG>You also delve into the spiritual and cultural connections of bees
with femininity. In a quick summary, where do you believe these relationships
came from?</STRONG></P>
<P> </P>
<P>Around the world, the honey bees’ ability to communicate, proliferate
(seemingly without intimacy), and produce honeys from all types of flowers have
become time-honored symbols for a human world filled with complex relationships.
Being natural sign-seekers, people concern themselves with how to negotiate
intimacy (chastity being a time-honored value), difficult emotions (how to keep
your cool instead of being a hothead), conversations and struggles with
mortality (my legal will specifies that in lieu of a funeral I want my bees to
be told and the hives draped with black clothes—no need for a fancy coffin). The
bee hive has been a convenient source of signs to some of those questions as
societies struggle to define cultural norms. But the bee hive has also led to
some fallacies regarding human relationships, specifically concerning women’s
roles in society, that need to be re-examined.</P>
<P> </P>
<P><STRONG>In doing your research, you have traveled to every continent, save
Antarctica. What is your most memorable experience from your
travels?</STRONG></P>
<P> </P>
<P>From a beekeeper’s perspective, there were two major international
experiences. The first was a 2006 visit with Las Cachinallas in Mexicali,
Mexico. The women were doing “bare-knuckle beekeeping” in such difficult
environmental and cultural conditions with such grace and dignity that the visit
was a “watershed” moment for me. I realized that we could use their cooperative
model in Appalachia—and should. The only reason we weren’t doing it was because
no woman, including myself at that time, would dare walk away from a
conventional career to try to create a new type of economic model. A 2007 visit
to Peabody Coal in Queensland, Australia, was when I began to see the value of
pollinator habitat and to work with industries as partners instead of
adversaries. So, I left teaching to concentrate on forest-based beekeeping and
extension in eastern Kentucky.</P>
<P> </P>
<P sizset="2" sizcache="1"><STRONG sizset="2" sizcache="1">You are currently
involved in Coal Country Beeworks, an initiative in eastern Kentucky. How have
your experiences contributed to this work? Did you witness any similar movements
in other countries?</P>
<P> </P>
<P>As I mentioned before, Mexico and Australia were important in helping me
define rural beekeeping initiatives in an industrial world. I needed the
geographical distance to wrap my mind around legal structures governing
extractive industries. I began to see that one of the main problems in eastern
Kentucky is how the U.S. surface mining laws are written and how they are
interpreted by the civilian engineers who have to implement them. Pollinator
habitat has not been a priority until very recently. Interestingly, traveling to
South Africa was also helpful in defining a new modus operandi for corporate
investments in pollinator communities. In 2005, when the price of copper
flat-lined, Zambia paid unemployed miners to learn beekeeping. It seemed to me
that the U.S. could employ similar strategies in Appalachia. Presently, the U.S.
imports honey from China and Asia, imports wax from Africa, and imports queen
bees from Hawaii. I think if coal companies in Kentucky can plant pollinator
habitat, Appalachia can change those patterns of importation.</P>
<P> </P>
<P><STRONG>You dealt with many different cultures. What obstacles did this
present? Did anything surprise you?</STRONG></P>
<P> </P>
<P>The grande dame of beekeeping, Eva Crane, once said, “You’ll be a beginner
for twenty years.” In visiting different cultures, I am most surprised by the
feeling of beginning again every time I stepped into the field. I learn new
flowers, new bloom times, new hives, new ways of lighting a smoker, new cultural
standards, new languages, new laws, new myths, etc. The surprises emerge often
and in a variety of ways. Fortunately, the kindness of beekeepers continues to
surprise me. I have never taken it for granted, but I continue to be amazed at
how beekeepers care for each other. I continue to be unpleasantly surprised,
however, by the challenges that federal and state governments create for
beekeepers. An eighteenth century literature professor and pollination
specialist, Christian Konrad Sprengel, once said: “There should be standing
armies of bees.” I agree and lament the fact that we don’t have the bees or the
beekeepers needed to safeguard our food production capabilities.</P>
<P> </P>
<P><STRONG>As a woman in the apiary industry, have you noticed any differences
between how you and your male counterparts are received?</STRONG></P>
<P> </P>
<P>There are so many more women beekeepers attending bee workshops and
conferences now that if there are differences, I am rarely cognizant of them.
The bee community has been in constant flux for much of the time I’ve been a
beekeeper: there are different types of hives available, there are many more
pathogens to be aware of, there are more economic stresses of families to
consider, and the issues of food/pesticides have forced serious discussion about
contamination. These are issues that affect women who are often the primary
food-producers in the family. So, women are much more educated about the topics
and logically, want to know how to change and perhaps “fix” food production
“breakdowns.” Women subconsciously and consciously contribute to their food
budgets and want to be aware of how to safeguard the food their children
eat.</P>
<P> </P>
<P><STRONG>What does the future hold for women in beekeeping?</STRONG></P>
<P> </P>
<P>Women live longer than men, earn less money than men, and tend to be the
primary caregiver and food producer for both children and older family members.
Beekeeping can be a way to supplement their incomes, improve the quality of
diets and medical care, and provide joy and structure in improving one’s
environment. If the past has taught me anything, it is that the future is full
of opportunities for women who want to think about beekeeping with
creativity.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>While some major challenges may be geographical or biological (pathogens),
most challenges are created within ourselves or by our society. Economic
diversity depends upon landscape diversity. As our world approaches the six
billion population mark, women have to take more responsibility in creating an
economy in which the environment matters, not just for children but for
pollinators. In my mind, this responsibility is not a burden—it is much-needed
joy. Emerson said, “The world laughs in flowers.” It is time women laughed in
unison.</P>
<P> </P>
<P><EM>From University Press of
Kentucky</EM></P></STRONG></DIV></DIV></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>