Honey has always been a revelation to me--this magic elixir, made by bees!--but my travels with beekeeper John Miller have taken my affection for the stuff to a new level. On my first visit to Miller in California, he sent me home with four jars: one of California yellow star thistle, his favorite; one of black button sage, a California classic; a jar of manzanita honey and a jar of clover. Read more
Writing a book about bees and their humans has gotten me very interested in the subject of symbiosis on both literal and figurative levels. In The Beekeeper’s Lament, there’s lots of codependency. There are flowers and bees—bees depend on flower nectar for sustenance; flowers depend on bees to reproduce. There are bees and beekeepers—beekeepers take care of bees and give them shelter, water, and an express ride to the best flowers around; beekeepers get honey, and money. There are bee guys and almond guys—bee guys help almond trees get pollinated; almond guys’ big pollination paydays keep beekeepers in business. And yes, there are bee guys and bee writers—bee guys elicit publicity for a worthy cause; bee writers get, well, someone to write about. Read more
