During our "Farm to Table" theme, our class focused on the plight of honeybees, its possible causes and the ramifications for humans should the remain unresolved. We watched, The Vanishing of the Bees, a documentary that examines the situation from the perspectives of the apiarists who witnessed the collapse of their colonies and are in search of answers.
We joined Elaine's class for a visit to, "Honeybee Alley" at the Ypsilanti Food Co-op, where Lisa and Jamie introduced us to their hive and explained some of the tools they use to care for their bees. For many students, this was the first time being this close to a hive. Though some were nervous, they remained calm and enjoyed the experience, standing a little taller as we left because of their bravery. And of course no visit could have been complete without a taste of honey. Thank you to Lisa and Jamie for sharing their knowledge with us and Christine Hume for arranging the visit!
Our class also had the privilege of discussing Colony Collapse Disorder with Alexei Barrionuevo, the New York Times reporter who originally broke the story. He shared his perspective on what it felt like to break the story, the skills needed to be a reporter and many interesting facts regarding how people tried to address the problem including creating self-pollinating almond trees and firing "pollen bombs" from repurposed artillery in order to pollinate without bees. Many thanks to Alexei Barrionuevo for sharing his time and knowledge and Jordan Miller for connecting us with him!
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