Outside the chapel at St Francis Theological College in Milton, Brisbane, there is a large wooden cross with a large wooden Jesus affixed. Less visible, and less well-known, is that between the back of Jesus and the upright beam of the cross a hive of bees has made for themselves a home. They have his back.

There is little argument that Yeshua Ben Yoesf, a problematic rabbi from the Galilee, was crucified by the Romans. And it is not inconceivable that, as the New Testament recounts, he was flogged beforehand. His back would have been a bloody mess.

Which made me ponder about bees. I thought about their therapeutic properties – honey, wax, even their venom. Small little buzzy beings repairing and protecting. Even backs.

And I thought about the sacredness of bees. All religions it seems, in their sacred writings, mention and praise the tiny bee, highlighting their significance to human societies over millennia. Bees have been around a long time and been recognized by our forebears. Not just for their activity and impact. But for the mysterious goodness (holiness even) that comes with them.

I suppose the biggie about bees is that a third of the world’s food production depends on bees. When animals and insects pick up the pollen of flowers and spread it, they allow plants, including many food crops, to reproduce. The heavy lifting in pollination is done by the 20,000 different species of bees.

And the other biggie is that bees are under threat. Habitat loss, air pollution, insecticides, microplastics, electro-magnetic fields and high-voltage power lines, and climatic change. Most of what is threatening bees is human made. The decline in the bee population is one of those ‘canary in the mine’ things, forewarning us. It’s time we had the bees back.

I suppose when Jesus walked the earth people didn’t worry about the number of bees. They would have enjoyed the honey, but didn’t have the science to realize the phenomenal impact of these wee creatures. Or the science to map the bee population.

The United Nations Environment Programme (www.unep.org) makes some suggestions how we might help the bees:

• Plant nectar-bearing flowers such as marigolds or sunflowers for decorative purposes on balconies, terraces, and gardens
• Buy honey and other hive products from your nearest local beekeeper
• Raise awareness among tamariki and rangatahi on the importance of bees and express your support for beekeepers
• Set up a pollinator farm on your balcony, terrace, or garden
• Preserve old meadows, which feature a more diverse array of flowers, and sow nectar-bearing plants
• Cut grass on meadows (or berms) only after the nectar-bearing plants have finished blooming
• Use pesticides that do not harm bees, and spray them in windless weather, either early in the morning or late at night, when bees withdraw from blossoms

It’s time to have the bees' back.

Glynn

Photo by Dmitry Grigoriev on Unsplash