Perpetual Winter

Dedication I never used to worry about the bees either. I’m not awfully keen on flying insects, because isn’t that what they are? In the grand scheme of things, it’s them or me. And then my sister started keeping bees and I lived vicariously through her battle with nature over these tiny, furry, busy creatures. I rejoiced at her jars of ochre honey and grieved at her losses when a queen failed to thrive. And one day she told me of the swift who waited on the wind and decimated an entire colony in an afternoon. It’s not just the birds who halt the essential activity of a hive; it’s the wasps, a changing climate. And mankind. The bees are warriors in a silent battle for our survival. Theirs is a war of attrition like no other. The only ones raising the alarm are the bee keepers. It’s a Keeper’s War... Joshua 24:12 ‘Then I sent the hornet before you and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, but not by your sword or your bow.’ Headline from a Newstalk ZB broadcast, New Zealand. 29th December 2017 ‘Bee-mageddon’ hits Coromandel holiday hotspot. Hundreds of bees have been washing up on Whangamata Beach on the high tide over the past week, catching out unaware holiday makers...’