My relationship with the our hive is an echo of the ways my Slovene ancestors have worked with, talked with, and shared with the Bee. The bee and the human are old friends. Beekeeping in Slovenia is a revered and ancient tradition- the famous Carniolan bee originates from the Slovene Alps and beekeeping practices are deeply embedded in the culture.

In Slovenia, the entrances of the hives are painted with parables. The entrance is the mouth of the hive. My beekeeping mentor told me that in the more mystic traditions of beekeeping, keepers speak to their bees. To engage the bees in conversation is to open the ancient wisdom they hold. The parables reflect this distilled and age-old wisdom.

I consider the generations of those who came before me, ancient ones who worked with their strong desire for the most sweetest of substances (sugar is one gift we take for granted in contemporary life). What a remarkable evolution- from taking honey from wild hives, to observing the bee and her ways, to inviting the bee into the human world, to communicating and collaborating with the bee. I’ve inherited an heirloom relationship.

Respect is the word the bees evoke within me. They command a respectful, aware state of being if one wants to approach. They know the value of what they protect.

Their protective spirit is alive in the substances they produce. Honey is a rich food, and a potent antimicrobial. In a growing number of hospitals, honey is being used to heal wounds, fissures and severe burns.

Bees have concocted a perfect food, equipped with a chemically complex defense system which inhibits the growth of an array of bacteria. Because of this, honey can be applied in cases where antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria persist.

Beeswax is a protective and structural material made by the bee. It holds similar healing properties as honey, and reduces inflammation. When you apply a product made with beeswax, you literally spread a healing shield onto your body.

Because the bees hold some of the most nuanced and sophisticated Ways of healing, we include beeswax and honey in many of our products. The bees are the alchemists of plant medicine.