Welcome to 

"Honey With Hope"

 

 "Honey with Hope” is an initiative created to help the bees in their critical fight for survival. It also provides a portal where people like yourselves can learn about this common cause and take action. If you would like to buy raw honey/honey products, learn more about the art of bee keeping or get involved in the project, you can do all this and more within our pages.  Please read on if you are interested to read about how we became beekeepers.

A Calling

 

 Not long before Antara Yoga Retreat was conceived, we started receiving messages which became increasingly loud and clear.  The first was a simple vision of us interacting with the bees, the hives and their produce.  We were excited about the prospect of exploring an ecological pastime that could be a part of making a difference.  Then the second insight arrived shortly after our return to Portugal.  We were gathering wood for the winter when we came upon a weathered old bee hive in the undergrowth.  To our surprise, it contained a small colony of bees and despite the hive’s dilapidated appearance, our industrious friends inside appeared to be managing quite well. Understanding very little about bee keeping at the time, we decided to leave them to it. At approximately the same time, we learned from our neighbors about the dire situation that had previously been unheard of in rural Portugal. The honey, the flowers it is made from and the bees that do all the work had been disappearing at a rapid rate. Drought, wild fires and the loss of habitat which follows were all contributing factors.  That year, we were unable to buy any local honey for several months in our area.  For us, the messages were a stark warning and a calling. We set about learning all there is to know about the world of apiary and literally got “stuck in”!

What We Learned

 

 It is believed that 40% of the world’s pollinators, including bees and butterflies, are in decline.  Scientists are still investigating causes for the declines, though they are discovering  that the widespread, uncontrolled use of pesticides and fungicides within the farming industry worldwide, are the two major contributing factors. Disease and a loss of habitat also contribute to their loss.  There are a few countries concerned enough to take action by banning the most harmful pesticides which is excellent news for us and the bees, but more can be done.  The consequences could be a future where food will become expensive, then scarce and good health will be a luxury only a few can afford.

 

While many of us are aware of what is happening to the bees and the results it could have on our planet, it has become evident that the population are unsure about what to do and how to help.  Aside from rooftop gardening, allowing wildflowers to thrive and buying organic whenever possible, how can you make a difference?  

 

Hope for the future

 "Honey With Hope"is here to help you take action.  Our main objective is to help the bees NOW, but we also want to show you how you can help, and educate the community and future generations about the significance of this plight. Within our vision, we see ourselves creating an interactive tool to introduce the local village schools to our initiative and educate the children on the importance of the bees and the necessity of a green vision for the future.   

For now, our project is young but growing quickly!  Our efforts are focused on creating an apiary at the retreat where the bees can thrive and you can visit to learn more about these fascinating, industrious and highly intelligent insects.  So if you would like to be part of our growing community and lend a hand, you can do so in the following ways:

 

1- Sponsor a beehive and a colony of bees

2- Make a donation which will be used to help ecology/the environment/our project grow

 

On sponsoring a beehive, we will personalise the beehive with a name, initial, date or simple logo. The beehive will then be added to the community in the olive grove.  As a sponsor, you will receive regular news of the activity and evolution of your colony and 1 kilo of honey once your beehive starts producing.  You are also welcome to book a stay at the retreat depending on availability and take care of your very own bees.  If you are a hive and colony sponsor there will be a discount available to you during your stay. 

Please click here for more information on sponsoring a hive.

 

There is definitely more to bee keeping than meets the eye.  Equipment, medicine and a lot of time is needed to care for the colonies so donations are always needed and will definitely be put to good use. 

For a list of needed items and to learn more about how you can make a donation, please click here. 

 

To purchase "Honey with Hope” products click here 

If you would like to learn more about the bees, bee keeping and the benefit of pure honey, please continue to browse our website.