Scientific beekeeping and natural beekeeping

Some people will look at the title and right off the bat think it’s a dumb question, of course they are different.  Maybe.

But do they have to be?

I would argue that some of the best “natural” beekeepers are also some of the better scientific beekeepers.

I do not think “scientific” and “natural” are mutually exclusive.  in fact,  I think they complement each other very well.  Putting the scientific method to research, study, learn more about bees and beekeeping goes hand in hand with beekeepers becoming better beekeepers.

Here’s the problem.  A great many people think of anything designed, manufactured  and implemented by mankind as “science based”.  Anything that uses things that are provided “as is” from nature is considered to be “natural” and to be honest, inferior.

Why inferior?  Mostly because of the level of control people can exert in the design and manufacture of an item.  for example, medicines made in factories are viewed as being “better” than herbal or the hand picked, harvested natural equivalents.  This is because they see the ability to control the quantities and consistency of those items in almost every aspect as being “better”.

Not that the manufactured items actually work any better than the natural” ones. They work about the same if used appropriately.  It’s actually that the “natural” items, such as medicines, vary in their natural form and the pharmacist or doctor administering them must take more care and be more thorough in their being mixed, dosed and implemented.

As with anything else, natural items must be properly used just the same as manufactured ones.  if someone doesn’t take the appropriate care, problems can happen.  manufacturing makes it easier to sell and put in the hands of the consumer where the natural makes more work and more experience for the pharmacist.

What does any of this have to do with beekeeping you ask.  A lot,  beekeepers are frequently required to implement manipulations, administer treatments and various other practices in the day to day goings on of beekeeping.  Some beekeepers use “natural” methods, ingredients and resources, others use manufactured ones.  Some a combination of both.

However, don’t get scientific and manufactured confused.  They are not necessarily the same thing.  It takes science to create the machines and procedures to manufacture yes but the process of manufacturing is not necessarily in and of itself scientific.

Beekeepers who use natural resources and methods have often relied on science to help determine the better ingredients, quantities and qualities as well as the methods and resources they implement.  Natural beekeepers frequently use science to make decisions and experiment in their beeyards.

Unfortunately, too many people hear the term “natural beekeeping” and get the mental image of a pot smoking hippie meandering around an apiary smoking incense in hives and rattling chicken bones around.

It’s true, there are some I suspect of being pot smoking hippies who toss things out into the beekeeping world under the auspices of “natural beekeeping” that I would cheerfully shoot in the face because the nonsense they spew takes all the efforts of sincere, scientific,  natural beekeepers back ten years every time they talk.

Scientific beekeeping and natural beekeeping go hand in hand, complementing each other very well for those who have the courage and determination to go the extra step and gain the extra knowledge and experience to do it correctly.  I must admit, it is my objective to be this type of beekeeper.