BEE THE CHANGE

Understanding the Life of Bees and how you can help 

Sklarsky-Smith
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When I was young I was stung while climbing a tree in my backyard. I couldn’t see what it stung me but I knew I was in great pain and I was curious about what would hurt me that way. As a kid I was always into insects. I found out that the world of the bee was more than just a simple insect living it’s life. Learning about the community of the hive, how bees live and die for their queen – and for the sake of the hive, was astounding. A few years ago I began my calling to care for bees, which is still evolving to this day. The study of bees is called Apicology. Living in New York City I thought there would be no way to work with bees but through a friend I was able to apprentice on a rooftop hive. In 2010 it became legal to has bees as “exotic pets”. It wasn’t until 2019 that bee hives were able to be placed among the animals at some of the New York City zoos. I joined the Honeybee Conservancy. It is in the process of changing its name to the Bee Conservancy so as to draw attention to the overall decline of all types of native bees (bumble, Carpenter, Mason,etc) as well as the honeybee. A few years ago I was able to study under the guidance of Guillermo Fernandez and Carin Zinter, master beekeepers. Hopefully my studies will lead me to the position of master beekeeper. My passion is for educating people on the plight of bees, helping them understand the overall nature of these amazing creatures. I do this through my art as well as speaking with people. The decreasing bee population is a worldwide problem and I have traveled to Sweden to talk about this situation. Each of us has the power to impact the bee population in our own physical spaces. I hope you will take the time to learn about how YOU can help with this critical situation.

The #Scatterbees Initiative

Creating 40,000 scatterbees tokens that lay around the world as a feat for sure! I currently have created 7700 tokens. They started as a small gift for friends. The average beehive is composed of 40,000 bees and it will take me years to create that many. Each token is made from a single ball of air dry clay which I press into a mold made from a single copper bee magnet that was based on the Bernini Bee of the Medici family. This mold creates a single coin sized bee that is then spray painted and detailed by hand with other colors. Each set is called a “colony” that has its own color sequence and comes in a unit – complete with a queen bee that is pressed from another type of mold. My #Scatterbees have been placed in more than 8 countries across the world. They have been hidden, given, dropped, and purchased by many people to keep the conversation going about the wonderful world of bees. Come join us!

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How you can help

Set up a pollinator garden which providing housing for native bees.

Become aware of how you can help the declining bee population.

Understand the basic anatomy of a bee, and the living patterns.

Reach out to the community (garden and bee sanctuary).

The Dawson Bee

Out of the 20,000 types of bees in the world one of my favorites is the Dawson Bee. It is one of the largest and most specialized bee on the continent of Australia. At the beginning of the season there are male and female bees,however, the males battle It out during the mating rituals and end up killing almost all of the male Dawson bee population. This leaves the females to create a utopian society for the rest of the year. I drew my first Dawson be back in 2010 and it has become a trademark for my art and brand. The design has been placed on shirts, used in hats, and has been branded on some of the Bee Conservancy’s public unveilings. 5% of profit from each purchase of the Dawson Bee image will be given to the Bee Conservancy quarterly.

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