Bees know how to be Bees
.. and humans know, how to be humans. Or do we?
Last weekend, I showed friends, how my bees place their comb inside the hive boxes (Warree style hive): They do as they please, not as I want them to! The combs are all across the box, bending and folding, and the depth and colour of the honey cells varies greatly. What a mess! Can’t they do it ‘properly’, nice and tidy?!
Industrial bee keepers on the other side, have Langstroth hive boxes, where the bees find prepared comb frames, so they are forced to make honey in those straight and practical frames, while the queen and the brood are kept out of the way. This is great for extracting lots of honey quickly and easily, but it is not what the bees want. They want to follow their nature and do irregular things!
If they build up their hives inside a tree hollow, they build the comb to their needs, making sure that ventilation, access, etc are just right. Each and every hive finds a different expression in adaptation to its environment.
Can you see what I am getting at?
We as humans also have very different needs and express them in our particular circumstances: Each and every home or apartment is different! The art is, to make it right to suit us and to grow and develop it, as we change in interaction with the world around us. Change never ends and to be alive means having to change, - to adjust to ever changing circumstances. We are living in a huge ‘change-machine’.
These changes can be a growing family, or a shrinking one, different work commitments, changing financial circumstances, and many others. - At the moment, many of us have to deal with mould and just walking through the neighbourhood this morning, I see people with buckets and rubber gloves, trying to get on top of a massive infestation. In flooded areas, where the water got into the walls and soaked all the timber, bringing in hungry microorganisms- this is even more severe. Nature is taking our homes back!
A good reminder, that we live in nature. We are not the boss, on this Earth.
What do bees do to avoid such mould infestations? How have they survived for millions of years, since before the dinosaurs? - - They ventilate and they clean.
What should we do, to assure us of an indoor environment, that is healthy and supportive to us? Yes: Ventilate and clean… and I have talked about mould prevention on many occasions. The only type of building construction that would be rather immune to high humidity levels and countless condensation points would be a Passive House with superb insulation and constant controlled ventilation. In those homes, the living conditions for mould just don’t exist.
Most of us live in homes that still have single glazed windows, poor insulation, leaking gutters, rising damp, - the list goes on. Still, we need to create an environment that does not allow moulds to grow, so we stay unaffected by their toxins.
Keep your humidity levels between 40% and 60% relative humidity
Keep the air-conditioning running on the ‘Dry’ mode, high fan speed, or use heating
Get a dehumidifier (see Choice magazine reviews)
Consider an air purifier (see Choice)
Clean windows, check bed frames and mattresses, behind sofas and cupboards
Don’t use wardrobes on outside walls, keep wardrobe doors open
Throw out mouldy leather, wicker, etc.
Address gutter overflow and have the damp course checked.
Ventilate the subfloor.
And more….
The fundamental condition to allow us to live according to our needs - is a healthy home. Let’s ventilate and clean. Let’s do maintenance!
For mould testing, check-ups, and recommendations for remediation, - see my website.
