Alix Roosen

I studied conventional agriculture in Germany - learning for many years how to manage farm animals and produce the maximum output possible. I know a lot about agri“culture” in Germany and consider it extremely alarming what it does to nature, landscapes, our society and people all over the world.

I grew up in a forest and there was an old beekeeper there - one of my childhood heroes. I always wanted to have bees around me but never got round to it. In Germany beekeeping is taught like some kind of „arcane science“ - way too complicated and expensive for an average person to pick up. Gradually I realized that it is the management side of beekeeping that is complicated. The bees themselves know everything. They do not need us - we need them and we have to let them be.

I have been a beekeeper since 2013, starting with horizontal topbar hives I built myself. Since then my apiary has expanded to 30 hives, Demeter certified, and I teach natural approaches to beekeeping.

At the end of every teaching year, I find myself asking: is this what I want to talk about? Natural comb in boxes, swarms and honey? Knowing that the bees belong in the heart of trees and in the wild? I am committed to learning from the bees and feel confident in the bees’ ability to guide us well.