Simon Mulvany – How We Can Save The Bees and Our Environment By Freya Savitri Sampson Freya Sampson caught up with an amazingly Zen man in Simon Mulvany from Save the Bees. Here’s a snippet of his life saving and educating people about bees. What was life before ‘Save The Bees’ for Simon Mulvany? “I was a Park Ranger. It wasn’t what I thought it would be; spraying chemicals most of the time, usually Glyphosate. It felt wrong and when I raised it with my supervisor, he said, “Salt is more dangerous than roundup.” The rest was cleaning bathrooms and picking up other humans mess, so I left that job and started a gardening and beekeeping business. Now, it’s bees’ full time.” Why do you love bees? “Bees induce a feeling of awe and wonder in me, they work with such grace and purpose. Human civilisation as we know it would crumble without bees.” What got you into beekeeping? “Several coincidences started me on my beekeeping journey.” How did these coincidences play out? “I travelled a lot between the
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Supernal Magazine
“Human civilisation as we know it would crumble without bees.” ages 20-30. Then, 12-years ago I became a father. I grounded myself and got my first hives. My extended family was shocked, thinking I was irresponsible. Some of my friends wouldn’t visit and some of my child’s school friends weren’t allowed to. These irrational fears made me realise it was time to educate people. “Around that time, with my Greek friend, we would buy honey from a rather eccentric beekeeper, who only made two harvests annually. Going to his place was like visiting Willy Wonka’s factory, however he didn’t like questions being asked about bees and beekeeping, so we were banned from buying honey. “I researched throughout the winter months, reading many books, writing to authors asking questions. It was amazing how available they made themselves; they all wrote back. Concurrently, after lots of looking, two hives became available. It wasn’t as easy to get them back then, unlike now.”
How did you go from beekeeping to Save the Bees? “Initially it was a very lonely time. In my circles, no one else was interested in bees - then the internet opened up and social media expanded my networks and learning. It was actually a very beautiful time, inspiring me with a lot of hope for humanity. “I began to rescue the bees rather than destroying them, when the local Councils received reports that they were swarming. I had 50 calls and was keeping bees everywhere. In cardboard boxes, all over the place. “I also read that the councils in Melbourne were injecting pine trees with neonicatinoids, specifically to kill off a bug called Giant Scale. This poison devastates the bee population. Beekeepers need this, Giant
