Sting Society by Rivkah Khanin

Informational Booklet and Manifesto

STING SOCIET Y Bees are excellent indicators of environmental quality; their decline suggests an unhealthy ecosystem, and an unsustainable food system.

We propose a reconsideration in the way we produce food for ourselves. Food is something that provides energy and well-being; it shouldn’t be the cause of extreme detriment to life-forms and the environment. We, the undersigned, are Sting Society: a group of Baltimore residents rebelling against the atrocities inflicted by industrial agriculture upon the American food system. The intrinsic problem of industrial agriculture is the disruption of mutualistic relationships within nature. One of the most ancient of these is between humans and pollinators.

We can start to counteract these hazardous practices by assisting the bees.

For centuries, bees have been pollinating 1/3 of all the food that we grow and eat. Pesticide use and monoculture farming practices have brought bees to the cusp of a crisis. By mass-producing only one crop, the resilience of the plants and soil is severely weakened. Farmers are then forced to use pesticides and fertilizers in order to remedy what a diverse plot would be able to regulate on its own. Faced with toxin-laden fields of one type of plant, bees are unable to forage for a variety of pollen sources, and are forced to ingest the pesticides and die. The same pesticides make their way into our bodies whenever we eat conventional produce.

Armed with information and tools, we can spread the word and spread the seeds to grow a revolution in the food system.

Together we will Sting Society into action! Sting Society provides the weapons and uniform: seed bombs (with bee-friendly plants), seed bomb recipe cards, a battle-plan/map, informative guide, and slick patches.

MANIFESTO WHAT’S THE BUZZ? Bees are amazing! Colonies of Honeybees are completely female run societies whose collective activities are synchronized by scent molecules released by the queen bee. They navigate across vast distances to collect nectar and pollen by calculating the position of the sun with three small eyes on top of their heads. When a worker bee discovers a patch of flowers, they communicate directions and distance to the others through a complex "waggle dance."

Nectar and pollen are the ingredients used to produce honey, wax, and propolis. After nectar is collected, it is left in a honeycomb cell to become honey. The nectar is honey after 70% of the water has evaporated, leaving it a concentrated syrup of sugars, enzymes, and nutrients. The wax used to build honeycomb is also nectar, ingested by the bees, and excreted from a special gland on their abdomen. Propolis, also made from nectar and pollen, is a thick tacky substance used by the bees to seal cracks in the hive, preventing invasion. Studies have shown it to have antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, making it an effective medicine for humans and bees alike. Bee venom has been found to have medicinal properties as well, and has been successfully used in the treatment of arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and even fibromyalgia.

OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP

–Learn about stewarding bees, and our relationships with them –Support local apiaries –Encourage community gardening –Eat locally grown foods –Support organic agriculture

“SAVE THE BEES” MIX Borage, Sunflower Lemon Queen, Coriander/Cilantro, Siberian Wallflower, Dill, Coreopsis Lance Leaf, California Poppy, Gaillardia Annual, Zinnia Lilliput, Basil Sweet, Cosmos, Purple Prairie Clover, Globe Gilia, Catnip, Lemon Mint, Black Eyed Susan, Goldenrod, Lavender Hyssop, Bergamot

OTHER BEE-FRIENDLY PL ANTS Spring Flowers: Bluebell, Bugle, Crab Apple, Daffodil, Flowering Cherry, Currant, Forget-Me-Not, Hawthorn, Rhododendron, Rosemary, Viburnum, Thrift

Fellow Members! Everyone can make steps toward a better future. Engage with friends, families, and your communities about food: we need a complete shift in our societal values.

Early Summer Flowers: Aquilegia, Astilbe, Campanula, Comfrey, Everlasting Sweet Pea, Fennel, Foxglove, Geranium, Potentilla, Snapdragon, Stachys, Teasel, Thyme, Verbascum

STING SOCIET Y ARSENAL (provided and recommended)

–Informational Booklet/Manifesto –"God Save the Queen" Patch –Honey Jar Molotov Cocktail –Compost Tea Squirt Gun –Black and Yellow Balaclava –Battle Plan Map –Seed Bombs –Wooden Spear –Bandolier

Sean’s Tip:

Listen Folks, aim for soil, not concrete or puddles. Plants can’t grow on asphalt, or in a body of water... duh.

Late Summer Flowers: Angelica, Aster, Buddleia, Cardoon, Cornflower, Dahlia, Delphinium, Eryngium, Fuchsia, Globe Thistle, Heather, Ivy, Lavender, Penstemon, Scabious, Sedum, Verbena

B E E H I V E LO C AT I ON S I N BALT I M O RE , M D

(foraging range of bees)

2 Miles

STING SOCIET Y