Japanese girls in the restaurant

The Film About Local Beekeepers by Calla Jones That is Causing a Buzz

Although there is still a dispute over whether it was Napoleon or Adam Smith who coined the phrase “The British are a nation of shopkeepers,” there is no dispute that beekeepers in Santa Barbara want to convince us that America is a “nation of beekeepers.” The Beelievers, a short documentary made by UCSB graduate filmmaker Leah Bleich and released at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, follows several Santa Barbara beekeepers who are doing just that.

Discussing the origins of the film during a SBIFF Film Talk on August 13, Bleich said the idea for making the film came while she was a junior at UCSB. She needed a subject for a green screen class. When she was home for spring break she stumbled Leah Bleich got the idea for making Beelievers on a bee swarm in a backyard tree. while she was a junior at UCSB “When a beekeeper arrived, all suitFrom pesticides, varroa mites, CCD ed up with his gear and treated the (Colony Disorder Collapse), exterswarm gently, I saw his passion and minating instead of rescuing, climate that sparked the idea to do a film change, and general ignorance about about bee conservationists in Santa how the earth needs bees to polBarbara,” she said. lenate our food and how essential

One of the beekeepers interviewed they are to conservation, the task he in the 15-minute film is Nick Wigle, has with other beekeepers is a chalthe 38-year-old owner of Super Bee lenging one. Rescue and Removal. Wigle, who is This spring did not see the excepknown around Santa Barbara and tional blooming of flowers that bees Montecito as the Doctor Dolittle of gorged upon, following the 2019 winBees because he talks to bees and ter torrential rains. Now with a stateis trying to save bees, one at a time wide drought and fires engulfing so if necessary. Wigle calls himself a much of bee territory, the bees are “beevangelist” and doesn’t mind if very stressed and fighting for every he’s also called a “Bee Guru” or “Bee last bit of pollen. Whisperer.” “I just want to be called Wigle recently posted on Instagram to save bees,” said the soft-spoken a video of him up a ladder, clad in a crusader. “Bees are cows with wings. Tyvek suit with gloves, rescuing thouIf you get to know them, you will see sands of angry bees. “It sure was hot,” they are cuddly.” he wrote, although he often does not

Wigle said there was a worldwear protective gear. “Standing on a wide threat to the bee population. ladder in the sun, working with some very pissy bees adds another layer. Yep these bees made me put on a suit and gloves.”

Wigle said bees could know whether they were being helped, emitting a scent that told him whether they were angry or happy. He said Super Bee Rescue was the only company in Santa Barbara that would climb ladders or go into a forklift to rescue colonies that were high up in trees or roofs.

Recently, the giant Asian hornet, aka the “Murder Hornet,” made its way across the Canadian border into Seattle. “I’m not looking forward to getting rid of a nest of these buggers,” he said. The two-inch honeybee-eating insect can travel 20 miles an hour, devour a beehive in an hour, and carries a deadly stinger that can penetrate bee suits.

The Bee Lady of Montecito, Juanita Collins teaches a course for the Santa Barbara Bee Association and she’s getting her master’s in beekeeping from the University of Montana (Photo credit: Calla Jones) Nick Wigle, the owner of Super Bee Rescue, is known as the Doctor Dolittle of Bees (Photo credit: Super Bee Rescue)

The ‘Bee-Too Movement’

Although Juanita Collins is not in the film, she is teaching a bee course for the Santa Barbara Bee Association with the help of Zoom. The charming Montecito beekeeper has a delightful way of describing how she got interested in beekeeping, often talking to the hives as she flits around her garden, asking how they’re doing, pointing out what certain bees are doing, how a bee becomes the Queen bee, how her worker bees keep her clean and feed her, how the Queen mates with a drone while flying, killing the drone. She chuckled, “You could call this a ‘Bee-Too’ movement.” Then she asked me whether I knew that the venom of Australian honeybees appeared to destroy a certain type of breast cancer cells.

Pam Anderson Skin Care

FACIALS • WAXING MICRO-DERMABRASION

OTHER SKIN CARE SERVICES AVAILABLE

Juanita and her eight siblings grew Before my trainer comes to the house, there are many purple plants that will up on a farm in Iowa. Her grandfaI take a tablespoon of honey before she thrive. Bees like pink and orange, too. ther was an avid beekeeper as well arrives and I’m all set to go.” They see ultraviolet because of their as a farmer. “I have three brothers As Juanita passed the pool, her omnipod eyes that enable them to see and two sisters who are farmers, but four grandchildren were enjoying the at a high spectrum of color.” I am the only beekeeper; my parents last days of summer. They seemed Bleich said beekeepers happened didn’t keep bees,” Collins said. “My unaware that their grandmother was to be a bit eccentric and can be fun interest started slowly when a friend, known affectionately in the neighborand silly when they talk about bees, who was living in our house while hood as “The Bee Lady of Montecito.” even Hollywood celebrities. Scarlett we were in our summer house in In her office, Juanita demonstrated Johansson, for instance, was given a New Hampshire, asked if I minded if her grandfather’s A.I. Root antique hive by Samuel L. Jackson. “There’s she put a beehive in our garden. She honey extractor. It dates from the mida lot of merit to slowing down with didn’t know a thing about bees, so I 1800s. Behind her are shelves filled beekeeping,” Bleich said. was puzzled, but said ‘yes,’ anyway with glass jars of last spring’s honey. I wonder whether Collins’s fellow as I was intrigued. That was the start In mid-August, Juanita emptied her 10 Montecitoan, Oprah Winfrey, who of my journey with bees.” hives. Every year since her first hive, lives on the other side of town and

She enrolled in a beginner’s beethe amount of honey has been increasloves the color purple, is a beekeepkeeping course with the Santa Barbara ing steadily. This year, she harvested er. Collins admitted that she didn’t Beekeepers Association and took the 100 pounds. She designed a label and know Oprah, but it would be nice to online Apprentice Beekeeping class at content sticker for the jars and is sellhave a connection, if only with bees. the University of Montana. “It was a ing them online. “I’ve got to design a “Maybe my bees are making a beeline real challenge as there is so much to website,” said the petite Renaissance for Oprah’s purple flowers and hers know about bees,” she said. “There are woman, who once managed her famare coming here to taste our nectar. more than two thousand different bee ily’s dairy farm in Iowa, had a career The bees can go five miles round-trip, species. They are so intelligent. Honey in finance before moving to Montecito, but it would be tough on them as was discovered in Egypt’s pyramids and is an accomplished flautist. Her Oprah’s is about two miles from us!” and is the only known food that can be main challenge now is to finish the She agreed that perhaps the former preserved forever. It has antibiotic qualSBBA course for the 20 followers she Duke and Duchess of Sussex can start ities, has been used for healing wounds instructs once a month for three hours. beekeeping on the estate they have and really helps with allergies. When She is also continuing with the online just bought down the road from their my husband, Evan, and I moved here course at the University of Montana for good friend. Beekeeping would fit in twenty-five years ago from Phoenix, her master’s in beekeeping. “I’m doing with their environmental concerns. Evan had terrible allergies and I’d this, not only for myself, but to help “And the bees wouldn’t have so far read that honey could be an effective further Santa Barbara’s interest in bees, to travel then,” she said added. “Their Bees “see ultraviolet because of their omnipod treatment. He puts a tablespoon in his even if it’s only planting more purproperty probably has wild, purple eyes that enable them to see at a high spectrum breakfast oatmeal and in his tea as well. ple plants,” she said. “Here in Santa sage – the bees love it – just like San of color,” says Juanita Collins He’s been free of allergies for years. Barbara, even if the drought continues, Ysidro Ranch, almost next door.” •MJ (Photo credit: Calla Jones)

Did you find it yet?Did you find it yet? Did you find it yet?

Each month, more and more people are playing and winning the

Santa Barbara Life Beach Ball Contest Find the beach ball and tell us what page it's on in this edition of the Montecito Journal - Visit SBLIFE.COM with the correct beach ball page number and enter to win a great prize every month!

Congratulations to all of our winners - The next one could be you!

Brought to you by: and 10 – 17 September 2020 • The Voice of the Village • MONTECITO JOURNAL 33