For all the justifiable alarm about declining bee populations worldwide, there is precious little public awareness of the business of beekeeping. Many people, for instance, remain unaware of the important differences between native bee species and honey bees — the former play an essential role in plant pollination and are under severe threat, while the latter are kept like livestock.
As concerns about bees have increased, so has a new form of greenwashing. Companies are using “beewashing” for marketing purposes, linking bee-related products and beekeeping services to environmental action, claims that are not necessarily backed by the available science.
