Hive of activity: Tapping into the buzz of backyard beekeeping in Japan www.japantimes.co.jp

For example, Kaihara says, rice farmers frequently target stink bugs, but chemicals drift in the air, contaminating the surrounding environment and killing many honey bees.
Honey bees fly around the entrance to a bee hive in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture.
“Most people who keep Japanese honey bees are hobbyists,” says Takeuchi Takayoshi, who sells Western bees online.
In that sense, the survival of honey bees might be a bellwether for humanity’s own ability to interact harmoniously with nature.
Beekeeping primerThe websites below discuss beekeeping in Japan, as well as places to purchase bees:• www.japan-natural-beekeeping.org• syumatsu-yoho.com/38• bee38.jimdo.com• www.ogihara832.co.jp/free_9_21.html• item.rakuten.co.jp/8ya3/490183/#490183