Chapter 582: Sweet Honey Tea

Yan Ganghui said, "Let's run while chanting a rhythm. We'll call out 'one' for the middle foot and 'two' for the outer feet!"

Su Hui: "OK!"

Soon it was their turn.

The staff blew a whistle, and with their arms around each other's necks, they chanted "one-two, one-two" and ran swiftly.

Three-legged races not only test coordination but also physical fitness.

The round-trip distance was 40 meters. Normally, Yan Ganghui would be out of breath just climbing a flight of stairs, but after soaking in the hot spring's spirit water bath yesterday and eating potatoes and chives grown with spirit soil and water this morning, he was full of energy.

They narrowly beat another couple to take first place in their group.

They glanced at each other and laughed heartily!

A staff member handed them a prize voucher, smiling, "Congratulations on winning! You can exchange this for a cup of honey lemon tea at the drink stand in the square."

The couple behind them received a piece of candy as a consolation prize, which was better than nothing.

Holding the voucher, they headed to the drink stand.

In addition to honey lemon tea, they also ordered a honey grapefruit tea.

Yan Ganghui noticed a sign nearby: "The honey used here is a product of the Shanshui Nature Community cooperation project..."

While waiting for the honey tea to be prepared, he read the sign out of curiosity.

The people of the Guanba region in Sichuan used to rely heavily on timber for their livelihood!

Their income came from logging, transporting timber, and other mountain resources.

For instance, they sold meat from takins, wild boars, and even bears in restaurants.

In the past, natural resources were abundant, and golden monkeys and giant pandas were common sights.

However, over time, sightings of wild animals became rare, cold-water fish in the rivers nearly disappeared due to electric fishing, and the environment deteriorated.

Guanba is located near the Tangjiahe Nature Reserve. To promote community conservation, alternative livelihoods for villagers were needed, so a series of initiatives were undertaken, including encouraging villagers to raise Chinese bees.

Chinese bees are an endangered pollinator species. Using nectar plants from panda habitats to produce honey not only protects the bees but also the forest, providing a livelihood for villagers—a win-win-win situation.

Although honey production didn't generate much profit, it brought attention, which is a valuable resource. It also served as a catalyst for changing villagers' mindsets.

They realized that there were other ways to make money besides logging, electric fishing, and herb collecting.

Villagers began participating in conservation projects, earning 140 yuan a day for patrols. A few years ago, they even established a pact prohibiting hunting, herb collecting, and electric fishing, which every villager signed.

Cold-water fish populations gradually recovered, and previously disappeared animals returned.

Living off the mountains, villagers' wallets grew, and their homeland returned to its lush, green state.

However, incidents of black bears stealing honey increased. Preparing for hibernation, black bears eat a lot between July and October, which coincides with honey harvesting season.

Compared to scattered wild bee hives in the forest, hundreds of beehives in apiaries are a feast for black bears. They not only destroy hives but also consume bee larvae and eggs, discouraging villagers from conservation efforts.

Shanshui Nature set up bear alarms and, following community-led principles, held meetings to discuss a mutually acceptable solution, establishing a bear damage fund, which recently started operating.

Similar honey conservation projects are also being implemented in Asian elephant communities in Yunnan.

"Sir, your honey tea is ready!"

Yan Ganghui snapped out of his thoughts, feeling a bit emotional. Who knew there was such a story behind honey?

Conservation work is not smooth sailing. Balancing community development and nature conservation truly tests one's wisdom.

He and Su Hui each took a cup of honey tea and sipped.

The sweet, honeyed flavor with a hint of lemon was quite refreshing.

Walking through the square, they saw some display boards with bee illustrations!

Initially uninterested in bees, Yan Ganghui stopped to read the boards, intrigued by the honey and community story, and sipping his honey tea.

The boards presented interesting facts about bees!

For example, bees can fly 24 kilometers in an hour.

They do not hibernate in winter; instead, they cluster together in their hive and vibrate their wings to stay warm.

To produce one kilogram of honey, bees need to visit a million flowers, work 33,300 hours, and fly 450,000 kilometers, equivalent to circling the Earth 11 times.

"Wow!" Su Hui exclaimed, looking at her honey tea in awe, "No wonder they're called hardworking little bees!"

How many thousands of kilometers did they fly to make this cup of honey tea? It's much harder work than a delivery person.

Yan Ganghui was drawn to another board: "Whoa! If bees disappear, humans can only live for four years?"

He was puzzled. Are bees really that important?

Without bees for pollination, aren't there butterflies? Can't they replace bees?

This is a common misconception!

However, ecological niches aren't like children's building blocks that can be rearranged at will. Each animal has its unique ecological role.

Tigers, leopards, and wolves are all predators, but only tigers effectively control wild boar populations.

After the extinction of the dodo bird, the calvaria tree, which relied on the dodo to digest and grind its seeds, also became scarce.

It's like a domino effect; once one piece falls, it triggers a chain reaction.

Nature's structure is complex and precise, with limited tolerance for errors.

Yan Ganghui's expression grew serious as he read the display.

One-third of human food directly or indirectly relies on pollination by insects like bees. Not only are bees threatened, but other pollinators like butterflies and bats are also facing extinction, struggling to survive, let alone replace bees.

If this continues, nutritious crops like vegetables and fruits will be replaced by a few staple crops like rice and potatoes, leading to nutritional imbalances and severe famine.

Just imagining a few years of eating only potatoes and rice made life seem bleak and joyless.

The next board explained how to protect bees!

For example, planting native plants with varying blooming periods, buying raw honey from local farmers to support beekeeping.

Avoiding the use of pesticides and herbicides, properly sorting garbage, and protecting wild bee hives.

Of course, raising awareness about the importance of bees and educating others.

Knowledge leads to concern, and concern leads to action.

Yan Ganghui immediately took some photos and posted them on his social media: "Today is May 20th, also World Bee Day. Who knew these little bees were so important! They deserve our respect and care. Show some love for the bees, everyone."

A friend commented: "What a weird holiday!"