One of the main reasons we do what we do here at OpenHive is to spend time in nature allowing us to relax (even in the face of bees!), to focus on the tasks at hand and to get away from the demands of everyday life. We often see beekeeping as a form of mediation/therapy for us, much like most beekeepers up and down the country. Well, it now seems like the newspaper columns agree with us too!

In yesterday’s Independent we read:

Last year researchers using data from the 2012 European Quality of Life Survey released the findings of a study looking at the link between Europeans’ happiness and the species diversity in their surroundings.
“It showed that the happiest Europeans are those who see the most bird species in their day-to-day life,” said Patrick Croke, technical officer at Connecting to Nature.
“Being connected with nature, rather than simply being exposed to it, is about feeling close to the wider natural world and is more important for our mental wellbeing.”

Connecting to Nature: https://connectingtonature.ie/