18/12/2024
【Coexistence｜共存】
What is coexistence? It means two different species living in the same place, sharing the same resources, yet not being hostile (or necessarily friendly) toward each other.
Recently, I encountered a common human-bee conflict while I was away from Hong Kong—a bee had made its home inside a kitchen exhaust pipe. Perhaps this environment is particularly comfortable and suitable for bees, which might explain why such cases frequently occur.
Sometimes, when humans and bees get too close, it can create inconveniences, and there may be unintentional conflicts that can harm both parties. Therefore, managing the situation with the principle of not harming the bee colony—by relocating them—might be one answer to coexistence. However, in the past, we have often relied on the ”most effective“ methods to ”solve problems,“ such as using insecticides to destroy bee colonies, which can have lasting negative impacts on the environment. Fortunately, in recent years, there seems to be a slow but gradual change. More and more people are considering alternatives to extermination when they encounter bee colonies. I am grateful to the property owners and management companies that allowed us to handle the situation in a way that may not be the most efficient, and I appreciate the volunteers from the Bee Rescue Team who worked hard to minimize unnecessary deaths.
Looking back, the bee nest in that exhaust pipe is a scene of coexistence between humans and bees, showcasing how bees are surviving in the urban environment.
P.S. If you‘re concerned about a similar situation happening in your home, you can install a fine metal mesh at the exhaust outlet to prevent it.
何謂共存？兩種不同的生物，在同一個地方，分享著同一份資源，卻不相互敵對（也不一定友好）地存活，或許就是共存的意思。
最近有事不在港，卻遇上了一個在城市常見的人蜂矛盾個案-蜂住進了抽油煙機喉管中。不知是否這類環境特別舒適，也特別適合蜂類生活，所以常有類似案例。
始終有些時候，人蜂兩者太過接近時，會做成不便，有時會有不經意的衝突，雙方都會受傷，所以如何管理、以不傷害蜂群為原則，遷移走牠們，或許就是共存的答案之一，但過往我們太過習慣以「最有效」的方法「解決問題」，以殺蟲水毀滅蜂群，其實會持續對環境做成負面影響，幸好近年好像緩慢地，逐漸逐漸地有所改變，愈來愈多人在遇上蜂群時會先想是否有毀滅以外的方法。感謝單位的業主和管理公司，容許我們以「效率不高」的方式去處理，也感謝當日蜜蜂拯救隊的義工們，盡力去減少不必要的死亡。
回頭細看，這喉管中的蜂巢，不就是人和蜂共存的畫面，蜂類在城市求存的光境。
P.s.如果你很怕以上情況發生在你家，可以在喉管出口裝上細密的金屬網，就能預防了。
