No Bees in My Apartment.

Summary

The author, a high-rise gardener, hand-pollinates vanilla flowers due to the absence of bees and reflects on the importance of bees, the challenges in vanilla farming, and the potential disappearance of pure vanilla.

Abstract

The author, who maintains a garden on the 9th floor, discovered that bees couldn't reach their apartment, necessitating the need to learn hand-pollination. The author's vanilla vine, a clone of Vanilla planifolia, has grown over 110 feet and thrives under LED lights. The vanilla flowers bloom sequentially, requiring quick and careful hand-pollination within a few hours of blooming. The author emphasizes the importance of bees, particularly orchid bees, in pollination and their decline due to climate change and urbanization. The author also discusses the challenges in vanilla farming, such as root rot and labor-intensive hand-pollination, which contribute to vanilla being the second most expensive spice. The author warns that pure vanilla may disappear and be replaced by chemical concoctions.

Opinions

The author believes that without bees, humans wouldn't have food to eat, highlighting their importance in pollination.
The author expresses concern about the decline of bees, particularly orchid bees, due to climate change and urbanization.
The author criticizes the primitive practices in vanilla farming and the lack of diversity, which create ideal conditions for rampant disease.
The author emphasizes the labor-intensive process of hand-pollination in vanilla farming, contributing to its high cost.
The author warns about the potential disappearance of pure vanilla and its replacement by chemical concoctions.
The author values the vanilla vine and its produce, equating each lost pod to one less Crème Brûlée or vanilla slice with morning coffee.
The author recommends an AI service that provides the same performance and functions as ChatGPT Plus(GPT-4) but at a more cost-effective price.

Pollinating Vanilla by hand requires productive happy buzzing.

Vanilla flowers only open for a few hours. I hand pollinate every morning. Picture by John Rose.

When I first started my 9th floor garden realised it was too high for bees, Must learn to pollinate, Looking into it simply put without bees we don’t eat.

My vanilla started as a little vine in very small pot, Label said between six and 9 feet, Now about 110+ feet and absolutely loves being under LED lights with happily buzzing fusspot gardener, First season 7 pods now nearly cured, Yesterday counted 240 flowers, Just starting sequential blooming, Between 4 and 10 each day starting 6AM.

Single flower lasts about 4 hours, Must be quickly and carefully pollinated, Each pod lost worth about $10 to $15 in local market, Bluntly put each pod lost means one less Crème Brûlée or vanilla slice with morning coffee!

Reflection

My vanilla vine is Vanilla planifolia, Almost entire world crop comes from this clone, Most farming is carried out through primitive practices which combined with lack of diversity create ideal conditions for rampant disease, Root rot is already rampant in Madagascar’s crop.

Bees and especially little orchid bees are in decline from climate change and environmental degradation through urbanisation.

Commercial vanilla is second most expensive spice due to laborious hand-pollination and poor harvests in Madagascar and Indonesia.

Not really a matter of deciding just have less and pay a bit more for special treats, Pure vanilla will disappear and be replaced by chemical concoctions.

Blessed be.