Jonathan’s Bees – A Tribute to Jonathan Patriarca

A man doing yoga on a mountain.
-ConsciousnessEnvironmentIntentional LivingLiving in Service and VolunteeringOur Dear Friends in Service to Earth and HumanityProjectsSan Diego

A few years ago my friends brought me to a Bheemashakti Yoga class where I met a very warm and loving man, Jonathan Patriarca. I only went to a few of his classes but I really loved him. He radiated positive energy. In October of 2014 Jonathan passed away suddenly from a heart attack. No words or emotions came to me upon finding out. How could it seem real that this young beautiful soul was here one day and physically gone the next with no warning?


I went to the memorial at his house and was moved by the images of him and the memories that everyone shared. He was just such a good man.

There were flowers covering where his body had fallen to the ground and bees were buzzing around. Watching the bees buzz brought joy to my heart and made me think. Jonathan made the world around him a better place with his compassion and his good nature. Bees do that too!

10440184_10154645557580416_729569234579110149_n

I want his goodness to live on, natural and free, and I think that the bees can help do that. Jonathan’s Bees! So I’m helping the bees and the flowers blossom in San Diego. I found ten or so wonderful people who are going to host a Jonathan’s Bees hive at their home. And we’re planting wild flowers for them to pollinate and forage from. I’m supplying the colony, bee box, and tools to these bee stewards to make it all happen and getting help from Girl Next Door Honey!

Jonathan’s Bees are going to be rescued colonies. When a bee colony gets too big or the space just isn’t right for them anymore some or all of them leave their hive in a big swarm to go look for a new place. Sometimes they’ll end up on a palm branch.

Jonathan's Bees 1
In someones garage:

Jonathan's Bees 3

Or even on a street sign:

Jonathan's Bees 2

If these bees decide to take root somewhere that isn’t ideal for humans they usually end up being killed by an exterminator. In fact Hillary said about 99% of bee removals result in extermination. But it’s just not cool to kill the bees. We depend on them so much. So Hillary rescues colonies instead by removing them from the undesired spot and relocating them to a safe place.

Here’s Hillary removing a massive swarm that made home on someones home:

Jonathan's Bees 5

And here’s Hillary putting them into a box to take them to a better spot:

Jonathan's Bees 6

Hilary is doing such a wonderful job of helping with the bees in San Diego. So after Hillary rescues the bee colony she’ll relocate the bees to one of our Jonathan’s Bees hosts and they’ll go in a bee box like this:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Since posting this memorial I have connected with the 10 or so good people that are going to host Jonathan’s bees and help his legacy live on.

Jonathan also really liked playing chess so I want to paint a chess board on top of some of the bee boxes. If you are a true yogi you can play chess with Jonathan and the bees. Keep your heart beat low, keep calm, and the bees will buzz with you, without stinging you. Good practice in keeping your cool in life, something Jonathan was an expert at.

When I see bees I’m going to think of Jonathan’s goodness and feel his warmth.
You can spread Jonathan’s legacy by being a steward to the bees and doing these simple things:
Plant bee-friendly flowers!
Eat local, organic foods because pesticides kill bees!
Take a bee keeping class to learn how to be a friend to the bee!
Become a bee keeper!
Buy local, raw honey, not honey from the big corporations!
The world loved you Jonathan. Thank you for all the beauty you have left on earth.
Jonny's Bees
Jonathan left behind a wife and a baby that came after he passed. Please send warm thoughts to Angela and Amelia.
10937829_10205079973791989_993947205_n
Here’s all the wonderful people that are hosting Jonathan’s Bees!
Jonathan's Bees

Follow Robin on social media

Featured Posts