Beekeepers' beecomings and the agency of a bee

Abstract

The limits of non-human agency are still a highly disputed topic in humanities and social sciences. This paper is a case study of the relationship between Polish beekeepers and bees, based on data collected during two and a half years of participant observation and conducting ethnographic interviews. I suggest that bees have an immense amount of agency in their contact with humans. Bees shape people in their image in the process of beecoming, thus influencing the way they think, speak and behave. Moreover, bees have a great deal of autonomy when it comes to the inner architecture and politics of the hive. A significant means of manifesting bees’ agency is a sting. Stinging is a direct message to a human, a way of signalling the bees' needs and feelings. Surprisingly, in this relationship between insects and humans, the insect has the upper hand.