"To Bee or Not to Bee"

When most people think about bees, they usually think about pollination, or maybe honey, or even trying to avoid getting stung. But it is not very often that we think about bees as artists. Well, maybe with a bit of help and a partnership from a human artist, that is. Ava Roth, is an artist who collaborates with honey bees and the wax they create, to make her unique and very original form of art. She works with bees instead of people! This Toronto based artist, is also a painter, embroiderer, and a mixed-media artist. However, she has spent the last 10 years or so experimenting with the unique medium of encaustic, or melted beeswax. She creates her stunning art by stitching, sewing, and incorporating items such as paper, beads, found materials, and even ceramics into a design that she attaches to her frame, which is often an embroidery hoop. Then she suspends the hoop into a beehive. Over time, the bees do the rest of the work by filling the frame with honeycomb and adding to the final design. You can see a few more of her art pieces below. ,

Through her art, Ava Roth is helping raise awareness for the importance of bees, and the vital role that they play in our ecosystem. If you'd like to see more of her work, you can check out her Instagram.

While bees are a very important part of our environment, their populations have declined worldwide. This is caused by multiple factors, such as climate change, habitat loss, and the use of pesticides. You can learn some interesting facts about bees by checking out the chart below!