You see them with increasing regularity on Instagram and TikTok , looking like astronauts exploring a verdant new planet. Yes, the latest high-status outfit for celebrities and their children in their self-published video content is a white all-in-one with matching hood… a beekeeping suit.
Beekeeping for centuries was a wholesome pastime, an endearing way to reconnect with nature. It was nice; it was pleasing; it was – crucially – low-key. Its higher profile adherents were erudite and quietly thoughtful: Aristotle, Tolstoy, Sylvia Plath and, in fiction, Sherlock Holmes.
Social media buzz
But lately there has been an unmistakable social media buzz around bees and the keeping of them has become “ celebrified” and “influencered” .
Take the recent posturings of former X Factor star