The Great Ape House

Bees provide a vital part of the Earth's ecosystems. They are key to biodiversity and contribute directly to food security through highly effective pollination. These winged insects, despite their important function in the planet's and people's wellbeing, are often misperceived as scary creatures and even attackers, leading to fear-based intention with these Earth -important living creatures. Matt Willey, an artist who founded "The Good of the Hive"global art project, created the mural artwork featured in this article at the Great Ape House at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. This mural art is inspired by the fact that, "ape"means "bee"in Italian and both species are linked to ancient evolutionary shifts, yet both species are often featured in fear-based stories (e.g., King Kong) of the human tendency to try to squash whatever we do not understand. This mural art, which features 351 giant bees and took 14 weeks and engaged more than 250,000 people in the process, aims to raise awareness about the plight of bees: similar to apes, which are very strong but relatively gentle, when a hive of bees takes that incredible leap and swarms, they are at their most calm. A swarm is the expression of a healthy, thriving hive and one of the most sublime experiences in the natural world.