In the quiet, windswept hills of Finistère, Brittany, a story was taking shape — one born out of loss, perseverance, and an unexpected encounter with nature’s fiercest invader.
For Denis Jaffré, a former sailor turned beekeeper, life had found a new rhythm among the hum of bees and the scent of wildflowers. But peace didn’t last. In 2017, his hives — the heart of his livelihood — came under siege from an enemy he couldn’t ignore: the Asian hornet.
These hornets, invasive predators that decimate bee colonies across Europe, had destroyed half of Denis’s hives in a matter of months. Fifty colonies — gone. The loss wasn’t just financial. For Denis, it was personal. “You care for them, you watch them build, and then overnight, everything is wiped out,” he said in an interview.
But instead of giving up, Denis did what problem-solvers do best — he got curious.
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