Happy July to you all, I hope you have been able to enjoy some of the beauty that summertime offers.
Over the years I have found many reasons to procrastinate my writing, but today’s excuse takes the cake! I was sitting down at my kitchen table about to commence writing when my daughter, who was in the kitchen with me, casually asked, “What’s up with the bees, Dad?” I looked out the window to see thousands of bees circling above my backyard. To my surprise they had decided to split the hive and swarm. When this happens it’s because they have made a new queen. The original queen leaves the hive with about half of the colony and sets out to find a new home.
I rushed outside and looked up at the swarm of bees hovering in the sky above the old hive wondering if there was any way I could convince them to come back. After about 10 minutes of flying in a massive swirl they finally all settled together on a spruce branch about 25 feet from the ground. They usually do this to regroup and protect the queen before they all fly off together in search of a new hive.
Filled with excitement and a desire to catch them before they ran off, I grabbed my bee jacket – which provides me with a bit of protection from those that might wish to sting me for meddling. Racing around I gathered up my tall extension ladder, a box to put them in and some clippers. I secured the ladder to a stout branch and proceeded to climb up into the tree in hopes that I could somehow collect this massive swarm.
Carefully pulling the branch towards me, I reached up and clipped the limb that the bees were all clinging to and carefully laid them into the box and put the lid on. Success! I climbed down the ladder and placed the box next to the old home while I ran off to gather supplies to build them a new home.
A few hours later, after working away in my shop, I put together everything they would need for a new home. I took a frame of honey and a frame of brood (baby bees) from their original home to give them a bit of a head start, and then I opened the box that I had used to capture the swarm and literally poured them into the new hive. They settled in pretty quickly as I carefully placed the cover on them. The new hive resting beside their old one. Now I have two bee hives!
Over the years I have tried bee keeping with some success and many failures. Bees have been struggling with our increased urbanization and use of herbicides and pesticides to keep our lawns looking green and weed free. These chemicals weaken the bee’s immune systems and overall health, which makes them more vulnerable to pests and illness. Without the bees, many of our food crops would vanish – we need bees, but not just for the honey they produce. We depend on them to pollinate so many fruits and vegetables that we enjoy.
Bees are amazing to watch. You can really appreciate a jar of honey after seeing how much work goes into producing the stuff. Interacting with them makes me feel a bit closer to the natural world and how interconnected we are to it. This amazing web of life is so interdependent. Bees also make me think of community – all these individuals working so hard for the benefit of their colony.
So, remember to plant some flowers in your yard or garden box, or maybe even consider hosting some bees of your own. Avoid using chemical pesticides on your lawn and garden, and the next time you grab a spoonful of honey, give thanks to those bees who worked so hard to create that magical elixir.
Thank you for indulging me in this bee blog.