It's all over the news, it positively plasters the Internet. The question of "What would happen if there were no more honeybees?" is everywhere.
Yet, the answer to that is harder to nail down. So many people trying to answer this with a simple answer. The most common being, "We'll all die!!!" and other such alarmist comments.
Now, I won't lie and tell you that my opinion is very far off. No, we are in for some dramatic changes and a lot less people in the world (a lot less life in general in the world) due to famine and lack of agricultural resources. Many fruits, vegetables nuts, berries, etc.. (over 90 different crops in all) will be seriously diminished, if not outright eliminated.
Due to fewer numbers available, prices for these will rise astronomically and be available to only the few who can afford them. Many of the family farms and ranchers that have a heavy dependence on bee pollinated crops will be forced to shut down costing us food availability and jobs. Companies that depend directly on these crops like cereal makers, will dramatically diminish in their offerings and also see a great loss in jobs as plants close down and workers become unemployed.
As much as the tech and manufacturing industries like to think they are the dominant movers and shakers, the reality is, agriculture is still boss when it all comes down to do it. Lose your agriculture and you lose nearly everything.
However, most people seem to think this problem has a a single source, that being pesticides. While pesticides certainly play their role, they are by far not the only or even the biggest problem.
What we have done in our so smart modern agricultural world, is to essentially place all of our eggs in one basket, then set the basket down on an ant hill, then poured poison in the basket.
As seemingly smart as we think we are, we so easily allow ourselves to be blinded by greed. Greed for more profits, greed for more food, greed for more land.
Our agricultural practices have put us in a tricky predicament and because of that, our agricultural pollination beekeeping has come into trouble and as a repercussion of their travels far and wide in this country, local beekeepers are seeing ill effects.
The use of Integrated Pest Management practices and products has grown over the years, but not proportionally with agriculture and the the use of pesticides. IPM is still way, waaayyy behind.
Land management practices that stress the land, stress the plants and consequently stress the bees and other creatures are prevalent. A grand lie about how much modern agriculture is needed to feed the world has been bought by the majority of people and they tolerate the practices even while they become aware of ramifications from the lie.
More people are dependent on fewer farmers and agricultural sources because of political decisions to keep other geographic areas, peoples and countries dependent. That's not hyperbole or tin foil hat talk, that's information openly disclosed and documented by the federal government. It's a fact, they use food and access to food as a weapon, no secret there.
The fewer sources and growers there are, the easier it is to control what they grow and how much of it. To this day, amidst the "great need to feed more and more people", the U.S. government still pays farmers to NOT grow certain crops and pays incentives to grow others. This is how they work to control the commodities markets, national retail prices and control agricultural trade by controlling availability. Again, no secret here, all of this has been documented and spoken to in hundreds of places.
As the modern practices continue however, we are seeing scientists report on problems arising causing problems for bees, waterways, migratory birds, mass fish die offs in lakes, rivers and streams, etc... once again, I'm not being paranoid, this is all public and openly shared in dozens of public documents by government agencies such as the EPA, the USDA and more.
The pesticides are only one part of a multi-faceted problem that has it's origins in modern agricultural practices.
Fewer family, independent farmers means that more agricultural land is farmed by corporations which collaborate with government direction without batting an eye. There are fewer independent farmers to decide how they will grow on their own terms.
Larger and larger tracts of agricultural land are being farmed in ways that exacerbate the problems rather than finding other ways to do the same thing, grow food.
So you see, finding real solutions, right now, to our agricultural problems not only saves our pollinating bees, it saves our economy and our lives.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Saturday, December 28, 2013
December Checkup
Well, here it is, December 28th 2013 and it was a nice and clear 56 degrees out today. Made more interesting by the fact that tomorrow is predicted to reach only a high of 9.
I took advantage of the warmup, like so many other bee folks did today, to take a peek at my bees in my Fontenelle Forest apiary. Out of the three hives I had there going int oWinter, one of them was a die out. As a matter of fact, it was the lone remaining 5 frame hive but it was my own darn fault. I feel bad.
I forgot to reduce the entrance and yes, a mouse found it's way in and things went downhill from there.
The other two hives, in 8 frame boxes, seem to be doing very well. Obviously, they weren't too happy with my little visit.
I plan to check on them again at the next warmup opportunity, I suspect there will be at least one day in January over 45 degrees.
It was good to smell that hive smell again. God I miss my bees.
I took advantage of the warmup, like so many other bee folks did today, to take a peek at my bees in my Fontenelle Forest apiary. Out of the three hives I had there going int oWinter, one of them was a die out. As a matter of fact, it was the lone remaining 5 frame hive but it was my own darn fault. I feel bad.
I forgot to reduce the entrance and yes, a mouse found it's way in and things went downhill from there.
The other two hives, in 8 frame boxes, seem to be doing very well. Obviously, they weren't too happy with my little visit.
I plan to check on them again at the next warmup opportunity, I suspect there will be at least one day in January over 45 degrees.
It was good to smell that hive smell again. God I miss my bees.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
What a Wacky Winter
It's been a couple of days since I lasted posted here. Lots of things going on.
How crazy is this winter in the Great Plains anyway?
Monday and Tuesday we had great weather in the mid-50's. Tuesday shows up and from then on we go from 30 to below zero in a matter of a couple days.
Those poor bees. If you didn't get to take advantage to check on your hives and feed them in those couple of nice days, you might not be feeling like such a great beekeeper right now. I know I don't.
I know, I know, life happens, appointments to get to, things to get done, but still, a beekeeper feels bad when he doesn't get his bees taken care of properly.
How crazy is this winter in the Great Plains anyway?
Monday and Tuesday we had great weather in the mid-50's. Tuesday shows up and from then on we go from 30 to below zero in a matter of a couple days.
Those poor bees. If you didn't get to take advantage to check on your hives and feed them in those couple of nice days, you might not be feeling like such a great beekeeper right now. I know I don't.
I know, I know, life happens, appointments to get to, things to get done, but still, a beekeeper feels bad when he doesn't get his bees taken care of properly.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Is Honey All There Is To Beekeeping?
For some people, many people actually, Honey is the end all, bee all of beekeeping. Is there anything wrong with that? Of course not. Honey production is one of, if not "the", most popular reason for becoming and staying a beekeeper.
The thrill of seeing all of your time, effort and learning resulting in hundreds of pounds of honey to sell and give to others. The excitement of learning to present and maybe win awards for honey in honey showings. For many people, honey = beekeeping and beekeeping = honey and that's that.
I'm cool with that.
I would like to remind our honey harvesters though that there are other reasons, other "purposes" which people go into beekeeping for and honey is not always the primary motivator if it is, in fact, a motivator at all.
It is because there are other primary motivations to become a beekeeper that so many disagreements crop up. I think it's safe to say that the vast majority of all beekeepers are honey beekeepers. For literally hundreds of years in the U.S. honey has been the primary motivation to be a beekeeper. Even longer in the rest of the world.
Yet, even hundreds of years ago, there were beekeepers who were more interested in pollination over honey production. There have been beekeepers who are mostly motivated by the activity and action and the experience of caring for a bee colony all on it's own. Honey is a nice by-product, but not expected or anticipated by them.
It is by the non honey motivated beekeepers that other methods and approaches to keeping bees have come about. The end goals and desired results don't necessarily require the same practices be used in those beekeepers hives. in some situations, the practices for attaining high honey yields is counter-productive for them and cause more problems than they purport to solve in that particular situation.
Yet, to many an "experienced" or highly motivated" honey producing beekeeper, the idea of keeping bees and using methods and practices for anything other than honey production is an alien concept and is essentially meaningless to them.
You can see it in the writings of books and journals of historical beekeepers. Even those we know in "modern" history.
The advice I offer to you "alternatively motivated" beekeepers is to not argue or try to convince the honey beekeepers of anything. Try to learn what you can from them, and there are plenty of things to learn from them. Keep that information which is useful and relevant to your beekeeping and let the rest go silently and without effort out of your mind.
I know of quite a few alternative beekeepers who become extremely frustrated with honey producers that eventually, they allow it to disrupt them in their own beekeeping experience.
I have known some honey beekeepers to look at me as if I had lost my mind when I talk to them of my own goals, objectives and practices. Some are less pleasant about it than others. I just smile and try to remain positive. I try to keep to fact based discussion, things that try as they might to disagree with, they are hard pressed to counter the fact based evidence then I move on.
I have mentors even now who are honey beekeepers. I have learned and continue to learn from them every time I spend time with them. I like to think that they might even pick up something useful from me once in awhile. If nothing else, I just remind them that the beekeeping world is broader and more diverse now than it historically has been.
With the advance of communications technology like internet forums, email, "smart phones" and countless other innovations, the ability of people to become beekeepers and learn about beekeeping is happening at much faster rates than ever before in history.
As agriculture and society itself changes to view bees and beekeeping in different ways, so too will people change how and why they are beekeepers.
I talked about George Imrie in an earlier post. George is great. Gotta love George. George was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, a honey beekeeper par excellence.
George was also really, really "confirmed" in the way he saw beekeeping and the reasons why and how to do it. If you weren't doing it for the same reasons, he had little in common with you and you might as well have been a butterfly or racing pigeon hobbyist for all he cared.
Because George had the title of E.A.S. certified Master Beekeeper, he had some considerable influence on other beekeepers. Honey was THE reason for beekeeping as far as he was concerned. I didn't know him, but I have read a lot of his writing and he was not shy about being very clear and straight forward in his points.
But, George could be any one of a hundred other beekeepers I know right here in my own area. Honey is the Alpha and the Omega to beekeeping for these folks. I can't disagree that honey is important in beekeeping. It has been the most influential force in advancing beekeeping technology.
For people like me, beekeeping is about more than honey. It's about the wax and the pollination as well. Whereas for honey beekeepers, it's more akin to being a commercial cattle rancher. They raise cattle for one reason, to sell to packing houses. For me, it's more like being a homesteader. Having the cows is as much for the milk and yes, sometimes the meat and even the manure for the garden.
I look at having bees and beekeeping as a way to be more self sufficient. I can make candles and medicinal items from the wax, eat honey and use it to heal wounds. You can even use propolis to make toothpaste on your own. Not to mention helping that garden with their pollination.
Because I "use" bees and their products a bit differently in my situation, I require some different practices and methods to best suit that purpose. High honey yield production practices are not necessarily the best fit into my approach.
The thrill of seeing all of your time, effort and learning resulting in hundreds of pounds of honey to sell and give to others. The excitement of learning to present and maybe win awards for honey in honey showings. For many people, honey = beekeeping and beekeeping = honey and that's that.
I'm cool with that.
I would like to remind our honey harvesters though that there are other reasons, other "purposes" which people go into beekeeping for and honey is not always the primary motivator if it is, in fact, a motivator at all.
It is because there are other primary motivations to become a beekeeper that so many disagreements crop up. I think it's safe to say that the vast majority of all beekeepers are honey beekeepers. For literally hundreds of years in the U.S. honey has been the primary motivation to be a beekeeper. Even longer in the rest of the world.
Yet, even hundreds of years ago, there were beekeepers who were more interested in pollination over honey production. There have been beekeepers who are mostly motivated by the activity and action and the experience of caring for a bee colony all on it's own. Honey is a nice by-product, but not expected or anticipated by them.
It is by the non honey motivated beekeepers that other methods and approaches to keeping bees have come about. The end goals and desired results don't necessarily require the same practices be used in those beekeepers hives. in some situations, the practices for attaining high honey yields is counter-productive for them and cause more problems than they purport to solve in that particular situation.
Yet, to many an "experienced" or highly motivated" honey producing beekeeper, the idea of keeping bees and using methods and practices for anything other than honey production is an alien concept and is essentially meaningless to them.
You can see it in the writings of books and journals of historical beekeepers. Even those we know in "modern" history.
The advice I offer to you "alternatively motivated" beekeepers is to not argue or try to convince the honey beekeepers of anything. Try to learn what you can from them, and there are plenty of things to learn from them. Keep that information which is useful and relevant to your beekeeping and let the rest go silently and without effort out of your mind.
I know of quite a few alternative beekeepers who become extremely frustrated with honey producers that eventually, they allow it to disrupt them in their own beekeeping experience.
I have known some honey beekeepers to look at me as if I had lost my mind when I talk to them of my own goals, objectives and practices. Some are less pleasant about it than others. I just smile and try to remain positive. I try to keep to fact based discussion, things that try as they might to disagree with, they are hard pressed to counter the fact based evidence then I move on.
I have mentors even now who are honey beekeepers. I have learned and continue to learn from them every time I spend time with them. I like to think that they might even pick up something useful from me once in awhile. If nothing else, I just remind them that the beekeeping world is broader and more diverse now than it historically has been.
With the advance of communications technology like internet forums, email, "smart phones" and countless other innovations, the ability of people to become beekeepers and learn about beekeeping is happening at much faster rates than ever before in history.
As agriculture and society itself changes to view bees and beekeeping in different ways, so too will people change how and why they are beekeepers.
I talked about George Imrie in an earlier post. George is great. Gotta love George. George was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, a honey beekeeper par excellence.
George was also really, really "confirmed" in the way he saw beekeeping and the reasons why and how to do it. If you weren't doing it for the same reasons, he had little in common with you and you might as well have been a butterfly or racing pigeon hobbyist for all he cared.
Because George had the title of E.A.S. certified Master Beekeeper, he had some considerable influence on other beekeepers. Honey was THE reason for beekeeping as far as he was concerned. I didn't know him, but I have read a lot of his writing and he was not shy about being very clear and straight forward in his points.
But, George could be any one of a hundred other beekeepers I know right here in my own area. Honey is the Alpha and the Omega to beekeeping for these folks. I can't disagree that honey is important in beekeeping. It has been the most influential force in advancing beekeeping technology.
For people like me, beekeeping is about more than honey. It's about the wax and the pollination as well. Whereas for honey beekeepers, it's more akin to being a commercial cattle rancher. They raise cattle for one reason, to sell to packing houses. For me, it's more like being a homesteader. Having the cows is as much for the milk and yes, sometimes the meat and even the manure for the garden.
I look at having bees and beekeeping as a way to be more self sufficient. I can make candles and medicinal items from the wax, eat honey and use it to heal wounds. You can even use propolis to make toothpaste on your own. Not to mention helping that garden with their pollination.
Because I "use" bees and their products a bit differently in my situation, I require some different practices and methods to best suit that purpose. High honey yield production practices are not necessarily the best fit into my approach.
Is there a difference between "Natural" and "Organic"?
There are a lot of different uses of the words "natural" and "organic".
In general, the word "organic" means to come from a living organism.
Some people use "organic" to refer to products that are from living organisms. For example, natural essential oils have been referred to as being "organic" since they come from living plants.
There are some though who make an even further distinction between organic and natural products. They would say that organic products, such as oils, etc.. are those secreted or emanated, by living organisms. For example, according to this definition, honeydew is organic because it is excreted by aphids. Royal or queen jelly is secreted by bees to feed to other larvae and bees.
The finer breakdown of "natural" then would refer to products that are made of living organisms (and other things, like stones, which are considered "Natural" as opposed to concrete). For example, most essential oils are made by boiling or otherwise heating plant parts to get the natural oils out of the parts of the plants.
So, "organic" products basically are things made by organisms and "natural" products are those things made of or from organisms by this definition.
When it comes to using treatments in pest management, say in bee hives to treat for mites. Some people would say that using mineral oil mixed with wintergreen oil as a fog in a hive is an "organic" treatment. However, by the definitions I explained above, they really would be "natural" treatments as the oils are made of organisms, not by organisms.
Feeding bees pollen patties made with real pollen would be organic because pollen is produced "by" flowers.
In regards to practices like I mentioned at the beginning, an organic practice would be to emulate or mimic what living organisms "do". "Natural" would be the motivation or source for the action.
An example here of organic practice would be bees making and using propolis to seal up cracks, crevices, etc... inside the hive.
A "natural" practice would be doing the waggle dance to show fellow bees where to find a nectar source. This as opposed to a bee somehow being trained to make some sound then pull out a map. That would definitely not be natural.
Is it a life or death situation if people mix up the uses of the terms? Not really. However, when it comes to scientific discussion and trying to communicate exactly what is going on, it helps to be as specific as possible. Words have meaning for a reason, thus we have different words that mean different things for a reason. Kind of an oversimplification, I know.
Anyway, just thought I'd put this out here.
In general, the word "organic" means to come from a living organism.
Some people use "organic" to refer to products that are from living organisms. For example, natural essential oils have been referred to as being "organic" since they come from living plants.
There are some though who make an even further distinction between organic and natural products. They would say that organic products, such as oils, etc.. are those secreted or emanated, by living organisms. For example, according to this definition, honeydew is organic because it is excreted by aphids. Royal or queen jelly is secreted by bees to feed to other larvae and bees.
The finer breakdown of "natural" then would refer to products that are made of living organisms (and other things, like stones, which are considered "Natural" as opposed to concrete). For example, most essential oils are made by boiling or otherwise heating plant parts to get the natural oils out of the parts of the plants.
So, "organic" products basically are things made by organisms and "natural" products are those things made of or from organisms by this definition.
When it comes to using treatments in pest management, say in bee hives to treat for mites. Some people would say that using mineral oil mixed with wintergreen oil as a fog in a hive is an "organic" treatment. However, by the definitions I explained above, they really would be "natural" treatments as the oils are made of organisms, not by organisms.
Feeding bees pollen patties made with real pollen would be organic because pollen is produced "by" flowers.
In regards to practices like I mentioned at the beginning, an organic practice would be to emulate or mimic what living organisms "do". "Natural" would be the motivation or source for the action.
An example here of organic practice would be bees making and using propolis to seal up cracks, crevices, etc... inside the hive.
A "natural" practice would be doing the waggle dance to show fellow bees where to find a nectar source. This as opposed to a bee somehow being trained to make some sound then pull out a map. That would definitely not be natural.
Is it a life or death situation if people mix up the uses of the terms? Not really. However, when it comes to scientific discussion and trying to communicate exactly what is going on, it helps to be as specific as possible. Words have meaning for a reason, thus we have different words that mean different things for a reason. Kind of an oversimplification, I know.
Anyway, just thought I'd put this out here.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
George Imrie, THE Conventional Beekeeper
How do you not love George Imrie and his Pink Pages? You have heard of the Pink Pages haven't you? Some of the best conventional beekeeping advice in the known world of conventional beekeeping is there. Check out George Imrie's Pink Pages for yourself.
Yes, for those of you who read my blog or who may actually even know me in person, I am not a conventional beekeeper. I have nothing against conventional beekeepers. Hey, whatever floats your boat I say.
I know a lot of conventional beekeepers who love to tell me that my method and approach to beekeeping is "wrong" or even "bad". Then again, I know a lot of non-conventional beekeepers who will do the same to conventional beekeepers. Being judgmental knows no bounds and is limited to no single group.
Having just said that, I have the Pink Pages bookmarked and I read through them every so often to keep the information fresh in my head. There is some fantastic knowledge stored there that a beekeeper would have to be crazy or just plain stupid to ignore.
George Imrie was a very scientific beekeeper. He was an E.A.S. Master Beekeeper and that is saying something because the E.A.S. has some of the most extensive requirements for said certification that I have seen.
Reading his pages, you'll want to keep in mind that George was a very opinionated fella and he wrote confidently about his topic. He says what he says and is unapologetic about it. I personally find it refreshing, even when he might be saying something I disagree with.
Yes, for those of you who read my blog or who may actually even know me in person, I am not a conventional beekeeper. I have nothing against conventional beekeepers. Hey, whatever floats your boat I say.
I know a lot of conventional beekeepers who love to tell me that my method and approach to beekeeping is "wrong" or even "bad". Then again, I know a lot of non-conventional beekeepers who will do the same to conventional beekeepers. Being judgmental knows no bounds and is limited to no single group.
Having just said that, I have the Pink Pages bookmarked and I read through them every so often to keep the information fresh in my head. There is some fantastic knowledge stored there that a beekeeper would have to be crazy or just plain stupid to ignore.
George Imrie was a very scientific beekeeper. He was an E.A.S. Master Beekeeper and that is saying something because the E.A.S. has some of the most extensive requirements for said certification that I have seen.
Reading his pages, you'll want to keep in mind that George was a very opinionated fella and he wrote confidently about his topic. He says what he says and is unapologetic about it. I personally find it refreshing, even when he might be saying something I disagree with.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Do Bees Do Things Scientifically? If they do, they do it Cool
I think all beekeepers get a little anthropomorphic when it comes to bees. It sure does seem like they are doing things intentionally to let us know certain things at times.
It's interesting to talk about things bees do scientifically. We measure cells and we weigh combs and we observe behaviors, recording and documenting for study later.
All of that is really just for us though. The bees really don't care. If we ever so carefully make sure the frames in our hives are spaced from each other to the exact millimeter to give the bees their "bee space" or if we have the frame in there crooked and off space as can be. The bees don't care. They draw wax and store pollen or nectar or whatever as they will. Will they make brace comb to fill the too large space as we are warned? Probably. They might. They might not.
As often as I've looked inside bee hives, I have yet to see bees whip out a tape measure when drawing comb. I have never seen a supervisor bee yelling at the others that they made the cell too big or too small, while holding a set of blueprints and holding them out for all to see.
I have never seen bees using a microscope or a refractor to make sure the honey is OK before capping it off.
Bees don't do things scientifically, they just do them. Most of what bees do, they know how to do from a genetic memory. The knowledge of how to do certain things, when to do it, etc... they just know. Yes, bees can learn new things, but a lot of what they already do, they already knew.
So, while I and so many others like to observe and measure and learn what the bees know, it's fine to be scientific about it. The bees may not need science, but we do. At the same point, sometimes we have to take the bees cue and just do it.
Relax and be amazed and transfixed and utterly caught up in the moment while we are looking in the hives or just sitting and watching them fly in and out of them.
I was talking on the phone last night with a friend of mine, a fellow beekeeper and cut out "artist" in Louisiana. Both of us use science to get bees out of places and into hive boxes. The better you understand bees, the better you can get the job done better, faster and with less damage to the bees and the structure you take them from.
But, our conversation wasn't focused on the science of what we do. It was all about the cool factor of seeing what those bees did. Had you listened in on us, you'd have thought you were hearing our inner twelve year olds coming out and fully appreciating just how cool those things we saw with those bees was.
Science was at the back of our minds. Because first, we are beekeepers. It is about the experience. That rush you get when you stand in the center of a flying swarm cloud. That sense of "awesome" when you stick your bare hand into a swarm on a branch to get the bees off and not get stung once.
That's just as much, if not more, beekeeping, as the scientific part of it. If nothing else, the scientific part gives you even more appreciation and awe at the things these bees do.
Have you ever watched a bee emerge from her cell for the first time? Cool. Have you ever seen a bee drag something from the hive that looks to be way oversized for her and she stills manages to take flight and carry it away? Way Cool.
Have you ever seen a cloud of bees flying in from one direction and then head straight for some particular point, like a hive entrance and the bees seem to magically just cover the whole box before slipping inside? How frickin cool was that, huh?!!
There's more to bees than just science. Bees are Cool. Don't miss out on that part of it, You just might be missing the most important part.
It's interesting to talk about things bees do scientifically. We measure cells and we weigh combs and we observe behaviors, recording and documenting for study later.
All of that is really just for us though. The bees really don't care. If we ever so carefully make sure the frames in our hives are spaced from each other to the exact millimeter to give the bees their "bee space" or if we have the frame in there crooked and off space as can be. The bees don't care. They draw wax and store pollen or nectar or whatever as they will. Will they make brace comb to fill the too large space as we are warned? Probably. They might. They might not.
As often as I've looked inside bee hives, I have yet to see bees whip out a tape measure when drawing comb. I have never seen a supervisor bee yelling at the others that they made the cell too big or too small, while holding a set of blueprints and holding them out for all to see.
I have never seen bees using a microscope or a refractor to make sure the honey is OK before capping it off.
Bees don't do things scientifically, they just do them. Most of what bees do, they know how to do from a genetic memory. The knowledge of how to do certain things, when to do it, etc... they just know. Yes, bees can learn new things, but a lot of what they already do, they already knew.
So, while I and so many others like to observe and measure and learn what the bees know, it's fine to be scientific about it. The bees may not need science, but we do. At the same point, sometimes we have to take the bees cue and just do it.
Relax and be amazed and transfixed and utterly caught up in the moment while we are looking in the hives or just sitting and watching them fly in and out of them.
I was talking on the phone last night with a friend of mine, a fellow beekeeper and cut out "artist" in Louisiana. Both of us use science to get bees out of places and into hive boxes. The better you understand bees, the better you can get the job done better, faster and with less damage to the bees and the structure you take them from.
But, our conversation wasn't focused on the science of what we do. It was all about the cool factor of seeing what those bees did. Had you listened in on us, you'd have thought you were hearing our inner twelve year olds coming out and fully appreciating just how cool those things we saw with those bees was.
Science was at the back of our minds. Because first, we are beekeepers. It is about the experience. That rush you get when you stand in the center of a flying swarm cloud. That sense of "awesome" when you stick your bare hand into a swarm on a branch to get the bees off and not get stung once.
That's just as much, if not more, beekeeping, as the scientific part of it. If nothing else, the scientific part gives you even more appreciation and awe at the things these bees do.
Have you ever watched a bee emerge from her cell for the first time? Cool. Have you ever seen a bee drag something from the hive that looks to be way oversized for her and she stills manages to take flight and carry it away? Way Cool.
Have you ever seen a cloud of bees flying in from one direction and then head straight for some particular point, like a hive entrance and the bees seem to magically just cover the whole box before slipping inside? How frickin cool was that, huh?!!
There's more to bees than just science. Bees are Cool. Don't miss out on that part of it, You just might be missing the most important part.
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