A Life For the Queen

Here's a 50 minute bee film on Hulu!

Posted via email from Bee Love

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Recently, while searching for an ideal bee yard with the bee man, I spotted an intact deer skeleton. My natural inclination, of course, is to inspect and collect. I am a naturalist at heart. The bee man is more like a bee about these things. Dead things are to be tossed OUT of the hive. He is a bit of a germaphobe. But this is good for the bees, perhaps. I think I almost lost my opportunity to work with him though as it really freaked him out that I wanted to touch the danged thing. 

I promised never to collect dead things in his presence again (or tease him about it) and he seemed more at ease. I guess he won't be interested in my bone collection show and tell anytime soon.

Posted via email from Bee Love

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My first few days working with the bee man (Ibrahim) involved trveling to his bee yards inspecting the bees. The weather was cold still and the bees were not very active. I watched the bee man uncap some of the honeycomb which is a way of activating the hives. The bees will move to repair the comb.

Since then the weather has warmed a bit. I have helped him work the hives. I'm the smoker! I haven't yet been stung and we don't bother with gear.  I like that.  We have built bee boxes from Amish-made panels and located additonal yards for the bees.  I'm learning things about maintaining the hives and bee behavior. Did you know that bees will cook invaders to death? Yep, invaders with chitinous exoskeletons can't be penetrated with stingers. So, they form a collective Miyagi Grip around them. Only instead of soothing they slay!

Posted via email from Bee Love

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Much happened while the bee man was away in Jordan. Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen rose up. Wisconsin followed suit. Finally, it seemed the whole world lit up with the torch of freedom. I remember feeling concerned for the bee man's safety being over there in the thick of things. One day, while driving buy the Elm Hill Pike bee yard I pronounced his name aloud, repeatedly savouring the exotic Arabic flavor of the not-quite-gutteral "h" in Talafhah. Later that day I received an email from him! He was back! I would have bees soon. Words aloud. Words allowed.

Posted via email from Bee Love