i had one of the most amazing weekends of my life!
i was gifted with the rare privilege of witnessing a wild
bee swarm and the re-hiving of them! i'm still stoked!
as we were leaving saturday, for our weekly trip into town
for groceries, i noticed something in a bush at the end of the
driveway that seemed a bit out of the ordinary. upon closer
inspection we found that it was a large tear drop shaped swarm
of bees!
now some of you will remember that last week, my friend
kathy turned me on to the name of a local beekeeper and how
happy i was to find a source for local honey after a long dry
spell. well, i called this fellow, bill frederickson, by name, and asked
him if he'd be interested in coming by to re-hive these guys.
about half an hour later, he was pulling in the driveway.
after looking around a bit, we found not only that swarm, but a huge
established hive in the top of the bush. apparently, the swarm had
broken away from the established colony to seek greener pastures of
their own.
we talked for a bit and he returned home to gather the equiptment
needed for moving the bees. it was very obvious how awed and excited
i was over these bees and when he came back, he brought a super and
everything we would need for our first foray into beekeeping! he explained
that it was his gift to us and all he asked is that we remember it and bless
someone else with a kindness of our own some day! is that not one of the
most awesome things you've ever heard?
the whole time he worked the bees, we sat quietly in the grass, a few feet away,
watching and taking pictures. i had a knot in my belly about as big as a fist, i was
so excited! bees were all around us, sometimes flying close enough that we
could feel the breeze from their wings on our faces, yet during the whole operation
they remained gentle, unafraid of us and completely unagressive.
actually getting the bees into the hive was kind of anticlimactic. mr. frederickson
simply balanced the hive on his leg and brushed the bees off and into the super!
neat and easy as you please. it took a bit for the stragglers to enter the hive on
their own, but eventually, they all did.
after they were safely ensconced in their new home, mr. frederickson encouraged
us to put our hands near the entrance. we could actually feel the air movement
from thousands of little wings as they sought to regulate the temperature of the hive!
it was another goosebump moment, i have to say!
after dark, when the bees had quieted, danny and son-in-love, david moved the hive
to a stand of gall-berries at david and brianna's house where it will remain.
danny was completely impressed at how close they allowed us to their world,
them buzzing all around and no one coming even close to being stung.
for 15 years, the only animal he has refused to let me keep, are bees. after
yesterday, because he was so impressed at how gentle they really are,
and with the promise of a willing mentor in mr. frederickson, i'm getting
bees! be still my heart. mind you, i AM allergic to their stings so danny will work
the hives and i have to agree to carry an epi pen when i am out and about near them,
but that's a small price to pay, don't you think? the exciting thing to me, is that
my stoic macho husband is nearly as stoked as i am over these wonderful little creatures!
Monday, March 10, 2008
bees.....if you please!
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7 comments:
What an amazing sight to have witnessed!
hmm did my post work?? It said I duplicated it??
Jayedee!!! That is such an awesome experience!! I can feel you excitement in your post!!
My son is also allergic to bees, so it is scary to me, but you made me think...I never would have put bees and gentle in the same sentence..
Thanks for sharing,
Ronnie
Lucky you!
I’ve got news though: bees are disappearing.. along with Mankind (according to A.Einstein)
Check out my site for more information
http://www.e-citizen.tv/wordpress/langswitch_lang/en/
We can't wait to have bees of our own. I am highly allergic so we'll have to have plenty of property between the boxes and my normal chore paths. All year, I carry an Epi-pen just in case. This year, for the first time in my life, I experienced a rebound -- where my throat closed back after the Epi-pen. Luckily I was on Post near the medic station when it happened so they took great care of me.
I am just green with envy though... I adore honey!
Blessings!
-Lacy
Sounds awesome, Jayedee. I can't wait to follow your own beehive stories. I'm allergic to stings, too. I try not to be afraid of them, but - shiver, shiver - I like them buzzing away at arm's length... at least!
Good for you! I just want to point out something about allergies to bee stings. I am also a beekeeper. A bee sting is an injection of venom, and everyone has a reaction to it. A local reaction is not an allergy. So if you get stung in the hand and your arm blows up to your elbow--it's not an allergy, just probably a lot of venom. If you get a reaction somewhere else in your body from where the sting happened, it's an allergy. So if you get dizzy and faint, swollen lips, throat closing, etc., it's the real deal, but this is very rare. Anything else is a normal reaction to the venom. Get the stinger out by scraping it away with your fingernail as soon as possible, apply ice, and you minimize the reaction to the venom.
God bless.
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