A Note to the Bees

Posted on by Jeremy

A copy of the following is posted on each of my hives, just above the entrance, in very small letters, with Italian and Russian translations.  

Dear Bees: 

The swimming pool is just that, a pool for swimming.  It is not a  gigantic watering hole for bees.  Go and find your own muddy puddle and leave my guests alone. 

I know that you can fly faster than I can run; you don’t have to keep on proving it to me. 

And no, I  cannot keep on buying more hives. I am very sorry about this.  If you feel crowded, then go ahead and swarm.  See if I care.  Has anyone ever told the queen where little bees come from? It’s her fault for those moments of gay abandon with those  dandy drones.

  A little secret for you : I know that sticking your butts in the air and fanning with your wings when I walk in front of the hive is nothing but sarcasm.
 

If, at some time in the future, I manage to close up the hive without squashing some of your sisters between the hive bodies, I expect some expression of appreciation, perhaps applause.  Meanwhile, before you come rushing at me bass ackwards, I expect some kind of warning, you little bug(ger)s.

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Published by Jeremy

I have spent some 75 years living and working in England,Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, South Africa and the USA, with many opportunities to learn from beekeepers in a v variety of African and European countries in between . An educator by profession, with a focus on history and group dynamics, the honey bees chose me in 2002, despite which, like many beekeepers, I lost my first two hives over winter. In 2009 I was asked by the editor of the PSBA to write a column for the monthly newsletter, which she labelled "Jeremy's Corner"; 14 years later is still continues. A rather eclectic style of content and vision developed, and these posts are based mostly on those essays. Meanwhile I was fortunate to be honored as York County's Beekeeper of there Year in 2013, and similarly for Pennsylvania in 2018.

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