I spend time every day just standing on my deck, watching the bees. As they take off in the sunlight, the sun catches them in its rays and they shine like golden streaks leaving my porch. I was reading The Joys of Beekeeping by Richard Taylor.
Listen to his description of the beeyard activity:
"One of the joys of a woodlot yard is to look skyward in the spring, through a break in the foliage, to see the thousands of bees cascading in like a waterfall and rising in equal numbers to scatter over the countryside for miles around. How they do this without constant collision I cannot imagine. They stream upward and downward without any interference whatever, threading their individual irregular paths with such speed that it would be difficult to follow them if there were not such numbers. They are oblivious to me, even though I may be standing directly beneath the break in the foliage that is their entrance to the yard. They swoop past me on every side, then each to its own hive, which is indelibly fixed in its memory from among the twenty or more hives that are there.
The spectacle is greatest in spring, when each bee seems to feel that the destiny of the race depends upon its wings. I may stand directly in front of a hive, into which the bees were pouring a moment ago until I obstructed the approach, but they do not dream of attacking. They are driven by the need to forage, gather and bring home. But when I step aside, restoring the familiar sight of the hive, they descend upon it in a cloud. They display every color of the rainbow, for they are carrying large and colorful pellets of pollen on their hind legs, gathered from dandelions, willows, rockets and other spring flowers. This pollen is the "bee bread," as beekeepers call it, intended not for themselves, but for their rapidly developing larval brood. It is an inspiring spectacle."...The Joys of Beekeeping by Richard Taylor, pg. 31
His description far surpasses anything I could say, but he depicts my experience exactly as I stand on the deck with the bees and the hives.
Listen to his description of the beeyard activity:
"One of the joys of a woodlot yard is to look skyward in the spring, through a break in the foliage, to see the thousands of bees cascading in like a waterfall and rising in equal numbers to scatter over the countryside for miles around. How they do this without constant collision I cannot imagine. They stream upward and downward without any interference whatever, threading their individual irregular paths with such speed that it would be difficult to follow them if there were not such numbers. They are oblivious to me, even though I may be standing directly beneath the break in the foliage that is their entrance to the yard. They swoop past me on every side, then each to its own hive, which is indelibly fixed in its memory from among the twenty or more hives that are there.
The spectacle is greatest in spring, when each bee seems to feel that the destiny of the race depends upon its wings. I may stand directly in front of a hive, into which the bees were pouring a moment ago until I obstructed the approach, but they do not dream of attacking. They are driven by the need to forage, gather and bring home. But when I step aside, restoring the familiar sight of the hive, they descend upon it in a cloud. They display every color of the rainbow, for they are carrying large and colorful pellets of pollen on their hind legs, gathered from dandelions, willows, rockets and other spring flowers. This pollen is the "bee bread," as beekeepers call it, intended not for themselves, but for their rapidly developing larval brood. It is an inspiring spectacle."...The Joys of Beekeeping by Richard Taylor, pg. 31
His description far surpasses anything I could say, but he depicts my experience exactly as I stand on the deck with the bees and the hives.
How are your bees doing this year?
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I started beekeeping this spring, and have had some very interesting experiences.
This is just a note hoping that your blog does well, and wishing you and your bees well.
Mark, Preston, Idaho.
Dr. Richard Taylor was a dear friend of mine. Although I had been around bees all my life, he opened an entirely new world for me. He often sent me books, including, "The Joys of Beekeeping," with little notes attached. During times of personal doubt, Richard would encourage me to write and even take time to deliver my work to editors he knew well. Richard helped me restore faith in myself. I shall never forget him, nor ever see work with the bees without thinking of him.
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