Robbing honey from wild bee colonies is one of the most ancient human activities and is still practiced by aboriginal societies in parts of Africa, Asia, Australia and South America. Some of the earliest evidence of gathering honey from wild colonies is from rock painting, dating to around 13,000 BC. Robbing honey from wild bee [...]
Archive for January, 2008
Caveman Robs Honey about 15,000 years ago!
Posted in Bee Lore, Beekeeping, Beetwixt & Beetween on January 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Tricks to Prevent the Full Force of a Bee Sting
Posted in Bee Present, Bee-ology, Beekeeping, Beetwixt & Beetween on January 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Bees sting only when they are provoked, for to do so means their death. So if you have a lot of angry bees around you, the best thing is to move away! However, if a bee lands on you and is angry enough to sting you, then just before they sting they will arch their back [...]
Do Not Disturb!
Posted in Bee Lore, Bee Present, Beekeeping on January 16, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
”The bee wants always to remain within itself, to stay within the sphere of its own substance. Every external influence is felt as disturbing, as something to be warded off.” Rudolf Steiner, 1923
Plan to Build a Solar Wax Melter
Posted in Bee Present, Beekeeping on January 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
An interesting website – www.beesource.com – with some excellent plans…..one of which is for a Soar Wax Melter…..which I am going to try to build over the next few weeks. For a PDF file of the plan (and other useful plans for practical beekeeping) see: http://www.beesource.com/plans/melter.htm
Symbol of the Bee on Napoleon I’s Coat of Arms
Posted in Bee Lore, Beetwixt & Beetween on January 13, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Napoleon I’s Coat of Arms contained the eagle and bee, emblems of the First and later Second Empire. Used as a symbol of immortality and resurrection, the bee was chosen so as to link the new dynasty to the very origins of France. Golden bees (in fact, cicadas) were discovered in 1653 in Tournai in [...]
Egypt Unites: The Reed and the Bee
Posted in Bee Lore, Beetwixt & Beetween on January 13, 2008 | 1 Comment »
According to Ancient Egyptian history (as written by the Egyptian historian Manetho, c305–285 BCE), Menes was the founder of the unified Egyptian state which combined Upper and Lower Egypt under a single monarchy. Archaeologists now believe that it is likely that the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt occurred over the reigns of several First [...]
The Symbology of Bees both Ancient & Modern
Posted in Bee Lore, Bee Present, Beetwixt & Beetween on January 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The cultivation of honey was a sacred charge often imbued with ritual symbolism and associated with the mother goddess, whose nurturing protection of mankind was symbolized by the the abundance of honey provided to bee society under the reign of the queen bee. Bee-headed Goddess medallion, from Knossos, Crete, 1500 BCE As it was widely [...]
Beekeeping One of the Earliest Markers of Civilisation
Posted in Bee Lore, Beekeeping on January 12, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Humanity has always had a close relationship with bees, whose honey has have been a food staple since before the dawn of civilization. As a symbol, the bees’ lifestyle mimics that of the human social order- a cooperative, productive social hierarchy. In fact, beekeeping is one of the earliest markers of civilized society – bees [...]
The Minoan Bee Goddess
Posted in Bee Lore, Beetwixt & Beetween on January 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
A figure of a Minoan Goddess in the shape of a bee can be found below. The carving is assumed to be related to the local Mother Goddess cult and is believed to be a representation of one of the Melissae who were the priestesses of the cult. Very little is known about Minoan religion on [...]
How the Bee got Her Sting
Posted in Bee Lore, Bee-ology, Beetwixt & Beetween on January 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The Queen of a hive of bees on Mount Hymettus rose up to Olympus to make an offering of honey to almighty Zeus. Zeus, delighted, swore that he would give her anything she asked for. “Wise and powerful is Almighty Zeus!” said the Queen Bee. “Grant me, I pray you, a poison sting, so that [...]
