Posted in Bee Lore, Bee Present, Beetwixt & Beetween on December 24, 2009| Leave a Comment »
What a strange world it is. I met up this year with someone who I had not seen for a few years – Andrew Gough. Andrew and I used to work together – yet we both have websites showing our passions – and they overlap with bees.
You can find our mutual interest at Andrew’s (much better laid out – in fact, beautifully constructed) site at:
Posted in Bee Lore, Bee Present, Beekeeping, Beetwixt & Beetween on December 24, 2009| Leave a Comment »
There is an old tale from Scotland and the North of England that the bees buzz at midnight on Christmas Eve. They have been doing it for centuries, apparently!
I visited my hives today – but all was quiet! Then again, I did not visit them at midnight!
There was lots of snow, though!
A merry Christmas and successful New Year to all readers!
Posted in Bee Lore, Beetwixt & Beetween on October 5, 2009| Leave a Comment »
The Three Bees was a convict ship that caught fire in Sydney Cove in 1814. She was built in Bridgewater in 1813.
Three Bees arrived in Sydney Cove, Australia, on 6 May 1814 with a cargo of 210 male convicts. After the all the convicts were all disembarked, a fire was discovered on the ship at 4.30 pm on 20 May 1814. It soon became apparent that the fire could not be fought and so the Three Bees was cut loose from its moorings and the other ships in the cove maneuvered to avoid the ship.
At 5.30 pm the first gun exploded on board and a swivel ball smashed into the parlour of the house of Captain Piper, luckily missing everything but a writing table. The ship drifted onto Bennelong Point (which is now where the Sydney Opera House stands) and shortly afterwards its magazine exploded. The Three Bees was a total loss.
More at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Bees
Picture (which has nothing to do with the ship, except it has three bees in it!) from: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2668/3845228494_7957e07774.jpg
Posted in Bee Lore, Bee Present, Bee-ology, Beekeeping, Beetwixt & Beetween on September 3, 2009| Leave a Comment »
From Friday 4 September 2009 to Sunday 6 September 2009 from 12noon – close, there is a”Bee Social” going on as part of the Pestival weekend on the Southbank in London – to celebrate with the bees as the summer draws to an end.
For one weekend only, Pestival is going to transform The Front Room at Queen ‘Bee’ Hall into a giant bee hive, a place for all to learn and discuss the colony collapse disorder. Come listen to the talks, discussions as well as a special duet performance by the Royal Festival Hall’s resident bees with guest peformers.
Programme includes:
Robyn Hitchcock’s launch night on Friday 4 September spills out into The Front Room for an extended DJ set and party. Thick La Cucaracha meets Maggot from Goldy Looking Chain. Strict dress code: masks, wings and antennae!
Talkaokie who leads a round table discussion and where bee specialists are on hand to explain the plight of bees and do demonstrations. (Saturday & Sunday, from 12pm – 2pm and 4pm – 7.30pm)
Susanna Soares will showcase her pavlov’s bee device, beautiful in construction and useful tool In predicting health problems. Bees have a phenomenal odour perception. They can be trained within minutes using Pavlov’s reflex to target a specific odour and their range of detection includes pheromones, toxins and disease diagnosis. (Saturday and Sunday at 2.30pm and 3.30pm)
North London Beekeepers who are on hand to give urban bee keeping advice. (Saturday & Sunday)
LottoLab’s The Bee Matrix, a unique exhibit of glass, light and bumblebees – part science experiment, part sculpture – to demonstrate the role of history in shaping visual behaviour. Lottolab will be on hand to engage people in their research a project Seeing Bees See. (Saturday & Sunday)
Dr. Rufus Cartright, beekeeper Steve Benbow and a group of school children who present research findings from their BeeCab summer bee/pollen pollution project. (Saturday & Sunday)
Le Suisse Marocain, a Parisian carnival artist who, in keeping with the tradition of the unknown in the ‘Old Masters’ category, calls himself ‘Le Suisse Marocain’. The role he has chosen for this is that of the artist-as-clown, and over the festive period, he paints a live mural inspired by bees in The Front Room. Come along and watch the artist create his living work. (Saturday & Sunday)
Plus many more performances on the Larvae Stage.
More at: http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/calendar/productions/bee-social-113f
Posted in Bee Law, Bee Lore, Bee-ology, Beetwixt & Beetween on August 25, 2009| Leave a Comment »
The very inception of life is rhythm.
Life is rhythm and Rhythm is life.
The rising of the SUN is rhythm.
The shimmering of the RAYS is rhythm.
The BLOOMMING of a BUD is rhythm.
The Feel of the BREEZE is rhythm.
The ROAR of the WAVES is rhythm.
The Chirping of the BIRDS is rhythm.
The BUZZING of the BEES is rhythm.
The Voice in a SONG is rhythm.
The TINKLE on the FEET is rhythm.
The BREATH we take is rhythm.
The Heart that BEATS is rhythm.
From: http://www.kathakindia.org/?page=rythems
Image from: http://www.thenewyorkoptimist.com/sitebuilder/images/bs01_Rythmic_Forms_textile_detail_2005-600×450.jpg
Posted in Bee Law, Bee Lore, Bee Present, Bee-ology, Beekeeping, Beetwixt & Beetween, Bylaugh on August 20, 2009| 2 Comments »
Two years ago last month this blog started. I continue to be amazed at how many people visit the site. This year has also been quite extraordinary – having caught about 8 swarms of bees. We now have a total of nine colonies. Quite an increase from single old Faith at the start of 2008!
The local government bee inspector rang me last week and asked to inspect my hives (for the second time this year) so he could take samples of bees from five of my hives. Unfortunately I had to go to town that day, so I did not accompany him on the inspection. But all was well. Only Joy is Queenless. The remaining eight hives are doing well – though there was not as much honey as I was hoping for as July was quite wet.
A little over a year ago I stopped working at the corporate grindstone and the last year has been interesting – with my attention being turned to smaller companies and more local initiatives with my new company, Objective Designers. More at: www.objectivedesigners.com
Last year I was wondering why Tears of Ra, the Sun God (https://beelore.com/2007/08/24/tears-of-ra-the-sun-god) is the most popular page by far. Someone told me that there is an American TV series called Stargate Atlantis where RA is one of the main characters. Perhaps that is one of the reasons for the page’s popularity. Interested to know if anyone else has other theories.
My most favourite story was the one I posted in July (https://beelore.com/2009/07/21/a-gift-from-the-bees/). I would love to have more stories like this to post. Please do send me any stories from your past or ones you have heard of so they can be posted!
So what plans for beelore in the coming year?
I have finally started to write more on the Bylaugh story (https://beelore.com/category/bylaugh/)…..which is beginning to turning into a book about the practical and spiritual side of beekeeping as well as research the connection between the health of bees and the state of the planet. I want this to be multi-media – perhaps eventually making a film or a series of videos. I also want to use some of the material to create a course for beginners in beekeeping. I think that there is so much about bees that can be taught alongside the basics side of practical beekeeping. And this site will continue to collect that type of material. So all contributions are welcome!
Posted in Bee Lore, Bee Present, Bee-ology on August 16, 2009| 1 Comment »
What do bees have with do with drums?
In the case of the kundu (pictured below), which is a traditional drum from Melanesia, bees play an important role in the construction of the drum.
Here is a close-up picture of the head of the drum:
The head of the drum is made from lizard skin. Although this is unfortunate for the lizards, the skin is tough and durable. It is held in place by the fibre ring that you can see surrounding the head of the drum.
Like all drums, the resonant frequency of the kundu is very important: it must sound just right to be in tune with other musicians that might want to play at the same time. Most drums are tuned by adjusting the tightness of the drum head material with strings or clamps. But with the kundu drum, they use something else. If you have a look at the photo above, you will find a clue. And this is where the bees comes into the story:
The drum-makers usually make dark little globs which they put on the drum skin from an incredibly sticky beeswax obtained from the hives of the little bee above. There are also other materials that are used for tuning. (In fact the globs on the kundu above are not beeswax at all. They are made from some gooey substance derived from breadfruit – but it makes for a good story about bees!)
By adding mass to the head of the drum, the resonant frequency is lowered. You can adjust it only downwards by adding mass, so you have to start out by stretching the skin very tightly to get a frequency higher than you want. Then you add the mass of the beeswax a little at a time until it is just right. If the frequency is too low, the drummer holds the head of the drum near the flames of the fire to tighten the head and raise the frequency.
Which is one way that bees are connected to drums!
Main idea and pictures from: http://www.messersmith.name/wordpress/2008/10/drums-and-bees/
Posted in Bee Lore, Bee Present, Beekeeping, Beetwixt & Beetween on July 21, 2009| 1 Comment »
Thanks so much, Sylvia, for leaving such a beautiful story on the site:
Many years ago, there was an argument between my living-partner (and best friend) and a neighbour who owned the large orchard opposite us. My friend, quite erroneously I believe, accused him of things he had not done. I could not sway the argument no matter what I did!
A bee came on to my hand one day. It rested a moment, then vibrated its wings for take-off. I asked it to help. I asked the Bee Soul to help. I knew it would happen. I also asked for a ’sign’.
Avenue of Apple Trees in an Orchard
A few days later my friend came home and said he had made it up now with the orchard owner. They had met in town and decided they were both too old and grey to be fighting like this about silly things. My friend had been invited to tea there. He came home an hour or so later. He was smiling. He told me the orchard owner had taken him to visit his hives (I did not know the man kept bees!) He had given him a gift. A pot of honey. He had said: “Some of this honey must have been made from the flowers in your garden!”
Posted in Bee Lore, Bee Present, Beetwixt & Beetween on June 20, 2009| 1 Comment »
I have always been fascinated in Heraldry – ever since I was sent away to a boarding school in Windsor. Every Sunday during termtime we had to go to the Chapel of St George in Windsor Castle to sit through two services – Mattins and Evensong. I was not a chorister. I was a “super” which, in Latin means “extra”. A bit like a drone, really. The only thing to look at in the Chapel were the shields and banners of the Knights of the Garter that hung on the walls. Very romantic. So many colours, patterns, symbols. This combined with the beautiful singing had a very calming effect. Even now, if I want to relax, I will listen to medieval choral music.
It is probably not so surprising that:
The bee is the most popular insect in Heraldry
The bee is normally shown with an old-style beehive – as shown on the shield above.
More at: http://www.heraldryandcrests.com/heraldic_symbols.htm
Posted in Bee Law, Bee Lore, Beetwixt & Beetween on June 20, 2009| Leave a Comment »
The Beehive….is an emblem of industry, and recommends the practice of that virtue to all created beings, from the highest seraph in heaven to the lowest reptile of the dust. It teaches us that, as we come into the world rational and intelligent beings, so we should ever be industrious ones; never sitting down contented while our fellow-creatures around us are in want, when it is in our power to relieve them without inconvenience to ourselves.
When we take a survey of nature, we view man, in his infancy, more helpless and indigent than the brute creation; he lies languishing for days, months, and years, totally incapable of providing sustenance for himself, of guarding against the attack of the wild beasts of the forest, or sheltering himself from the in-clemencies of the weather.
It might have pleased the great Creator of heaven and earth to have made man independent of all other beings; but, as dependence is one of the strongest bonds of society, mankind were made dependent on each other for protection and security, as they thereby enjoy better opportunities of fulfilling the duties of reciprocal love and friendship.
Thus was man formed for social and active life, the noblest part of the work of God; and he that will so demean himself as not to be endeavouring to add to the common stock of knowledge and understanding, may be deemed a Drone In the Hive of Nature, a useless member of society, and unworthy of our protection as Masons.
More at: www.philbrick2255.org.uk/books/broached_thurnell.pdf
Bee Lore 
