For about second (although it seemed like several) the darkening sun and the slowness of time was mesmerising. The haze still hung in the valley below. The willow still breathed not a whisper. I looked down the field to the trees near the road to see if there were any long shadows there. There weren’t. The dimming seemed quite local. Almost as if there was a sharp stab of “dark light” projecting itself at my sister and me. As if we had been caught in some sort of spot-light which was really a “spot-dark” (if such a word exists).
Mole trapping is not really a team sport and we soon became bored looking at Dad’s intensive trapping routines. So we went round to the willow tree to see if there was anything interesting going on there. Maybe Mum had made some cakes for tea and had put them out early. It was nearly 4 o’clock, so it was a fairly good bet. Then it happened. The sky suddenly went dark. It was as if the sun had been switched off. I looked at my sister. She looked at me. It was quite extra-ordinary. Magical. Momentarily unexplainable. For just a instant we gazed at the sun in a sense of awe. Just as our ancestors must have felt before the scientific age and an understanding of cosmic happenings – when mysteries happened and there was no explanation. Just bemused wonderment, later explained-away by an “Act of God”. Another strange thing happened whilst the sun dimmed. Time somehow stood still. It was similar to the experience that one gets if one is in an accident. Time slows down and you become much more aware of everything that is going on around you. It was as if we were in an art gallery and had been studying a painting for about twenty minutes and then had all the senses, emotions and interpretations concentrated into one second of intensive experience.
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There are exceptions to all rules – and I believe that others have found an exception to this rule. But I have not. So far as I am concerned this rule holds true: that there is only one Queen Bee in each Hive. And when there are two queens – such as when a new queen hatches and the old one has not swarmed or thrown a cast, then they will fight to the death. Funny. but I find the female of the human race a bit like that. One Queen Bee per hive. Think about it!
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Five years ago, a good friend told me about a book. I read the book and it somehow changed the way I look at life. It is by Eckhart Tolle and it is called “The Power of Now”. The theme for the book is very simple -and I have since discovered is the basis of all religions. What is the simple idea? Live in the Now. Live in the Present. Be Present. Bee Present! For me, it was a priceless present from the bees!
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It was one of those hot, hazy summer days. The holidays seemed to have gone on for weeks. The willow in the garden was silent. Normally the willow rustled in a kind whisper from the slightest breeze. But today it was completely still. The air across the valley to Bylaugh hung like a hazy lazy mist in tune with the lethargy of all the other creatures in the garden. We had been outside helping Dad with his mole traps. He was as determined as any trapper with a near-religious focus combined with an intensive routine that you often find with ex-Military men. The moles had been a problem for several years and Dad had just about mastered the art of trapping them. It reminded him of the war in Italy when he had to clear a minefield at the age of nineteen. It was a passion of his and each day he tried slightly different techniques which he logged in his mole-catching diary. This activity filled his afternoons after he had taken his siesta and before taking his tea. “Best time of the day for laying traps”, he used to say. “The moles are not active. It is too hot for them”.
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Bees are more important to us in their role as crop pollinators than as honey producers. One third of our food is the product of pollination and honeybees perform approximately 80% of all crop pollination.
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In the Bardic Triads it says that Britain was the “Island of Honey”.
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It is a funny feeling moving house after so many years in the same place. So much to do. So many things to sell, pack, or throw away. Just deciding what to do with everything is a challenge. And then you have to think yourself into the new place you are moving to. Where will that table or chair fit? Should I get a new one of those or make do with the old one that is broken? All based on a visit to the new property over six weeks ago when all I had was a notepad and a tape measure and no real idea of what should go where. The bees probably have similar issues. When they swarm, we are told that there are scout bees that go out and find suitable locations for a new home. On the day of swarming the queen and the swarming bees initially take up residence just outside the hive – on a tree or a branch. Then they swarm to their next resting place. Often they will move into a tree or cavity where bees have been before – just like humans. No one is exactly sure why bees swarm when they do. It seems to be for a combination of reasons – but lack of space is definitely one of them. I am not exactly clear why two of my hives (Hope and Charity) swarmed this year – given that they were both new queens last year. Perhaps their scout bees found somewhere better. Like I have done. The new cottage where I am moving to is better and bigger than where I am – though still quite small. And it is the best result from all the scouting I have done in the past year around properties in the South East of England.
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Next week I am moving house. The human equivalent of swarming. The two-bed cottage in Kent, England which I have lived in for the past (nearly) five years has become too small. I started the season with three hives. Two of them have also swarmed this year. Not a sign of good beekeeping! But a fascinating (and lucky) thing to experience. It was a very hot April and Charity (the name of one of my colonies) swarmed very early in the season, requeened naturally and has become very angry. Hope followed in May. The only remaining hive, Faith, has been fantastic and has not swarmed yet – but the recent hot weather (like yesterday’s) – combined with the fact that I have not visited the hives for two weeks – means that I wouldn’t be surprised if Faith has also swarmed. I re-queened Faith in September 2005 with a queen from Basingstoke. She was very strong last year (producing over 100lbs of honey) and has been equally strong this year (set to produce a similar amount). The other hives have requeened themselves and have been much less predictable and productive. Just like in Business, really. Strong team leaders produce much more than average or randomly selected team-leaders. Strong (well-bred) team leaders will give consistent service. They will also be loyal (to a point) and are less likely to swarm. The analogies are very interesting and I will go into more detail in future postings.
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Today I have finally decided to start publishing some ideas I have been developing over the last twenty years. It all started in our garden in Swanton Morley, Norfolk, Island of Honey. It was a hot, lazy-hazy afternoon, much like it has been today.
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Bee Lore 