Bees
When I was a little girl, my Dad used to take me on what I called "Nature Walks" where he would point out different flora and fauna and teach me their names. If we saw a plant or a bird we didn't know the name of, we would go home and look it up in one of the three awesome photo reference books he had. I also remember his fantastic garden, his bird feeder, and his bees.
I don't know how many years he had the bees after I was born, but I still remember him in his beekeeping suit, with the wide netted hat. I remember the buzzing white boxes in the back yard, and somehow I don't ever remember being stung. I remember our clay honey pot, it had one of those twirly yellow honey sticks in it. I would twirl the amber liquid and then let it drip, drip, drip, slowly back into the pot, over and over. It was so sweet and aromatic.
Eventually, he had some complaints from neighbours about the bees and had to get rid of his hives, which is a real shame. We needed bees then and we need them now. I recently asked my Dad for some firsthand beekeeper information for an article I was writing. What he gave me was so interesting and showed such passion for our little winged friends, that I thought I would share it.
"There are about seven species of honey bees, but the most important species is apis mellifera, they are the main domesticated honey bee. It is thought to have originated in southeast Asia about 34 million years ago. It was domesticated and spread all over Asia, Europe and Africa in ancient times. The first recorded history of human domestication is in Egypt some 4-5 thousand years ago.
I don't know how many years he had the bees after I was born, but I still remember him in his beekeeping suit, with the wide netted hat. I remember the buzzing white boxes in the back yard, and somehow I don't ever remember being stung. I remember our clay honey pot, it had one of those twirly yellow honey sticks in it. I would twirl the amber liquid and then let it drip, drip, drip, slowly back into the pot, over and over. It was so sweet and aromatic.
Eventually, he had some complaints from neighbours about the bees and had to get rid of his hives, which is a real shame. We needed bees then and we need them now. I recently asked my Dad for some firsthand beekeeper information for an article I was writing. What he gave me was so interesting and showed such passion for our little winged friends, that I thought I would share it.
"There are about seven species of honey bees, but the most important species is apis mellifera, they are the main domesticated honey bee. It is thought to have originated in southeast Asia about 34 million years ago. It was domesticated and spread all over Asia, Europe and Africa in ancient times. The first recorded history of human domestication is in Egypt some 4-5 thousand years ago.
Today
honey bees are an essential part of the food production industry and
valued for bee products including wax, propolis, pollen and of
course delicious honey. Bees in domesticated hives pollinate 35% of
the food that we eat. Two thirds of hives are used primarily for
pollination, about two million in North America. In the wild
they are a critical part of ecological well being. It is estimated
that if honey bees perished, we would suffer a world wide famine.
Currently,
honey bees are being threatened, dying in unprecedented numbers due to causes that are not fully understood. Importantly insecticides are
likely a factor.
All
of bee products have a gorgeous colouring and a wonderful nectar enhanced
aroma. Commercial honey has traditionally been pasteurized robbing it
of it's aroma and destroying some of it's flavour and nutrition.
Fortunately, there is some honey that is not pasteurized these days.
Beeswax
has a very pleasing aroma that is stronger in a burning beeswax
candle. Beeswax candles are thought to have a cleansing effect in the
air by producing negative ions. Beeswax is a renewable resource unlike
parafin used for candles, which comes from fossil fuels. Beeswax burns
more cleanly and burns completely leaving no residue.
Bees
produce wax from honey. Specially assigned worker bees ingest honey
and hang for many hours to metabolize the wax and secret it out of
glands in their abdomens. Beekeepers
cut the wax on the top of the honeycomb to extract the honey. They
collect this wax to sell for candles and many other beeswax
product such as for polishes and cosmetics.
As
a part-time beekeeper for about ten years, I have an unadulterated
adoration and respect for honey bees.Working with them gave me many, many hours of pleasure and harmony. One of my joys was sitting beside
a hive on a warm sunny day watching the "busy" bees come
and go from the hive entrance in a steady stream. They make an
intriguing and graceful pattern. Not so graceful at landing as they
plop down unceremoniously, often bouncing.The aroma beside a hive is
intoxicatingly sweet and fragrant with the scent of flora
nectar. It is very much like the aroma from our cottonwood poplar trees
here in the spring and sometimes on hot summer days." -Charles Myers
I hope that we can all garner a little of the adoration for bees that my Father has so that more resources are put towards ensuring that these integral black and yellow pollinators are not lost to us forever.
I hope that we can all garner a little of the adoration for bees that my Father has so that more resources are put towards ensuring that these integral black and yellow pollinators are not lost to us forever.