- William S. Burroughs
I am just absolutely convinced that the best formula for giving us peace , serenity and preserving the American way of life is freedom, limited bureaucratic red tape , and minding our own business , especially in small communities. We should take an example from the socialization of honeybees and other animal species
- Patrick Fratellone
I have learned the hard way - I mind my own business. I am tired of hearing other individuals, "character assassination" called gossip. I do what I have to do to maintain my loving relationship with my husband, children and friends. I am convinced that 'my girls' (our honeybees) have good lives. We nurture them. I was meditating in a chair in front of the back hive this past weekend . Listening to their buzzing and flying to and from the hive landing pad is a gift from G.O.D. Who would have thought Rick and I would be so involved with our bees.
Man can learn a lot from bees. Did you know that most of the bees in the hives are female with the only one female able to lay eggs -- the Queen Bee. Therefore, it can be said that most hives are gay or of 'lesbian persuasion. Do you know any lesbians ? I know plenty. In my humble opinion in some communities there is a difference between sober lesbians and those that are NOT sober lesbians. Sobriety makes all the difference. For the honeybees, they need to be sober from the toxins in our environment. Our girls do not have to worry about alcohol but need to worry about pesticides and varroa mites. As I opened the hives this weekend, I was able to taste the honey. How delicious !
Why do we have bees ? For many reasons. For the dying honeybee populations and to help the environment. It is our contribution to saving Earth Mother. We also do it for the honey, the wax, and the bee pollen. We also do it because we love it! I have even been awarded the the prestigious DY Bee Ring !
Honeybees collect nectar and store it as honey in their hives. Nectar and honey provide the energy for the bees’ flight muscles and for heating the hive during the winter period. Honeybees also collect pollen which supplies protein for bee brood to grow. Honey bees live in colonies that are often maintained, fed, and transported by beekeepers. Centuries of selective breeding by humans have created honey bees that produce far more honey than the colony needs. Beekeepers harvest the honey. Beekeepers provide a place for the colony to live and to store honey in. The modern beehive is made up of a series of square or rectangular boxes without tops or bottoms placed one on top of another. Inside the boxes, frames are hung in parallel, in which bees build up the wax honeycomb in which they both raise brood and store honey. Modern hives enable beekeepers to transport bees, moving from field to field as the crop needs pollinating and allowing the beekeeper to charge for the pollination services they provide.
Rick and I will begin to teach Basic Beekeeping to children in the Fall. There are some basic questions that are always asked. The most commonly asked questions are:
1.How many flowers must honey bees tap to make one pound of honey? About two million flowers, give or take.
2.How far does a hive of bees fly to bring you one pound of honey? More than 55,000 miles.
3.How much honey does the average worker honey bee make in her lifetime? About 1/12 of a teaspoon.
4.How fast does a honey bee fly? About 15 miles per hour.
5.How many sides does each honeycomb cell have? Each cell is a six-sided hexagon.
6.What state is known as the beehive state? Utah. Fascinating although Rick, Jen , Suzanne and I visited the state of Idaho to look at a bee farm
7.How many wings does a honey bee have? Each honey bee has four wings.
Photographs credit: Vincent Care and Rick Byrd
Until tomorrow...
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