Beeing a Beekeeper for the Day
I wanted to learn about bees based on a recent article that said approximately 50% of the bee population in Ontario did not survive the winter. It was a long cold season but now I understand how that could have happened a bit better. The good news is that the urban bees are still a buzz and we got a real treat hanging out with them for the day.
I was always frightened of bees as a child partly because I was constantly mistaking the bodies of bees with the raspberries I was trying to steal over the fence without beeing caught. I didn’t think I was that fond of them as an adult as well. Turns out though, it is wasps and hornets that are off my Christmas list. Bees are back on. I was, after all, pinching them with the intent to make them into jam. I’d be mad too.
What an incredible day we had at Fort York learning about bees and honey with Melissa and Shawn from Toronto Honeys. I could have spent another day there watching those bees work the hive. From their multi-coloured pollen laden bodies flying in the box and up the bee space to deposit their goodies, to the workers in the nursery, and even the fat cat boys just hanging back, we sure got an education.
I’m glad the boy bees don’t survive the mating though. #BeeToo is real. The video will make that make sense.
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That was fascinating and educational. Thank you for this! I would have enjoyed that visit. Plus, I’m low on honey.
Their honey is so incredible! It was the week I learned the most, that’s for sure!
Craig Ferguson said it best: “Wasps are the skinheads of the insect world.”
This looks like so much fun and I just love bees. They are incredible little critters. Whenever my wife gets annoyed at me for blowing dandelion seeds over the yard I tell her it’s for the benefit of the bees.
One of my big regrets is that one day a couple stopped me in the grocery store to ask me about what kind of bottles I thought would be best for honey. They were local beekeepers getting ready to sell their honey and it wasn’t until after they left that I realized I should have asked them where I could buy it and just support their business.
Also, even though the subject is a bit of a spoiler, look up the Arthur C. Clarke short story “Critical Mass”.
It’ll make you feel a little better about being scared of bees.
Christopher recently posted…Summer Movie: The Secret Of NIMH.
Craig Ferguson is right. Wasps can go fuck a queen. Am I allowed to say that here?
Looked up the short story. How do you know absolutely everything about everything Christopher? Your mind amazes me!
Love all this adventure you’ve been adding to your life:). And the bees–oh, we so sorely need them. I have a doctor friend who beekeeps and she gives me the yummiest honey. It’s her way of helping to save the planet . . . besides saving human lives, she now saves bees.
This could very well be my retirement project. It was an amazing day!
OK, the male bees seemed to have the best job ever, until that last part of the job description. The female bees must be Kegel masters if they can rip, uhmm, stuff off. No thanks! Ain’t no “honey” that sweet!
I’ve been absent from the blogosphere lately so I have to get caught back up on your adventures.
Arionis recently posted…Still Alive
Bwahaha! They had a life of lazy and they paid the ultimate price. I laughed for days about this.
The winters can be so hard on bees! It’s so very important to correctly winterize the hive if all bees are to remain intact (which rarely happens). It’s great to hear that you are getting into beekeeping Kristine! 🙂 It would be great to hear more about your adventures as a beekeeper.
Steve recently posted…How Does A Beehive Work?
I would love to make beekeeping a retirement hobby. For now, I planted some bee-friendly seeds at the cottage and am spreading the word best I can. Thanks for reading.