This is the
story of Jeanette and the bees. One day, almost three years ago now, Jeanette
announced, “What do you think about raising bees?” If you are familiar with the
story of Jeanette and the Chickens, you already know that Jeanette was not
really asking a question. She had decided that bees were interesting and useful
and that we had room to raise them. (Jeanette has this thing about nurturing stuff.
Plants, kids, chickens, friends. Now bees.) I should have recognized the tell
tale signs. Did you know there are whole magazines devoted to bee keeping?
Neither did I until I noticed a couple stacked under the coffee table. There
are also bee keeper groups that offer workshops and training in how to raise
bees. I know that because unbeknownst to me Jeanette signed BOTH of us up for a
full day training workshop in Madison. Imagine my surprise when I discovered I
would get to spend ALL DAY learning about bees. On a Saturday especially! Let
me just say Jeanette was accepting when I told her I would go along, but I
would leave the bee keeping to her.
After the
workshop Jeanette ordered the material we needed. Not surprisingly, the bee
magazines made it easy to buy beginner kits. You might be surprised with the
gadgets and tools you can buy for bee keeping. You might also be surprised at
the cost. Fortunately, Jeanette had
contacted an experience beekeeper to offer advice. Sam has been very helpful
and has resisted the urge to laugh at us on numerous occasions. We ordered the
material for our new hive in winter, including one swarm of bees, and we waited
for the spring.
Since our
order came from the same company Sam uses, he collected our bees when he picked
up his own. I guess I had never thought about how they shipped bees, but I was
a little surprised when Sam showed up with a plywood box about 10”x 6” x18”
covered with window screening and filled with 3500 bees. There was also a tiny
1”x1’x2’screened in container holding the queen. It was clear the 3500 REALLY
wanted to be next to the queen. This is where Jeanette actually got to put on
the traditional costume of the true beekeeper. She looked rather scientific in
the pith helmet covered with netting and the white coat. Her elbow length
gloves actually looked a little cow boyish, but, all in all, rather splashing! Sam demonstrated how to place the queen cage
inside the hive and then empty the remaining 3499 inside. The traveling cage
was left by the entrance – a mere ½” slit - for the few stragglers that didn’t
want to come out. It all went so
quickly. The lid went on and there it was – we were bee keepers.
Jeanette had
to feed the hive sugar water for a couple weeks, but soon they were thriving.
On occasion we opened the hive to check on the bees, but mostly we just watched
them. They streamed in and out of the hive carrying loads of pollen in and
their fallen comrades out. It was almost meditative to hear their buzzing and
watch them settle in for the night. It was hard to believe our single queen
would produce over 50,000 bees by the end of fall, but she did. WE got kinda
fond of those bees.
When the
leaves turned brown and the nights got colder, Sam told us we had a choice to
make. We could take the honey from the hive and leave the bees to die for the
winter or we could leave the honey and give the bees a chance to survive. If
you know Jeanette, you know the bees got the honey. Sadly, the brutal winter
froze them out anyway. Life goes on. We would do better next year. (It reminded
me of teaching.)
So this spring
we decided to go with two hives. We cleaned up our old hive, set up our new
one, and ordered our bees. We were not available to collect our bees on the
specified day, so we arranged with the bee company to collect them a day later
on a Sunday. We were told to go to their delivery site and the bees would be
available. I assumed some person would be there to deliver the goods. I was
wrong. We pulled into what looked like small a farm on the out skirts of
Waukesha and found our two crates of bees sitting on the stoop with a note taped
to them. Of course Jeanette was worried that they had to be transported in the
trunk of the car. She thought there might be lethal fumes. I didn’t mention
that WE were riding in an enclosed compartment and the lethal fumes would
probably have affected us if they were there. Never mind. We just occasionally
pulled over to let the bees breath on our way home.
I knew
Jeanette was a little nervous about getting the swarm into the hive by herself.
She kept repeating to herself, “I can do this.” I volunteered to help, but she
knew – and I knew – my “help” would consist of me standing at a distance giving
advice. (My lovely wife has suggested that offering advice at a distance is not
helping – it’s kibitzing.) Once again she emerged from the barn in her bee keeping
costume. The hives were ready. Jeanette was ready. I was standing in the
distance. If you remember, a key step is to get the queen bee’s cage into the
main hive with a marshmallow replacing the hard cork stopper. Jeanette had
brought a small nail to help remove the cork, but was having some difficulty
with her gloves on. I moved closer to give her advice. Just then the cork pop
free and quick as a wink our queen took off on her own. I made a feeble attempt
to capture her, but she was flying and I was stumbling. We stood there stunned.
What do you do if the queen flies off?
Jeanette carefully placed the empty queen cage in the hive figuring the pheromones
the workers were attracted to would fool the swarm for a while. She carefully
went to the second hive and this time expertly delivered the queen and the
swarm to their proper places. Jeanette
soon got Sam on the phone and he graciously replied, “It happens.” He also
asked if the other bees had swarmed after the queen. Sometimes the whole group
just heads for the hills … or the trees, as it were. Since they hadn’t, we
learned that the appropriate response to a lost queen is to introduce a “new”
queen, if you can get one. Did you know there are places where you can pick up
a single bee? Me either until I drove to
Watertown and collected a new queen in her own little cage. This time the new
queen had to be protected in her cage for a few days until the new group got
used to her. Jeanette deposited the new queen and we hoped for the best. Fortunately, the new queen was a hit and the
bees are back to dancing and carrying pollen.
Often now, on
these long, emerald June evenings, I can see Jeanette pause near the bee hives.
She settles to the grass and watches as her bees transform the blossoms that
cover our yard and nearby fields into honey. In a world that is often confused
by what to do, it is inspiring to watch a group of bees that has no doubts.
PS: Today also happens to be Jeanette's birthday. Happy, Happy.
