Postcards From Paradise:
Mom's Urban Wildlife Sanctuary
Bee Swarm
Today my son was mowing his Grandma's yard when he came upon a bee swarm on a low hanging branch of a tree. I am so thankful to his Guardian Angel and Saint Gobnait (patron saint of beekeepers) for watching over him, he almost drove right into it!
Luckily, Grandma is an apiarist, and happened to have an empty hive. Earlier in the year she lost all four hives. A neighbor continues to use pesticides in his yard, in spite of my mom's pleas to abstain. The bees bring back the contaminated pollen and it wrecks havoc within the hive. The bees eventually lose their sense of bearing while out gathering and never find their way back home. With today's swarm, she is now back up to three hives.
The boys and my mom donned bee suits and cut the tree branch down, carefully placing the swarm into a box covered with duct tape so the bees couldn't escape from the cracks. They then took it to the waiting hive on the other side of the property and put the swarm into it's new home. Not all bees went directly in, Mom had to scoop some strays up and pour them into the hive.
I can't wait until tomorrow, to check the hive for inhabitants. I hope they are happy and busy making the beginnings of more honey for our family.
"The bee is more honored than other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others."
~St John Chrysostom~
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Thank you for sharing! I have NOT seen a REAL honey bee in a long time. This gives me hope that God's creatures can make a come back after man makes a muck.
ReplyDeleteI adored your story about the bees and the fact that they're coming back to your mother's property. They are so vital to life as we know it...it's unbelievable to me that pesticides are readliy available for rampant overuse, without any concern for the earth and it's ecosystems. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWhat a heartwarming story. Your mom is indeed Mother of Bees - their human queen.
ReplyDeleteHappy Mother's Day.
I really enjoyed reading about this. What a great picture of the swarm, so glad for protection and prayer, what a great reward in the end!
ReplyDeletedear shannon,
ReplyDeletei too loved reading about your family and your mother's knowledge in bee keeping. we have had bee swarms in transit in our garden and they are amazing. thank you also for including this quote "The bee is more honored than other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others."
~St John Chrysostom~
may we all be so inspired by the nature.
thanks for being such a thoughtful part of postcards from paradise.