Nathan's Worst Nightmare
Nathan hates needles. And bees are just bugs with needles. So he hates bees.
But the bees like the trees outside our sliding glass windows. At least 3 times during the months of March and April bees would swarm around outside our window and then descend into a ball, presumably around the Queen Bee.
This is what one of those times looked like:
And then this guy came and got them. He put this basket in the tree and then with his BARE HANDS he scooped in the swarm into the basket. Then he went away for a little while so that they could all relocated into the basket.
While he was waiting for them to all find their way into the basket, he went out to the field/swamp/marsh area just beyond our house to prepare the bee hive box. The box on the chair in the foreground of this picture is another bee hive. Please note that this man did in fact have gloves in his back pocket, but he did not use them.
Then he came and took his basket away and put it in the bee hive. I didn't see that part, so I'm not exactly sure how he did it. But I do know that beekeeping is a little crazy.
And here's a video:
That is SO COOL! Honeybees are disappearing in N. America. I thought about becoming a hobby bee keeper for a while.. thought the "free" honey helping the environment was incentive enough. But I don't think my neighbors would appreciate that. =)
ReplyDeleteThe Red Brick House had a bee hive for a few years, it was behind the white car garage. The bees swarmed on a bush to the side of the house. Dad called a friend who brought a hive and relocated the bees. We never opened the hive w/o assistance from someone who understood bees.
ReplyDeleteI can still see Nathan's little blue eyes wide with horror looking at me when he was in the dentist's chair getting his needle..NOT one of my pleasant memories, much less Nathan's...so I am deeply grateful that these little needle like creatures have been removed and with it, the stress levels for all. Amazing how such creatures with the potential to harm will produce such sweet honey we can enjoy!There is a sermon illustration there somewhere...I'm sure Nathan will find it!
ReplyDeleteI think I agree with Nathan on this one. That's a pretty scary proposition, but glad to hear that bee stings will not be happening in the Clifton household.:-)
ReplyDelete{{Shudder}}! - tho the gloves in the back pocket are quite comical!
ReplyDelete