Re: Bee's swarming

In a message dated 5/24/99 7:49:49 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
GremEA@navair.navy.mil writes:

>  I was sitting on the deck Sat evening just before a storm and noticed a big
>  black cloud of insects swirling about.  Got a closer look- honeybees!!  
They
>  landed on my 4 foot cypress bush, forming a football size mound.

    
Wonderful!

    You got an unusual (today that is -- we'd see a dozen swarms every 
spring, when I was a kid) window on a marvelous natural event, the 
reproduction of the bees. The excitement of the bees as they swirl around, 
following the odor of their queen is quite catching. The main reproduction 
event with the bees is as an entire colony. You could almost think of the 
colony as an animal, and each bee as a cell in that animal, because each one 
cannot survive without the others. When they get crowded in the spring, half 
the bees leave with the old queen to form a new colony. The remnant stay 
behind and get requeened. It is an extremely exciting, yet vulnerable time 
for the bees.

    Some folks are terrorized by a swarm, mostly because it has become so 
unfamiliar in this generation. No need to fear. You can stand in the center 
of this manic event, and the bees will totally ignore you.  That is, unless 
the queen decides to land on you.

    My grandmother's older brothers both kept bees (the old black German 
bees, not the gentle Italians), and she was watching a swarm at age 13, when 
the queen decided she was the object on which to pitch. The swarm covered her 
completely, head and shoulders. She cried out, and her brother came running. 
He said, just stand still, I'll be right back.

    She was not happy about this, but she did as he said, while he ran to get 
a bee box. Upon return, he searched all over the bees until he spotted the 
queen. Quickly he caught her and put her in the box, whereupon the bees left 
Grandma, and went into the hive.

    I remember seeing a swarm as a kid, and her telling me this story. She 
told me not to worry, because in all that, she was never stung. She kept a 
little more distance from the bees after that, particularly during swarm 
season.

    I was priviliged to have three of my grandparents, until well into my 
adult years, and I am so glad I talked with them. Some kids today barely know 
their grandparents. I always encourage young people to talk with them. Ask 
questions about the "good old days." With many folks it's like pushing a 
button, and they have a wealth of information and entertainment to unload, if 
they just have an interested listener.   I'm glad I did that; my grandparents 
are gone now.

     Back in "The Good Old Days," folks hardly ever thought about 
pollination. Almost every farm had a dozen bee gums or stands. The woods were 
full of wild bees, and bee tree hunting was a popular sport. Today, both wild 
bees and old time beekeepers are almost vanished.  Think about how many 
"used-to-bee" beekeepers you knew, and how few there are today. We have about 
one third the number of kept hives that we had in the '40's, and probably 
less than 5% of the wild hives.

    Fortunately there are a number of new beekeepers taking up some of the 
slack. Gardeners who are alert to the shortage are leading the way. Many of 
these are suburban retirees. Also getting in are folks who need bees for 
sting therapy for multiple schlerosis, lupus, or arthritis.

    Now comes promising research indicating honey's value for burns, acne, 
boils, pickeye and other eye infections. It offers hope of treatment for 
antibiotic resistant bacteria that cause infections in wounds. And believe it 
or not, there is a possibility of help from honey, in dealing with the 
bacteria that cause dental caries.

    It's a good time to get in on this wonderful endeavor.....

Pollinator@aol.com     Dave Green  Hemingway, SC  USA
The Pollination Scene:  http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html
The Pollination Home Page:    http://www.pollinator.com

Jan's Sweetness and Light Shop    (Varietal Honeys and Beeswax Candles)
http://users.aol.com/SweetnessL/sweetlit.htm

"I'm sure I would enjoy my memories, if only I could recall them!"
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