Tag: beekeeping

  • Sojourn

    Sojourn

    Relics and beads dangled from the gnarled branches of the lime tree which was embedded in the wall of the holy well. There was no one to be seen or heard as I took in the surroundings of this sheltered spot. Peace enveloped me in the stillness. Leaves barely dared rustle. I went down the…

  • A winter tale

    A winter tale

    “Hey!” “Get off my head!” My sister runs on, ignoring me. I don’t really mind, I’m as tough as nails even if I’m only just emerging from my cell.  The word “cell” doesn’t do justice to the snug, warm, incubation chamber that enveloped me as an egg, then larvae and finally pupae during the last…

  • Double, double, toil and trouble

    Double, double, toil and trouble

    It’s Halloween and it seems apt that I find myself hovering over a cauldron with wooden frames sticking out over the edge of the bubbling mix of hot water, soda crystals, foaming melted wax, propolis and bee detritus.  I am sure medieval witches were beekeepers as the charming of bees must have seemed as mystical…

  • Close encounters of the third kind

    Close encounters of the third kind

    Druids huddle in a circle around a cauldron with smoke bellowing. The white hooded garb is emitting a luminescent glow… but something’s not quite right, it’s a bright sunny day. It’s not a midnight coven. This feels like a surreal dream, but I too am clad in a brand-new gleaming, white bee suit and join…

  • Smokin’

    Smokin’

    Beekeepers have embarrassing secrets. I too have a deep dark beekeeping secret. I am useless at using a smoker!  Using a smoker is an essential skill for any beekeeper.   You’ve seen them, the iconic pictures of beekeepers wielding a smoker with slow, focused Tai Chi movements gently wafting smoke to calm their bees. Their bees…

  • Ouch!

    Ouch!

    “Bee stings don’t bother me.” My jaw dropped in disbelief. These words had come out of my own mouth! I was a little impressed with myself, finally perhaps, I am a true beekeeper. I’ve seen so many of the experienced beekeepers brush off stings as a mere nuisance, for this moment I felt one of…

  • A fine mess – short and sweet

    A fine mess – short and sweet

    The door handles are sticky. There’s a schlick, schlick, schlick sound from my shoes as I walk across the floor tiles. My hair is sticky, every spoon, uncapping fork, super, hive tool, bucket and anything at all that I’ve touched (and many places that I hadn’t touched) has a splodge of honey.  This is despite…

  • Bovine encounter

    Bovine encounter

    I thought it was a good idea to put two hives inside a tall hedge near a public road. You couldn’t see the hives from the road and the bees flew over the heads of any passer by without anyone noticing.  I drove by one day and was shocked to see the hedge cut low…

  • Privileged

    Privileged

    Being a beekeeper is a privilege.  I get to go out into nature on my solitary mission to tend to the beehives, usually in the very best of weather. After the initial flurry of preparation there is a peacefulness the descends as I approach my hives. I greet each of them, talking to the ladies…

  • Win-win

    Win-win

    I remember the gorgeous smell of the house when my mother was making jam. She would stir the sticky mix with a wooden spoon, enveloped in the sweet, smelling steam as it wafted up from her special jam-making pan. Jam jars would be sterilized and lined up like a military platoon ready for action. “Keep…