A Beekeeper’s
WORLD
BY LISA S.T. DOSS
Honeybees are a network of team discipline, distinct roles, organization, and sacrifice! Each of us can learn a lot from their nature.
Most
husbands say things like, “I want to adopt a dog,” not, “I want to raise bees!” The bee idea triggered a childhood memory of performing cartwheels and running to the house after a jarring bite to the palm. From that moment onward, bees, in my mind, were associated with pain, and were an insect well avoided. My husband, Kevin, however, pursued the venture by purchasing a hive, equipment, a beekeeping suit for two, and prepaid for a package of bees and one queen! Immediately, I panicked! How was it arriving? Shock led to the discovery that we would have to pick them up! Together we had watched YouTube videos, attempting to absorb every aspect of the bee world in 30- to 45-minute increments! Then, the fateful day arrived, our bee package was ready for pickup—except Kevin was not in the state! It was up to me! Bravely, I brought home 3,000-plus new charges. 2021 now marks our fourth season as state-certified beekeepers. In the same fashion that people become instantly animated talking about their beloved cat or dog, so I feel about honeybees. Occasionally, a four-winged flyer will land on my hand or shoulder to rest. The sensation feels slightly ticklish from the beat of her wings. In seconds, she disappears, following “orders” to find a water source or pollen.
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he order of Hymenoptera, to which honeybees belong, T appeared 300 million years ago.
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ees are trichromatic, which means they see ultraviolet B light or wavelengths. Pollen appears as energy, light. They can see three-dimensionally and judge edges.
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he forager bee doesn’t necessarily care about humans. T The job is vital, and humans tend to get in the way. At a speed of 20 miles per hour, the honeybee is one of the world’s fastest flyers. Her lifetime contribution is onetwelfth of a teaspoon of honey.
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ith an exceptional olfactory ability, honeybees can W differentiate between hundreds of floral varieties. Returning to the colony, foragers perform the “waggle dance,” which gives detailed directions and the flight’s distance to the flowers.
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lying to and from is tiresome. Bees will often sleep F inside a flower, sheltered by petals. If a friend is with her, they’ll hold on to each other’s feet.
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etween April to June, hives contain 20,000 to 60,000 B female bees. The males, called drones, come and go as they please, are not responsible for chores, and are booted out before winter!
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orker bees create a glue called “propolis” to seal the W edges of their home. Their lifespan extends six weeks.
or a queen to develop, she needs royal jelly. Once she F emerges from her elongated cell, she flies out to find a drone and receives sperm to sustain her for a lifetime. After 48 hours, she’ll begin laying 2,000 eggs daily. Attendants tend to her feeding needs.
t the entrance of every hive is a guard. On cold nights, A many will die on duty!
