Five Things I’ve Learned From Bees

The colorful fall days of autumn are coming to a close. The days are getting shorter, the early morning sunrise is rosier on the snow-capped mountains, and the afternoon shadows lay hazily on the bike paths. The eagles are nesting for the winter at the Arapahoe Natural Area. And, we are all waiting for Daylight Savings Time to take effect. It is time to trim perennials, rake leaves, and start preparing the bee colonies for winter. And of course, learn a few more things from bees.

Yesterday was the last full day the girls could go out foraging. It was over 60 degrees and the foraging scout found the last bastion of floral goodness around the corner. A neighbor’s yard was the keeper of very large purple aster and the girls were busy enjoying the last of the blooms. The last fall happy hour on the patio included watching the girls buzzing back and forth, up and out of the hive and back in using their usual orderly airport fashion. But by 6 p.m., when the winds started coming through from the northwest, the last bee crept into the hive and we bundled them up for the next four days of snow.

Not everyone bundles their hives. I choose to do so because if done correctly, it can’t really hurt. I know they are safe inside, rotating positions, and keeping the hive a cozy 95ish inside.  That is amazing since I find 95 degrees quite uncomfortable. Whether humid or dry, it’s still hot.

The colony has food stores this year and we have managed the mites as best we can. For the rest of the winter, I will not need to do much else except add a quilt box later and a candy board feeder, make sure there is ventilation, watch them remove the dead out of the hive a warmer winter day, and hope they make it through the winter.

Preparing for seasonal changes may not be that big of a deal in warmer climates that have warm and hot as seasonal options.  In the past, I have created my own feeling of fall with plastic pumpkins and a plethora of Halloween décor around the house. I still have my fall fox but have opted for real pumpkins now. Maybe being primarily plant-based has something to do with that since I have a better understanding of where my local pumpkins come from and how the small farmer works. And the seasonal work of bees has made me appreciate the work nature does to move things forward, allow for rest, and to regenerate with a bit of nurturing and warmth.

Five Things I’ve Learned from Bees

I have learned a lot about bees and how their efforts at managing their colony sort of sounds like us if we let it happen. Here some things we can learn from bees:

1. Keep Things Tidy.  Bees are as fastidious as cats about their environment. On a lovely winter day in 2017, when the temperature reached 50 for a few hours, the undertaker worker bees cleaned house and pushed out the dead bees. I suppose they could have just huddled in their hive, but no, they cleaned house! I was shocked and thought the colony was dying so I called my bee mentor to verify this was a normal activity. Thankfully, it was. How much dead baggage or even dead thoughts do we carry around with us from day to day, month to month and year to year? What are untidy habits we have that keep us from getting what we want or where we want to go?
2. When threatened, give a gentle buzz. Italian bees are very gentle. They normally don’t bother you until you do something like stand in front of their flight pattern or disturb their work too much. If you do, I have yet to see one bite as a first threat. They will buzz an exposed body part (hence the veil) to send a warning you are disturbing their work. It’s a gentle warning. They don’t tend to attack as a first defense. There’s a lesson in that. Take pause. Share your concerns as a gentle buzz.
3. Plan for the future. Bees communicate very effectively in the hive. They know what duties are needed, communicate to the queen where to lay, and tell each other how to prepare for the winter and when to cap the honey. How are you getting ready for the future, or just tomorrow?
4. Let things “bee”– be patient and take pause. It’s really easy to be anxious about what a hive is doing. They are marvelous to watch in action. During high flow season, the hives are like a magical airport with ingoing and outgoing traffic nicely regulated. But do get out of the doorway. They really hate that.  Sometimes a bee just wants to do its job with the best possible effort and least interference.
5. “Bee” watchful– After the first year, I learned I didn’t have to look at frames every week. It was helpful for the learning process but I learned they really don’t like to be disturbed too much. Every time I would go in the hive, it would have the potential to set the colony back up to a week. So, I learned I could back off a bit. I could keep a good eye every day from afar and know when to take a deeper look into the boxes. Learning daily signs and symptoms from afar and understanding the weather, temperature and external conditions helps determine the best course of action.

Hmmm. Perhaps I don’t have to be a control freak. I can let things be.

Thought Questions

What are the things you need to know to that all is right?

How do you know when to pause and when to move forward with a “check?”

What are your clues you need to know to offer help?

How do you take care of yourself to ensure you make the best decisions possible?