Bees are truly amazing. They are supposed to be insects, but they seem to be far evolved from an average insect. They have an advanced animal kingdom form of communication that indicates they have intellect and cognition. They are choosy who their friends and enemies are and base this on a variety of factors. For their friends they will make delicious honey and for their enemies they will terrorize them, to keep them away from their colony.
I was so excited when I found I have a colony of bees living under my shed. One day I opened my back door and looked down my alley, to see a swarm of bees furiously buzzing and colliding. After sometime the chaotic activity diminished and only a small portion of the original swarm lazily flew around the same location. Later on as I was walking past my shed I noticed them flying in and out of the bottom of the shed. This continued on for days and then finally honeycomb could be seen peeking from beneath the wall. Unfortunately, it wasn’t any honey coomb I could harvest. First, I didn’t have a bee suit and second, I knew nothing about gathering wild honey. But it was amazing to think that there was actually a thriving bee colony in my own backyard.
I thought about the new colony and what it meant. People liked to walk by my shed which was situated on a pretty alley in the center of the historic district of town. Would the bees chase them or would some person, thinking they were helpful, remove the prized colony?
It worried me. I knew that that honey bee populations were rapidly diminishing due to loss of habitat and farming practices in the United States. I didn’t want to be responsible for losing even one more of these small precious workers. I treasure the sweet treat they produce that’s loaded with immunity boosting properties. I use bee byproducts myself to prevent colds and infection. Propolis was one of my favorites. Propolis is derived from the materials that a bee deposits to build and protect the hive. It contains proven antimicrobial properties. It always gave me a boost, especially if I was feeling fluish.
Another great attribute of bees is their venom. One time I actually stepped on one of the bees that had scurried under my back door during the night. At first, I didn’t feel anything except anger and wanting to pulverize the small aggressor. How dare he come in and attack his host for the night? Then suddenly a deep throbbing pain shot up my calf from my foot. The next feeling was an odd numbing sensation and then the arthritic pain to my knee disappeared. For a full day, my knee was pain free. My anger quickly morphed into bliss and wonder and the miracle of that little sting. I researched the phenomenon and discovered bee venom therapy; known as Apitherapy. I found out it had been around for thousands of years. Patients must be clear of venom allergies first and then it can be used to treat painful medical conditions. It has been proven to be quite successful for the relief of pain. Mellatin and Adolapin are two factors found in venom. Mellatin decrease inflammation. Adolapin decreases inflammation too; but also contains pain blockers. The bee venom also increases the circulation and decreases swelling. I felt wistful and wished that people could understand how amazing bees were and what important contributions they make to our world.
Pretty soon the bees were making nightly visits to my house. They would crawl under the back porch door during the night. They were attracted to the light I left burning at night that cast a warm golden glow. They would crawl under the door and fly to the light, some would make it as far as the inner rooms of the house. At first I was a little frightened. I had seen old abandoned homes where whole walls had become a giant beehive. I knew that there had been several honey farms located in this part of town at the turn of the century and maybe their ancestral instincts were guiding them to reclaim their territory. I learned to capture them without causing harm and send them on their way.
I really love bees. I love that they make honey and I love how they are yellow like sunshine and soft and fuzzy. I think their stinger is cool and amazing- the perfect weapon. I could easily become a throwback from the agrarian days of my city and participate in telling the bees; a ritual believed to bring good health and fortune. Families would ritually tell the bees of new babies being born, deaths in the family and other significant changes to the family. If the bees were kept in the know, they would stay and continue to make honey. But I knew I couldn’t let them start living in my house. So I learned how to block them. I found a way to block their entrance and they don’t come in anymore.
So, I had bees and I love that. I say had, because since I published this article, the bees were removed. Occasionally, I’ll see one small lost bee hovering about, but the colony is definitely gone. I’m glad they were here though and proud they chose my shed and built a thriving colony. Luckily they were under the shed and not in it. I wish they had been capable of being domesticated and viable companionship like a cat or dog, but they are what they are and close companions they are not. So I enjoyed them from afar and helped them as much as I could. Hopefully they were moved to a bee farm where they can fly through the sunlight on warm lazy days and be free to make honey without being threatened.
