The Buzz from the Bee Yard #1

9/9/2024

I am kneeling next to one of my three beehives and quietly watching bees going about their day caring for each other and the world. The hives are in a row, with the entrances facing south towards a field of flowers, with a neighborhood off in the distance. Facing south is intentional, as the bees begin and end their day according to the rising and setting of the sun.

I hear the buzz of the box. It sounds right and happy. It makes me smile and I can feel my blood pressure lowering. The ones we love have this gracious gift of lowering our stress by just by being near. I see foragers coming and going constantly. And, it doesn’t take long to notice that the bees returning have little yellow balls on their hind legs. This is pollen in their “pollen baskets.” Last week’s slow soaking rain over a few days awoke the dry earth in the Hill Country of Texas, and the bees seem to merrily be capitalizing on this August greening.

Pollen is vital to the life of honeybees. Pollen is their protein. It also provides all the minerals, fats, and vitamins they need to be healthy. Bees store and eat pollen in the hive as “bee bread,” which is pollen mixed with enzymes to keep it from spoiling. Even in the bee world, community is formed and nourished around breaking bread together! When I did my hive inspections this weekend, I was delighted to see all my hives filling their pantries with extra pollen! The picture at the top of this post is pollen in the cells of the comb on a frame from one of the hives.

The bees give me a wonderful question to take with me today.

I wonder who I can invite to break bread with me this week?

God grace your pollinating, Harold

One of the conversation strings I will have on this blog is my journey with the bees in my bee yard. I officially became a beekeeper with my son in April 2024, but my love for bees goes back many years. In these posts, I invite you to follow along with me in the wonders, discoveries, and curiosity that come in partnering with creation.