Honey! - A bee story

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It's 9am. I stand, sweating, the smell of smoke and trees and the sound of thousands upon thousands of lives, living on top of one another fills the air. Fills most of the air. 40,000 killer bees swarm around me...

My life has been defined in terms of bees:

It's July last year and I'm talking to Nigel about his love for bees and the fact that I've never stroked a bee.

Now it's August and I'm back in Leeds and stroking my first bee. I feel alive!

I think back to how my love of honey developed, from a visit to a honey museum in 2006, trying exquisite honeys from single flower sources to eating expensive honey from cheap toast with Joel in the Woodies flats.

I think of the bee home Jen and I received as a wedding gift that's probably right now home to a few bumble-bees.

I think of Macaulay Culkin in My Girl and suddenly remember the gravity of the moment. I once read advice on this kind of situation - run. Most situations where people have died from killer bees have been because they were trapped. I am trapped. In this heat and in this suit I'm not going anywhere fast.

Also, I didn't bring any bicarb with me...

Fortunately, the bees aren't trying to kill me, just making some honey, keeping the queen happy and all that. The only thing "killer" about this situation is the honey! And the photos. And the experience. Wow!

(Sorry everyone for the bad joke at the end there)



Mike and Jen went honey farming with a great and very hospitable group of family and friends. They would like to offer their thanks to them, and to Jo for inviting them along.

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Comments

[John]

bees too
ahh this is good information, we have a bee hive here and want to start building more.. we have a system 'barefoot bee keeper' maybe this is a wing up on what you can be doing here!! thanks for keeping us in the buzz