Foto Friday - The Secret Life of Bees

The honey bee,
a gatherer of pollen and sweet nectar,
and maker and hoarder of honey.
Where the queen, drone and worker
live in a social community,
and the honeycomb is the hub of the hive.
We marvel at perfectly shaped hexagon cells
made of beeswax
that this engineering genius can make.
They have learned to communicate
through a dance language,
that relays the location of their floral findings.
Where the worker bee gathers
and brushes the pollen,
into baskets on the fringe of their hind legs. 
Back to the hive
building and protecting,
and busy turning nectar to honey.
The honey bee,
a fascinating insect and pollinator,
plays a vital role in our natural world,
and fills me with wonder.
                                                 -Kim

 Morning is the best of all times in the garden.

The sun is not yet hot. Sweet vapors rise from the earth.

Night dew clings to the soil and makes plants glisten.

Birds call to one another. Bees are already at work.

- William Longgood

Most people when they think of the honey bee probably just think of bee stings and honey. But they're so much more than that. They are the most important pollinating insect and responsible for all the wonderful fruits and vegetables we enjoy along with the beautiful flowers. Within their social community they each have their own purpose and can only survive as a member of the colony each dependant on the other for survival. The colony consists of the queen, the drone, and the worker bee. The queen for reproduction, the drone for mating with the queen, and the worker for building and maintaining the nest and for caring for the brood. A healthy colony can average between 40,000 and 80,000 bees.

The careful insect 'midst his works I view,

Now from the flowers exhaust the fragrant dew,

With golden treasures load his little thighs,

And steer his distant journey through the skies.

- John Gay

Give and Take

For to the bee a flower is a fountain of life,

and to the flower the bee is a messenger of love.

And to both, bee and flower,

the giving and receiving is both a need

and an ecstasy.

- Kahlil Gibran

Bees work for man, and yet they never bruise their master's flower,

but leave it having done,

as fair as ever and fit to use;

So both the flower doth stay and honey run.

- George Herbert

Have you ever watched closely a bee gather pollen - it's quite fascinating,

and they really don't mind!

Bees inside the hive will fan their wings in order to maintain a perfect 95 degrees and to increase the evaporation of water from the nectar. For an insect whose lifespan is only 4-6 weeks (in the spring and summer months) the worker bee, all female by the way, are busy little bees who are highly organized and extremely efficient.

For so work the honey bees,

creatures that by a rule in nature teach

the act of order to a peopled kingdom.

- William Shakespeare

(Do you think anyone is listening?)

My Haiku:

The honey bee a hoarder

Works to gather pollen and sweet nectar

Share your honey with me

I love the honey bee, find insects fascinating, and perhaps should have been an Entomologist

or a science teacher! Nature is a wonderful instructor if only we would pay attention.

I see the hand print of God in the honey bee,

in the miraculous systems they possess,

and the artistry in which they create!!

I wish you all the sweetest of weekends and may it be filled with bisquits and honey!!

Love, Kim

XO