First Time Among the Bees

I had spoken to Ian several times by phone – a clipped English accent and a fairly brusque manner. He was going to sell us bees at a reasonable price, but we didn’t know what to expect. Was all of this going to be a rip-off, poor quality stock to match the bargain basement rates?

Then one sunny morning in early May a small group of us made the journey out of the city to pick up our new bees. We were excited but also apprehensive.

Meeting Ian in person made all the difference. He was comfortable in his bee yard and he put us at ease right away. A solidly-built, middle-aged man of medium height, Ian had a broad smile and a twinkle in his eyes. Obviously his telephone manner was reserved only for the use of that instrument.

We put on our bee gear and he explained how we needed to conduct ourselves among the industrious inhabitants of this new domain. Then he led the way to the boxes of new bees.

We stood around him in a semi-circle, watching as he slowly and patiently opened each box. He was checking that each had a queen bee, so vital to the future health of our colonies. When he found each one, he would hold out the frame so that all of us could make her acquaintance.

The mood was magical – Ian speaking softly, the mid-morning sun warming us, and the air around us filled with bees on the wing. The soothing hum of many hundreds of the tiny creatures had the calming quality of a meditation session. The bees seemed to accept our presence among them and continued on with their busy lives of gathering nectar and pollen. We felt at one with the surging vitality of insect life and close to a fruitful and productive earth.

Since then our bees have prospered and proliferated – excellent value for our investment. Our first meeting with Ian had been auspicious, and our first meeting with the bees inspirational.

Dave–Toronto, Canada