Ooooh, Bee-Hive!

January 27, 2017 by Theskinflintphilosopher 3 Comments

Latest from the Beekeeping programme and the beekeeping Brethren, is the kit. For the thrifty among us, it is all starting to add up.

Bee hive, plus stand, plus hive tool, smoker, jacket, hat, veil, gloves, bee brush, queen cage, supers, frames, queen excluders, spacers, runners, foundations….  and that is before you even get started on the honey processing gadgets. Is there any room for the bee space?

I feel enlivened though with learning something new. It is something we as adults often don’t do any more. We are happy with our established hobbies and interests, and don’t have the time or inclination to learn. In the day job, I spend all day imparting my knowledge to others, but it is old hat to me, and sometimes I feel  a little like a broken record. Tiddler is making leaps and bounds with language and skills, and though amazing to watch that process unfold, the learning is a challenge for her, not me. So I am daring myself to actually engage my brain again. For various health reasons this is good practise, but it also allows me a feeling of personal and psychological independence. Freedom of thought it a very fine thing.

Apparently, the honey bee’s brain is the size of a sesame seed. If it can manage to waggle dance a complex 3D navigation map, I owe it to at least keep my old grey matter ticking over. Next session: The Colony.