the steady drone of the bees
A new and vital season arises from the harsh winter, born of the death of the old year. New life is beginning to stir from beneath the earth. Animals, insects, plants and trees burst into life below ground long before they emerge into the light, the promise of things to come.
The leader of the floral pageant is the Snowdrop, vital for the early bees food supply. Snowdrop meaning ‘hope’ in the language of flowers push their tender green shoots through the leaf litter followed swiftly by the nectar rich flowers. As the Snowdrops fade the charming and delicate Crocus unfolds her beauty. Wild flowers are also emerging at this time; Coltsfoot, Dandelion and Goat’s Willow all offering vital pollen and nectar for the hungry bees.
If more of us planted early flowering bulbs such as Snowdrops, Crocus and Aconites in September, we would increase their much needed early food supply, thus helping the bees to survive through till mid spring when wild and cultivated flowers are in abundance as they are seriously in decline. Bees are extremely important insects as they are the major pollinators of flowering plants.
Honey bees are the first to emerge in early spring, followed by the first queen bumble bee, then the early solitary bee. Bees are both a ‘keystone’ and an ‘indicator’ species; they tell us when something is wrong in the environment. They are vital for our own survival and must be helped in as many ways as possible to prevent their demise.
Bees have several enemies, a parasitic mite, and overuse of powerful chemical sprays on crops by land owners and loss of habitat. Where there is a huge loss of open land, concreted over to build houses or industrial buildings, the bees have to travel far greater distances to look for food. Farmers need to leave uncultivated bands around the edges of their fields, or leave whole areas fallow to encourage the growth of wild flower meadows. We too can help by leaving ‘ribbons of life’ in our own manicured gardens to attract the bees and other wildlife.
In a hive each cast of bee has its own special function and works diligently for the benefit of the whole community. One particular band of workers flap their wings at the entrance of the hive just to keep it cool inside. Sir Christopher Wren was so impressed with the harmony to be found within a hive that he designed many churches with domes as a symbol of harmony (a Skep – a dome shaped hive).
I have tried to offer you some interesting facts which will hopefully help you to understand nature wherever it may be met, in town or countryside. By giving you some inside knowledge about the wonders that surround you, it will help you to enjoy nature more. It is full of untold novelties for those who have the eyes to see them.
