The Word Cloud

As spring is allegedly only round the corner, and I think it's always good for the soul to have something nice to look forward to, I'm posting this excerpt from Red Sky at Night in anticipation of the sunny days to come. And in honour of the bees that do so much to keep us all fed by pollinating the plants that we eat.

I tried to post this on the Red Sky thread in the forum, but the Cloud refused to play ball, so I've put it here instead. 

Bee lore

Bees are among the busiest creatures in our gardens and in the wild, and also some of the most important because they pollinate so many plants. In years gone by, many gardeners kept their own beehives, which provided a welcome supply of honey that could be used in many different ways. For instance, the honey was eaten and the wax coating on the combs was made into candles. In return, there was a strict etiquette in looking after bees and many people still practice it, with excellent results.
 

Informing the bees

Bees were once often referred to as ‘little servants of God’ or ‘small messengers of God’, names which meant they had to be accorded due respect. One of the most important tasks of any beekeeper was to keep his or her bees informed of the latest news, because they were part of the family and it was only polite to keep them up to date. If someone died, the bees had to be told, often by someone tapping gently on their hive with a front-door key and then explaining what had happened. If you failed to tell the bees about a death, the penalties could be severe. At the very least, the hive might swarm and vanish. Much worse, there might be another death in the family. In some parts of the country, the hive was draped in black crêpe to signify mourning.

But bees weren’t only told about the bad news. They were also informed when there was something to celebrate, such as a wedding or christening, and a small slice of the cake would be left outside their hive for them to feed on. Some people also tied a white ribbon to the hive. Once again, the consequences of failing to notify the bees were serious. The bees might fly away, or bad luck might befall the family. If the bees weren’t told about the birth of a child, there was a danger that the child might sicken or even die. The bees might follow suit, through grief at not being kept up to date with the family news.

Humming

The noise that the bees made was highly significant. Silence from the hive was a warning that the bees might soon swarm. On the other hand, if there was a contented buzzing, all was well. It was considered highly inadvisable to swear near the hive, in case you offended the bees and they abandoned the hive in disgust. If you had to move the hive, it was wise to avoid doing so on Good Friday, once again for fear of upsetting the bees.

Acquiring the bees

How did you acquire your hive in the first place? You had to do it tactfully, so as not to hurt the bees’ feelings. It wasn’t a good idea to buy the bees, but if you had no choice, it was advisable to hand over the money (usually a gold coin) discreetly, well away from the hive. Better still was to exchange the hive for something useful, such as some wheat. But not even the wisest precautions were any good if the bees weren’t told they were going to have a new master or mistress. Such a lack of consideration could result in the death of the bees. You might think this practice has long since died out, but in fact it’s still performed in some parts of the countryside. And according to the people who take care of their bees in this way, it works perfectly.