Enthusiasm is contagious.
Something is catching, but what exactly?
The world works in frequencies or vibrations, and like a tuning fork – they can resonate, where one will take on the same tone as another, just by being in proximity.
Enthusiasm as an energy must be a bit like that, as I have inspired my Dad and re-ignited his passion and strong love of the bees. The bees themselves are mirroring this and they are looking phenomenal, a mast year if you will. Beekeeping management has been on point this year, hive losses have been few, and impeccable timing with mite control in our remote sites earlier in the season has given us respite from re-invasion – up until the bees are made transient in pollination.
Obviously, the bees work with frequency and vibration too. A happy hive can be measured at around 200-400 hertz. A distressed hive raises its frequency to over 500 hertz.
Every living creature operates with a level of vibration. Harmonious tones resonate and create growth whereas incompatible frequencies at the right amplitude, even in humans, can be lethal. I started to wonder about varroa mites having their own energy signal… low and behold Google tells me that other people had thought of that long before I did. In fact there are devices that pulse a range of square wave frequencies which are apparently kryptonite to varroa.
Look it up if you are interested. Not being an instant solution or total knockdown, more another weapon in the arsenal. But the idea makes sense to me, and I believe there is scope to expand on the concept. Kiwis are a clever bunch – maybe someone reading this will have a lightbulb moment.
Life, and the energy that drives it, really is an extraordinary thing.
In certain cultures low frequency sound waves and music bass were used to attract bees. It was found those low vibes would mimic the vibrations created by flowers as they release pollen. Have you ever heard of ‘Drumming down a swarm’? Supposedly the drumming noise interferes with the in-flight drone of the queen bee and causes them all to come down. I had a flashback of beating on a pot when a swarm was flying to get them to land close by. It worked. Co-incidence or…? Truth may be stranger than fiction, as plants can also recognize the humming buzz of the bee, and scientists discovered flowers would make their nectar sweeter in response to the noise.
Enthusiasm… yea it is contagious alright!
Being up to my elbows in bees everyday is a highlight of my life. By the time I go to sleep I am already dreaming of getting back into a hive.
Days are busy. Grafting, putting out cells and spring mated queens, evening up brood in hives for pollination audit standards and we are now stripping honey from a lot of sites to keep them rearing for pollination – which is finally upon us. My driving skills are being put to the test, especially as I have adopted the Big truck for my training, an Isuzu N series 4WD beast. Pretty quickly I’m learning which orchards are better suited for a smaller ride!
The honey is flowing in and we have a couple of sites on the rewarewa, including our first at-home bee site backing onto the native. Honey boxes have started stacking up and my three girls are only too keen to accompany me down to the back paddock. My eldest daughter has fallen into a role as weekend beekeepers’ helper, checking out the rest of the hives whilst exploring the countryside.
Everybody’s busy, and we’re moving into a period of growth.
Bees are absolutely engrossing and beekeeping is an art. Its about reading the hive and listening to the hunches, timing is everything. You could spend a lifetime with the bees, and you would never stop learning. They are good for the human soul. The frequency they emit is one of healing and I, like many others, am grateful to be a keeper of the hive.
Peace, Aimz.
Comentarios