Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world.

Fascinating Facts And Tantalizing Trivia

A Hartson Dowd Column

Oct 18, 2006

The BEE GARDEN 

            The bee garden with the herb garden, has faded away in tradition.

            Few today would understand the term, less would know how to “make” one; yet this was a very important section of the cultural area surrounding the old-time manor and country house.

            Modern honey production knows of “apiaries” and “out-apiaries.”  Hives are set in ordered rows near a central honey house” that is charged with many boxes and frames, tanks can cans, and honey production is a business.

            But for hundreds of years until the last hundred, when all the sweetening for the house came from the bees, a bee-garden was as essential as the potato-patch today, and was a much more interesting corner.

            Under the fruit trees would be rows or clusters of “skeps,” cone shaped bodies made of twisted straw, picturesque but very inefficient, according to modern bee culture.

Swarms were welcomed and fostered.  Today they almost are a sign of mismanagement.  In the autumn, the heaviest skeps, those with the most honey, were “sulphured” the bees killed by the fumes, the honey and wax taken away for consumption.  The weak hives were left alone.  They were allowed to perpetuate the race.  From them new swarms were taken the next year.

            The swarms were followed with beating pan and clatter, as this was thought to be an inducement for them to settle.  When they clustered quietly on a tree branch, a clean skep, drenched with good ale, brushed with sweet-smelling herbs, was held under them.  They dropped in at a shake, the skep was turned down on its stand, and the new colony set to work at once.

Monasteries and country houses of the upper classes had a bee master and many skeps, but simple cottages also had a “skep o’ bees” to provide the sweetness too expensive to be bought.

            There was no manipulation of the hive in those days, no disturbing of the bees, no artificial feeding, or super raising.  The bees worked in peace or loafed unhindered, there was no molestation, therefore little stinging.  One of the chief delights of the garden was to watch the bees, guessing the source of the pollen on their thighs, whether green from the gooseberry, ruddy from the dandelion, or pure gold from the apple or willow.  The incoming nectar would be so strong in the warm hours that the owners could smell the flower perfume from it as the bees dropped heavy-laden on the “doorstep” of the skep.

            To-morrow’s weather could be foretold better than by signs in the sky.  If the bees retired early in the evening, look for rain before morning.  If they straggled home late and weary, while the skep hummed with cheery workers, never mind wind or cloud, ‘twould be fine tomorrow.

            So wise were the honey makers that no news of importance must be kept from them.  When one of the household died, “the bees must be told,” or they would resent the oversight and leave.

            Science and intelligent practise has changed bee-keeping enormously.  Manufactured sugars have crowded out the honest healthful honey from the kitchen and the table.

            Wooden boxes of mathematical measurements, moveable frames and wax foundations have made the hive simple to operate.  Honey is extracted without destroying the bees, the colony is built up strong before the honey flow instead of being allowed to waste its strength in swarming; and from the supers of one hive a hundred pounds may be taken, where the skep had but room for twenty.

            This modern hive, like a miniature bungalow, has not the rustic beauty and simplicity of the old straw skep, however; and modern manufactures have divided the home from the honey pot so distantly that many gardeners taste no honey and fewer care for bees at all.

            The “bee garden,” the grassy plot under the fruit trees at the end of the flower borders, no longer exists.  More’s the pity!

            The beauty of a columbine is enhanced by the hovering of a humming bird; the delight in other blossoms is not lost by the murmuring of bees about them.  The poorest rest is found watching other things in motion, and the peace of the garden is not disturbed by the interesting hum of the hive.

            There is more joy, more interest, more profit in a bee-hive than in a sun-dial, though both add pleasure to a garden.  There are people to whom bees are a nuisance or a menace; these, of course, should not be induced to keep bees.  Others will not wish to be bothered by them, nor should they be persuaded to take up new responsibilities.

            But those who long for this old time joy, who would care for bees for the interest in them and the profit – at times – to be taken from them, may think seriously of the bee garden at the bottom of the path, where the fragrant sweetness of the flowers is garnered in summer to please the keen palate of the winter.

            Bees as "watchable" wildlife you ask? Don't worry, nearly all species of bees are gentle and will not sting you. They are simply searching for food-- pollen and nectar-- to feed themselves and their young. All bees need the same few basic requirements in order to make a living. It may surprise you to learn that of the nearly 5,000 species of bees in North America.   Most lead solitary lives and construct their homes (nests) underground or in pithy twigs or abandoned beetle burrows in dead tree branches.

You have already taken the first important step in providing what the bees ordered for dinner-- flowers. The bees won't chew up your prize specimens. Instead, they will take away pollen and nectar, leaving a "pollination path" of luscious fruits, vegetables and seeds in their wake. Remember, they aren't intentionally trying to be helpful to flowering plants by moving the pollen from flower to flower. In search of a quick sip of nectar, some tasty pollen and maybe some building materials to transport back to their nests the bees pollinate blossoms leading to fertilization and fruits to form. By selecting the best bee-rewarding plants, you can attract beneficial pollinating bees and other creatures to your flower and vegetable gardens or backyard fruit orchard.

The most important consideration is how to use a maximum of native annual and perennial wildflowers which naturally grow in your region. These plants evolved there and are adapted to the growing season and local climate and soils. They often require less water, fertilizer and pesticides than showy exotics, fanciful hybrids splashed across colorful ads in the most recent seed or bulb catalogs. The native wildflowers will also provide your bee visitors with more nutritious pollen and nectar since plant breeders do not think about providing floral rewards for pollinators and their magnificent creations are often all show and no bee chow. You can also make selections from old "heirloom" varieties such as Cosmos, black-eyed Susan’s, lupines, mints and others which are now enjoying a Renaissance of popularity.

Once you have provided your garden landscape with attractive and rewarding bee plants, there are a few other things to keep your bees healthy and around to pollinate another day. Apart from bountiful flowers, all bees require places to hide from predators, to locate and court a mate or establish their nests. Thus, they need you to help provide safe havens from predators, parasites and chemical insecticides.

Organic farming and gardening practices are growing at an exponential (use another word?) rate as demonstrated by the growth of this industry and everyone's concern for buying safe produce at the supermarket. At home, you can do the same thing by purchasing beneficial insects such as ladybird beetles, green lacewings or praying mantis. You can also encourage insect control by allowing spiders to build webs in your yard or ants to build nests in your garden. They are worth their weight in gold for controlling insects such as caterpillars which may be pests.

If you can't avoid not using some insecticides, try to use less persistent ones which have been proven safer for bees and other pollinators. Also, remember to follow the application instructions on the label and apply these materials after dark or when pollinators like bees are safe within their nests. If you poison your bees, you will have fewer prize-winning fruits on your table to brag about with your gardening neighbors. The biggest and tastiest fruits are the direct result of flowers pollinated by bees. Over a third of all the fruits and vegetables we eat are the result of bee visits to blossoms in our farms and gardens.

Bees also need sources of water which can be provided from a dripping faucet or pond or bird bath. Some, require mud as a building material for their nests. If you are lucky enough to have "Blue Orchard Bees" in your neighborhood, or other so-called Mason bees, encourage them by providing some mud. Create a one foot tall conical mound of soil near your garden. Allow some water to seep up from a pan at the base. The eager Mason bees will collect balls of. mud from the wet soil at the proper height and reward you by sticking around and increasing in numbers.

 In creating a bee garden, it is important to remember that you should leave a small patch of bare ground somewhere in or around your garden in which bees can establish their underground nests. Very few bees can nest in manicured grass lawns. Similarly, if you, or your neighbors, can tolerate a dead tree, or at least some dead branches, these will prove invaluable as nesting sites for many leafcutter and mason bees. Tie some dead branches up against your garden shed or other building to create some enticing holey bee real estate. The more beetle burrows the better for the bees.

"Bee houses" are easy and fun to make or can be purchased commercially from several vendors. Making your own can provide you and your children with hours of fun and even more entertainment once they are hung up in your yard to entice new bee pollinating tenants.

Honey Butter

? cup butter

? cup honey

? teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Beat together until well blended.

Serve with hot toast, biscuits, etc.

Fruity Honey Smoothie

1 cup frozen strawberries

1 cup skim or nonfat milk

1 Banana

1/3 cup honey

? cup plain or vanilla low-fat yogurt

In a blender, combine all ingredients; process until smooth.

Makes 2 large servings.

Hartson Sager Dowd

hsdowd@telus.net