Sunday, November 8, 2015

One Lone Honey Bee

Sometimes I cry for mother nature. I try not to, but I can't help myself. A tremendous sadness comes over me; I cry mostly because I feel powerless to make things better. Yesterday when the sun was warm enough, dozens of yellow butterflies were flocking to the bright red blossoms of the pineapple sage. I walked over to revel in their late fall sipping frenzy. I was thankful for the long autumn and grateful I'd planted the sage, not realizing it would provide food for so many this late in the season.

pineapple sage flower here in my Georgia garden

As I watched the butterflies I saw a honey bee, one lone honey bee, moving from each red blossom to another. He was trying to get pollen from the sage flowers. I wasn't sure he could even reach the pollen in such deep and narrow flowers. I glanced around and didn't see any other honey bees. I wondered if there were any more. Where did this one lone honey bee live? Where was his hive. Did this honey bee have an active hive to go home to? How would he make it through the winter if he had no other hive members to help keep him warm?

honey bee on dusty miller flower in my California garden

Then I thought how sad he must feel if he was the only bee left in his hive. I know bees communicate to one another about where to find their pollen plants. If I didn't see any other honey bees here, there might not be any more. He didn't have a fellow hive member to tell the location of the pollen plant. Maybe he was the only honey bee left. I cried a little more at the sadness of his life, the one lone honey bee. I vowed to plant more pollen plants and pray I see more honey bees next year.

14 comments:

  1. We're not doing right to the environmrnt.

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    1. Hi Joanne, thanks, no all those pesticides are so bad for the beneficial insects.

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  2. Yet we can only do what we can do...planting those flowers, talking here to share the problem and solutions. My heart is with yours. And the bees and butterflies.

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    1. Hi Barb, thanks, yes we can only do what we can do.

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  3. I am sure that bee is not alone. I saw a lone bee buzzing around the squash blossoms in my patio, but also saw dozens of bees buzzing around a tree in my neighbor's yard. I guess bees have preferences as to food choices.

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    1. Hi Gigi, thanks, this time of year there really isn't anything else blooming around here so I doubt the bees were elsewhere

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  4. I read a article stating that the bee population is up, unlike what the media wants us to believe , which is good news~~~Mother Nature does look out for her own

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    1. Hi Carroll, thanks, the bee keepers at our farmer's market say that isn't true, they keep loosing hives and there are about five of them there, so I guess it may be regional. Also the pesticide companies may want us to think the bee population is up so they can keep selling their harmful products.

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  5. The decline in bees seems to be world wide. Which is making my heart ache.

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    1. Hi Elephant's Child, thanks, yes it makes the heart ache for more than one reason without the bees no pollination of our foods

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  6. Losing the bees is hearbreaking. Hearing from my brother in law in Oregon, and the many people I know who keep bees, they have lost a tremendous amount of them. I trust their accounts over the media. I do delight in seeing a bee now an then.

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    1. Hi Barbara, thanks, over the years they were a sight to see and now so infrequently as to make one worry and be wary of any reports to the otherwise. Observation in nature is a great asset I think.

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  7. Let him bee, I say! We need more bees! The world will be a barren place if we lose our bee populations.

    I love bees.

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  8. Hi Lee, thanks you are so right.

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