The Bees’ Knees

Randy Hodge collects honeybees to move to his farm from Natasha Hollingsworth’s home. | Special to the Enquirer

Natasha Hollingsworth

Special to the Enquirer

While returning to the house from the garden, my dad noticed a swarm of insects in a tree behind our house. We were worried about them, so I looked them up on the internet and discovered they were honeybees. We called the pest control guys, and they told us to call a local beekeeper to collect the bees. We called Mr. Randy Hodge of P.K. Honey in New Market, and he said he would come and get them.

He came over and said he could collect the bees in a bucket and move them to his farm. So he tapped a big bucket to the end of a long pole and used it to shake the bees into the bucket. He then put a lid on the bucket, and put the bees into his truck to carry them home.

Here are some facts about bees that he told us…

1) Honeybees are not usually aggressive until they start building the cone.

2) There are usually several queens born, but the strongest one stings the others so she is the only one left.

3) The queen will lay thousands of eggs to make more workers.

4) If a worker bee stings you, he will die. The queen, however, can sting many times.

5) Bees do not like the color black. We do not know why.

6) The other bees will follow the queen wherever she goes.

7) Honeybees will fly up to two miles to find nectar and pollen.

8) There are 52 kinds of bees.

9) You are more likely to get stung on warn, windy days when the wind blows them into you.

10) Darker honey has a higher mineral content, and antioxidant content.

Honeybees are our friends in nature. They pollinate the flowers and plants, and make them grow and produce fruit and berries that we love to eat.

My dad is a photographer, and he took some pictures of Mr. Hodge at work collecting the bees. I hope you enjoy them.