1 of 2 different bee/insect hotels in Cuddy Gardens. These will never
stop being fascinating. Also the “roof” having a green roof of sedums
is a nice touch.

(Note to self; the roofing soil mix was gravely/gritty, probably for sharp drainage

Honey bee (Apis cerana japonica)　

毎年恒例の分蜂の季節　
今年はお向かいさんの庭に集結　
古巣から巣立った女王と、腹一杯に蜜を蓄えた働きバチ達　
行先が決まりつつあるのか中央では
距離と方角を伝える八の字ダンスがしきりと行われ中。
それにしてもこんなに小さい分蜂群は初めて、、、頑張ってほしい

Annual bee season every year. This year we gather in Oppa’s garden. The queen nested from the old nest and worked bees who stored honey on their belly.

Whether the destination is being determined or in the middle.

The eight character dance that conveys the distance and direction is being done quietly.

Even so, for the first time this small group of bee …. Please do your best.

Horizontal hive with round frames, Spain.

How to Render Beeswax

– Cover your counters and floors around where you will be working to ensure a quick and easy clean up in case of any wax spill.

– Create a double boiler by filling a pot with water and nestling a second pot inside the first. heat the water to a calm boil.

– Empty your ‘dirty’ honeycomb from your honey harvest into the
second pot and allow it to melt completely, keeping an eye that the wax
itself does not begin to boil.

– When the wax is completely melted, remove it from the heat and pour
it through a cheesecloth into a cardboard milk carton that you have cut
the top off of.

– Allow the wax to harden, then rip the carton away from the wax.

– Honey will have settled around the wax. save some for your tea and rinse the rest off with cool water in the sink.

– Your wax is now clean and ready to be used however you desire! time to make some balms or candles!

Japanese honey bees Vs. Giant hornet

The Plexiglass House by Aganetha Dyck
in 2008. Commissioned by the North Dakota Museum of Art. Artist
Aganetha Dyck is a Canadian artist who collaborates with bees to create
sculptures wrapped in honeycomb.

Photo credit: Peter Dyck.

Insect Correspondences

Spider – Connections, communication, raised awareness
Potato bug – Protection,closure, seclusion
Beetle – Beauty, glamour, self esteem
Ant – Community, sacrifice, team building
Grasshopper – Movement, invisibility, speed
Bee – Strength, travel, success, bounty
Moth – Light, searching, journey, growth
Butterfly – Death, rebirth, beauty, humble beginnings
Fly – Greed, satisfaction, hunger
Cockroach – Survival, drive, fighting, stubbornness
Mosquito – Blood, reliance, self sufficiency
Lady bug – Charity, kindness, friendliness
Snail – Determination, slow growth, development

ancient greek words about bees

βομβυλιός: bumblebee

ἑσμοτόκος: producing swarms of bees

φιλόσμηνος: loving swarms of bees

μελισσεύς: bee-keeper

μελισσόβοτος: fed on by bees

μελισσών: apiary

μελισσοσόος: guardian of bees

σμῆνος: beehive