by Susan Hainstock September 17 was my birthday and on that day I discovered someone had exterminated a hive of honeybees that have been living quite happily in a tree in Townsite. I have been watching the bees for the past two years; I don’t know how long they have actually been living there. I have marvelled at their tenacity and their beauty and how busy they were going about their business of collecting nectar and pollen.
Honeybees are beneficial creatures pollinating our flowers, fruit-bearing shrubs and fruit trees. And now someone has exterminated this hive.
When I went that day to the tree and saw all the dead grey bodies, I was absolutely devastated. I felt such a sense of loss and desolation; loss for those innocent creatures who do our world such a service and desolation thinking about our humanity or the lack thereof. Honeybees are not aggressive and are only interested in the survival of the hive which means they are busy collecting nectar and pollen. This hive had survived without our help.
I remember hearing on the CBC this spring about how bad the weather was for the bees and how the beekeepers in the Fraser Valley would have to feed their bees longer and that they would have to move their hives to dryer climes like Alberta and the Peace Country. We know that honey bees are falling prey to some mite. This hive could have been a stronger, more resilient bee for the future. They haven’t needed us to survive.
I am so angry, so incredibly angry I can hardly stand it. I’m especially angry at myself for not putting up a sign saying “Honeybees (not wasps) live here;” or for not calling a beekeeper.
So they are dead. I saw a wasp loitering by the tree, that day, and you know what? With no honeybee guards you can bet your life that the wasps will move in to take advantage of all the food in the tree and they will be much more aggressive about defending their territory.
Does anyone remember the movie Pleasantville? It started in black and white and the colour only showed up when people were awakened to their senses. I felt like the reverse had happened that day; that the colour had left my world and gave me dead, grey bees in return.
I’m sure the hyper allergic people might write back about the danger of honeybees but don’t bother—I am allergic too. I have many times stood about one foot away to watch those little bees working. They had no interest in me; they were too busy bringing in the food.
So to whoever killed those bees...thanks for ruining my birthday and thanks for destroying a beneficial creature. We will not be a better planet for you doing that.
Susan Hainstock, a Wildwood resident, has had a life-long interest in the natural world.
